Lisbon (PORTUGAL) - another Seven Hills

Lisbon (Portugal)

06 September - 08 September 2015

The landscape out of Madrid as you head to the end of the continent is unchanging, almost unimaginative. Burnt, heat beaten, a country of various shades of brown extended relentlessly in front of the car dashboard. Riding shotgun can be a painful experience as the kilometers roll on buy and you wonder to yourself whether time passes differently when you're conscious of its transition. Somehow when time becomes the subject of focus then it appears to bask in its own innate control over all things.  That's the trick that time has up its sleeve, and your only real control over it is to cast it from your mind. To escape its grasp you need to escape its thought, thankfully sleep knows a trick or two regarding time's tyrannical rule. 

Arriving in Lisbon had felt somewhat momentous. We had effectively crossed the continent and were about to arrive at the launching point for the new world. From here you're able to see the edge of the world, and from there, Valhalla, perhaps? Or perhaps you can keep sailing and head-butt the Americas, if you were daring enough.

Ponte 25 Abril - Lisbon - Portugal

 Lisbon - Portgual

Lisbon - Portugal

Lisbon is an undeniably magical city and still, to an extent, not haunted by the ravages of populism, not yet at least. Inevitably it will get hit by the 'flavour of the month' wave,you can feel that its on its way. A city of this much beauty, not horrendously priced, it's placing itself in harms way.

We rolled into Lisbon on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, held high above the Targus on Ponte 25 Abril the city unfurled in front of us as we drove in from the south, terra cotta tiled buildings ofwhite, yellow and red colour, a rich tapestry being beaten by the Atlantic sun. Quite the impression after several hours of unrelenting monotony in the Iberian countryside.

Landing in the barrio of Baixa-Chiado we aimed up for the apartment that we'd reserved for a couple of days. That was problematic for the fact that we somehow failed to print off the reservation details for the place, didn't have internet access on our phones and encountered other 1st world digital problems. We ended up taking a fall back position at the fabulous Hotel do Chiado. This hotel and its accompanying view was just an absolute dream, let alone the incredible terrace that my cousin and I managed to hijack from our mothers. Apologies ladies but 'you snooze, you loose'. We were however gracious enough to invite the two ladies up for afternoon cocktails, so perhaps that made up for the way we poached the prime location from them.

Hotel do Chiado - Baixa-Chiado - Lisbon - Portugal

Hotel do Chiado - Baixa-Chiado - Lisbon - Portugal

Hotel do Chiado - Baixa-Chiado - Lisbon - Portugal

Hotel do Chiado - Baixa-Chiado - Lisbon - Portugal

Lisbon - Portugal

Lisbon - Portugal

Lisbon - Portugal

Looking out over the old part of town in front of us, the sun bouncing over off the terra cotta tiles and the Pombaline rococo, feet up, drink in hand and simply gazing out in admiration over what truly is an enchanting city, a large part of me felt quite content, even happy about the current situation. It was in fact a whole new beginning, a leap of fate of sorts. Packing up everything that we were accustomed to and heading to live in Serbia, whilst making sense, was still a change of substantial gravity. And whilst I can't say that I ever felt nervous or wrong about that decision I did secretly question myself as to how long it would last.  Only our good friend time could comfortably answer that question one way or the other.

Lisbon, a city of pure magic, also had its part to play. As the light faded out on our first day and we walked the cobbled amber lit streets, stepping across the tracks of the famed No.28 tram as we discovered more of our barrio. Ornate Moorish tiles adorned building facades, old weather beaten faces appeared on terraces and from behind large wooden doors as strains of Fado could be heard floating out of the occasional cafe or restaurant. You couldn't help but fall for a place like this.

Lisbon - Portugal

Castelo do Sao Jorge

The magnificent city of Lisbon with the September sun beating down

The nightlife in the city is juxtaposed perfectly with the atmosphere of the day. In Barrio Alto where my cousin and I went exploring, it was boisterous, loud, enchanting. There was music, the clinking of glasses, the sounds of cutlery hitting plates, waiters busily making there way through chairs and tables to take orders. The yellowish hues of lights stretching their arms to light streets and alleyways that were full, and apparently, are always so. It's the kind of vibrancy that has a gravitational pull, and much to my lament, is the type of environment that I use to long for in Sydney. On occasion I'd find pockets in Melbourne, for example Carlton, St.Kilda or Brunswick street. In Sydney, perhaps only Newtown ever felt like that to me. Here in Lisbon, it was just 'the way'. There's something cool about the authenticity of that feel, not needing to be unnecessarily manufactured.

