What am I waiting for?

Part One:

I’m sitting in the airport lounge in Frankfurt on my way to Lisbon, Portugal for a long weekend.  Yes, you heard correctly – for the weekend!  Now at first glance you might think this a little decadent, or perhaps a little frivolous but I want give you some context although, if you’re a frequent reader you’ll understand completely.  J

It’s no mistake that my new business venture is centered around travel, its benefits, especially for the likes of me are too numerous to mention.  Having my own business provides me the type of flexibility in my life that I now see as essential, and clearly something that I’ve been moving increasingly toward over the past couple of years. 

Strangely, it feels like I’m being magnetically drawn toward my new lifestyle in some weird way, almost compelled.  Whatever it is my sense of adventure and instinctive curiosity is always tingling with the possibility of getting on a plane and exploring somewhere new. 

The question that keeps coming to mind is “What am I waiting for?”  This very question excites me and at the same time of it refreshes me to the core (yes, in my head – not our loud).

For those of you that have started a business, you’ll know that it takes longer than planned to get everything off the ground, and so I recently surrendered to the thought of not pushing too hard but letting it work its way through organically and letting it follow a natural progression and flow, yes its a lot less stressful as well! The good news is that I have a number of exciting opportunities on the go along with some cool stuff on the horizon so couldn’t be happier. 

With this as my backdrop late last week I was looking at a weekend without Zach and Sami (as they are with my ex) and thought why not get on a plane and go explore.  Firstly, choosing a location was trickier that I thought because there are so many places still on my list…  As the late Susan Sontag (Writer and literary critic) once said “I haven’t been everywhere, but its on my list”.  Couldn't have coined it more perfectly!

It eventually came down to two locations, both amazing options so I could hardly go wrong, however my mind was made up at the start of the week after a frigid chill swept through Toronto bringing with it cold arctic air and snow, hence my choice of Lisbon.

The other choice was Berlin, as I said a great option but the weather differential played the critical role in my decision.  Today Berlin reached a high of 6C, whereas Lisbon was a balmy 21C, you can see where I’m going with this especially after the crappy week we’ve had in Toronto and the temperature well below 0C for much of the week.  Frankly, I didn’t want to face more cold weather over the weekend…sorry Berlin but I'll have to take a rain check!

Part Deux:

I arrived safe into Lisbon just before lunchtime today, after two smooth and uneventful flights (always the best kind!).  After quickly checking in and dropping my bags at my hotel I found myself in a taxi headed for the Alfama neighbourhood (Old Quarter) for the afternoon.  I initially started my exploration at Castelo de São Jorge (St George’s Castle) which towers over the old city and has commanding views of the Rio Tejo (or Tagus river that splits Lisbon in two).

Lisbon itself was build on a series of low rolling hills and as such is interesting to hike, if you want a full body workout you’ve come to the right city. J   In all I walked for about four solid hours and took just under 400 photos (still not sure what the "keep rate" is on this afternoons photo shoot), not bad for an afternoon’s work. 

Initially I started in Alfama, but then explored Baixa (which is the main tourist area) and Amoreiras with its high-end stores (equivalent of 5^th Avenue in New York).  Yes, they even had my favorite store (Massimo Dutti), which I had to go see just in case they had anything in Lisbon that they didn’t have in Toronto…surprisingly not too much was different.

Tomorrow, my plan is to walk along the waterfront to the Belém Tower which is situated a few kilometers along the waterfront where the Atlantic and the Tagus river meet.  The tower was built on an island at the mouth of the river as a fortified position in 1519 and played a major role in a number of skirmishes and with the French and Spanish navies over the centuries.  Since the earthquake that levelled Lisbon in 1755 the  Belém Tower is now part of the shoreline as the river itself was strangely redirected by the quake.

After an afternoon of walking around Lisbon you can see the struggles the proud city has endured and continues to experience since the financial crisis, with many stores closed and quite a number of rundown buildings even in the main tourist areas.  Given that it’s the countries capital it’s surprisingly quiet and little traffic to speak of, but it has a great vibe which you can't fake so if you ever get a chance to come to Lisbon...take it!

The key question that keeps going through my mind is  “what am I waiting for?”.  

I want you to all take a step back and ask yourself the same question?  It doesn’t have to be as exotic as Lisbon or Berlin, but committing yourself to having an adventure is where I believe life begins…oh, and bring a camera cos’ I want to see what you find along the way.  

I like a dare, so I also dare you to respond with your answers and photos on my blog or on Facebook! J

Boa noite  (good night in Portuguese)

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Here a small selection of some photos from this afternoons photo shoot in Lisbon's Old Quarter - enjoy!

Friday is wash day in Lisbon!

The Portuguese love their tiles - this is a fully tiled wall (huge tiles)

Autumn leaves in a pond - Lisbon

Reflections over water in Lisbon

Miles of parks in Lisbon - so pretty!

Is it a tram or a funicular?  My guess is the latter

Subway graffiti

When I first saw this photo I thought the statue was giving
me the finger...hahaha

The tile pattern in the pavement - slightly disorienting

A favour for Zach - picked him up some Portuguese vinyl

The ubiquitous Tuk-Tuk....now I know why they are soooooo popular in Goa

Unforgettable colors and clouds

Colors of the Tagus toward late afternoon

Girl writing in the sand at 

Praça do Comércio

Brilliant colors!

The street performer was brilliant at getting the bubbles to ah enormous size

A warm embrace with bubble!

Blowing bubbles in Baixa

The door grate

Apartments left to the elements in Baixa

Sadly the sidewalks were empty

Inside the church entrance 

The parody - the photographer taking a photo of the photographer!

Church towers reminded me of Notre Dame in Paris, but not as ornate

Tram coming down from the Castelo

How old???

Nothing like a random tile store...

Tram tracks coming down from Castelo de Sao Jorge

Reflection on water

Cobbled streets

Spectacular views from the Castelo de Sao Jorge

The numerous churches are evident in Lisbon

Indeed - "From Portugal with love"

View of the Tagus River from the Castelo

The moat inside the Castelo de Sao Jorge - its now full of Peacocks

Yes Peacocks!

The fountain inside the Castelo

The view from Castelo de Sao Jorge over Lisbon

Extremely civilized Portuguese wine seller just after lunch!

Canon still holding firm over the Tagus River from Castelo de Sao Jorge 

Statue of a knight at Castelo de Sao Jorge

Tram tracks with grate in Alfama