It's an August night and it's very hot in Lisbon. I'm in bed, lying down, ready for bed. I hear the cicadas outside and I remember my childhood, when I was on vacation in the interior of São Paulo. Being in the capital of a country and listening to the sound of cicadas in a busy neighborhood is, for me, a privilege. Just as I felt privileged recently to see a flock of seagulls saying goodbye for another day, flying over the sea during the sunset in Costa da Caparica.
Lisbon won me over almost 10 years ago, when I came here on vacation for the first time. Always being in contact with nature is one of the reasons why I fell in love with the city. I don't get tired of admiring the beauty of the Tagus River when I walk through Cais do Sodré, an area completely remodeled and currently with a super modern air.
I love that there is always a breeze on summer nights and that winter here is not as harsh as in other European countries. Crossing the 25 de Abril Bridge and suddenly being on the beach is a gift. I never get tired of driving through Belém and admiring the Jerónimos Monastery, the Belém Tower, the architecture of MAAT, and again it, the Tagus.
Lisbon for me is an old lady who seeks more and more to show the girl inside her. The Lisbon lady lives in the houses of Alfama, in the historic architecture, in the traditional food, in the wines, in everything that has been here for hundreds of years.
The Lisbon girl appears more and more: she is at the heart of the stylish cafes and healthy menus that are already becoming the hallmark of this “new Lisbon”; it is in the “concept stores”, stores that sell modern and often sustainable products; she is in the beautiful graffiti spread over many walls and coloring even more our old and dear city.
This mix of old and new, old and modern, is for me what makes Lisbon Lisbon. Each new walk through this city, where I've actually lived for 1 year, brings me a surprise – whether it's a beautiful set of old tiles on the facade of a building or a newly opened restaurant.
These details are essential for me on a daily basis: I need to constantly remind myself that they exist, even when the bureaucracy seems to want to speak louder (and there is bureaucracy!), even when I see a lack of jobs, even when I see more a strike in the health sector or in schools, even when I see rent prices rising higher and higher.
There are no perfect places and Lisbon, perfect, certainly isn't. But that's okay, as long as we always have flocks of swallows and seagulls to present us with their beautiful flights in the late afternoon...
Leda Letra is a journalist. In Lisbon, she is reinventing herself: she is co-founder of 60 Graus, a modern laundry (@60grauslaundry) and also manages apartments for short-term stays (@hi_lisboa).
