Lisbon

Closer to home but further from my recognition, Lisbon looked very different than it did in my memory of my first visit over 17 years ago. While the city and the people hadn’t changed so much as my perception, I also had managed to escape the binding institutions I would have been better off without had I not met you.

A short flight away since home is no longer demarcated by geography or politics, the blue and green aerial views were reflected in the city’s numerous parks and green spaces. A favorite was Parque Eduardo VII, where I went for a couple of runs. Another was Jardim do Torel, which I later re-discovered with you before my “second dream” came true over a meal of traditional fare and one of the best conversations I’d had in years.

A soundless memory from a joyless past was replaced by both professional and amateur fado performers. Two of the amateur participants were an older couple seated next to us, and with whom we had struck up conversation during dinner. The show went on until late in the evening and was underscored by wistful notes that we could hear but neither understand nor feel, though I suppose that mutual understanding and feeling are rare, regardless of linguistic and cultural divides.

A panoramic view of the city followed by several solitary strolls took me through streets that ended in plazas and a sunlit cathedral, though I felt like I was just going through the motions. It wasn’t until a Friday afternoon walk with you that I felt like I really saw the city in its vibrant abandon. Wondering about the lives of the people who had lived in what once would have been lively accommodations, we later took a streetcar to colorfully occupied streets and a view of the castle against the backdrop of a blue and pink sky.

With cleaner air, cleaner streets, and more space to breathe than in Barcelona, we couldn’t help but speculate if it were somewhere we’d want to live in the near future. From an unappreciated visit blighted by circumstance nearly two decades ago to this most recent experience, I came to know myself.