My Mom on her 60th birthday told me that every decade has gotten better than the last, and I can not help but agree with friends like these. Looking forward to all the coming adventures PortuGALs
If you asked me ten years ago, what I thought I would be doing in the August of my 31st year, I could have never imagined what is my reality. I've said it countless times here on this blog, but it needs said again - I am one lucky girl. Lucky not only to have great friends, but that somehow we are still having so much fun. Here's a few of the highlights of our latest adventure in Portugal......
Maturity: While sometimes I have moments of 'what am I doing with my life' especially as baby and wedding photos abound Fbook, I am soothed by the fact that I have awesome friends thinking the same thing. One year ago I wrote about how we were 30 years old and still making up dances in foreign countries and I promised you that in a year's time we would still be doing the same - well, I have some progress for you. This year we did not make up dances, but instead made a music video on bicycles. How's that for age related milestones? We made a friend our second day in Portugal who asked what hostel we were staying at, and our joint 31 year old cringe was probably visible. Yet our luxurious B&B was only slightly more expensive than said hostel - strategic and comfortable = we've arrived. And in all seriousness, this trip to Portugal made me feel like a real adult even if I'm not married or with child (other than my dear food baby that I fed healthily on this trip). We combined party time with sports and fear factoring, and education and history with statue posing, and port tasting with robe relaxing. When I think of where I'd like to be at 31, there's no better combination I can think of.
Friends: This is the longest in my 2.5 years away that I have gone without seeing friends from the US or going to the US, and even with the miles and the time passing, one thing that is so refreshing about old (in time not in age;)) friends is their ability to call you out and make you accountable for how you're acting. I don't get enough of that these days and sometimes I worry that I'm lost in a maze in my head without any signposts or wake-up calls that can come from those near and dear. And in true maturity, there were a few 'hot flashes' on this trip, including one of my own where I threw a tantrum for being hot in a restaurant or another where I couldn't hang for fireworks, and two other unnamed people's tantrums when the Fado and veal weren't up to par. You know you can travel anywhere with people when those are the fights/drama that you're having. Thank you friends for a perfect combination of pensive deep convos, laughter and dancing, sports and silliness, and quiet relaxation. And I need to say a special thank you to Stephanie for seriously planning our whole trip AND bringing a celebrity guest. Next time I promise IGYG
Portugal: As I warned you, we decided on Portugal in a haze of ham, cheese, castles, and topless surfing. In reality, I didn't actually care where we went, I just wanted to hang with these ladies. And in even more real reality, I had no time to really research Portugal given my crazy life of late, and at the same time I just expected it to be similar to Italy and Spain. So I arrived with little expectation for the place, and more excited for the adventure, and Portugal surprised me at every turn. 1st) The food: again no expectation and yet their bread is amazing (spongy and grainy at the same time), the seafood is ridiculous (barnacles anyone), and don't get me started on the ginginha. We had countless amazing meals, some in rustic places and some in smancy places and the overwhelming feeling throughout was 'really? portugal?' 2) I've never really cared for port or known anything about Portuguese wines, so again I wasn't expecting much, and I can now tell you that port is to be appreciated, mostly in a robe or while listening to fado. 3) Bathrooms: So impressed, which is partly a testament to living in Italy and partly a testament to Portugal. In Italy it is near impossible to find the trifecta (soap, toilet paper, and a seat), but in Portugal even gas stations have nice bathrooms and I kept thinking for how much Italians pride themselves on grooming and cleanliness they could learn a thing or two from a Portuguese bathroom. 4) Kindness: I had listened to a Rick Steve's podcast (some of the only prep I did for this trip while lounging at the pool) which had said how kind Portuguese people are, but I was figuring that it was a bit of Rick's typical exaggeration station, when in fact it was over and above what Rick described. One example is when you ask for directions - instead of telling you how to get there, the person walks you there. Or example two, our waiter who kindly made of fool of himself while acting out the head, shoulders, knees and toes dance in the middle of the street to our endless enjoyment. 5) Quaint and hip: Are my best words to describe Portugal. It's a bit of an awesome mixture of undiscovered and artsy/edgy, combined with simple charm. Lisbon is like San Francisco except less expensive, less polished, and a bit edgier/artsier = get there before it becomes another Madrid. Did I mention that we went to a club with a library inside it? You had me at Bom dia Portugal. 6) Language: Again I did not prepare for this trip, and when I landed I was a bit confounded on whether to speak Spanish or English, and in the end it was a bit of both. We were impressed with how easy it was to get around with English and in those few spots where we were stuck I relied on my Portanol and other than with a cab driver who was eating marbles, it seemed to work. All in all, Portugal was a perfect soft and cozy landing with unexpected delights in a time that I really needed it. So Obrigada, Portugal, you were more than I could have ever imagined
So in a life that keeps surpassing my expectations, I can only attribute it to great friends, maturing, and clean bathrooms
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