At one time this city was not just the focal point of Europe but of the World itself. One of the richest and most influential in its time, the birthplace of the Age of Discovery, at the vortex of a global hub of trade and innovation, pulsing with the activities of traders, seafarers & conquistadors, they all left an indelible mark on a city that still basks in an old world glory but also carries it with noble dignity. It knows exactly where it came from and what it was, like a fading beauty whose self assurance can be witnessed by all just by being in their presence.

Lisbon - Portugal

The No.28 tram - on the way to Alfalma - Lisbon - Portugal

The No.28 tram - Alfalma - Lisbon - Portugal

Lisbon - Portugal

 The sun glimmering on the Targus river - Lisbon - Portugal

Vladimir at castelo de Sao Jorge - Lisbon - Portugal

The old area of Amalfa is a cobble stoned maze of alleyways that are lined by ancient houses, all clinging to the hill which eventually leads up to the castillo of Sao Jorge, a moorish piece of architecture which occupies a hilltop that holds epic views over the city. The magnificence is not just its architectural signature but also the light, its bright, sharp and somehow it bites. The way that the sun reflected off the Targus and bounded off the white buildings of the city, well, you couldn't ask more from any other jewel.

Castelo de Sao Jorge

Castelo de Sao Jorge - Lisbon - Portugal

Lisbon - Portugal

 Our apartment on Calcado do Combro - great view out to the Targus river - Lisbon - Portugal

Lisbon - Portugal

Lisbon - Portugal

A morning sunrise in Lisbon, and that can only mean one thing...time to leave

Lisbon is a special place. Hopefully its gets treated well in future, its not a place that needs to be lost to what too much appreciation can undeniably take away.

Madrid (SPAIN) - Acquiesce

Madrid (Spain)

05 SEP - 06 SEP 2015

Like that hot, uncomfortable, annoying breeze that sometimes catches you out, this was our stop in the wonderful city of Madrid. A day, to do and see what exactly, I wasn't quite sure, but the 'brain's trust' decided that was enough. So, aside from that boring element of discussion let me tell you of the story of my first arrival to Madrid in 2008.

Back then I thought 'English' was a good enough language to have in my arsenal if I wanted to move around. That's the typical Anglo centric view, speak louder, speak slower and a little more clearly, everyone should be able to understand you.

El toro negro en ruta a Madrid - Espana

Puerta del Sol - Madrid - Spain

Puerta del Sol - Madrid - Spain

The hotel I stayed at was on Calle Atocha, probably 10 mins walk from Plaza Mayor, about as central as you'd like to be in Madrid. After going through my usual 'settling in' period I went out for a walk in order to have a look what was a around, maybe check the nightlife a little and get a drink. Just a few blocks down there appeared to be an open plaza surrounded by some reasonable bars. I walked on in and took up residence. Spanish was being spoken all around me. At that time, just 'another' foreign language. I waited for the bartender to come over and ordered myself a beer. It was then probably two seconds after that point that I felt completely embarrassed. I was somewhere totally foreign, why should the people here accommodate me? To not even try or even think of doing so in someone elses language, well that was just plain ignorant. Right at that moment I promised myself that the next time I came to Madrid that I walk into this bar and order a drink in Spanish rather than arrogantly assuming that everyone around me should understand my English. 

In 2010 when I returned to Madrid I did just that. Same place, same bar, same order, just ordered in the 'local currency'. Since 2010 however I've made a conscious effort to learn the language to a level where now I feel comfortable enough to have a conversation. Admittedly its not the most difficult language in the world to learn but still, an achievement in itself.

So, here I was again, 7 years after my first stop in Madrid. Now with my family. 

How good does that place look!? - Madrid - Spain

Madrid - Spain

Parque Retiro - Madrid - Spain

Parque Retiro - Madrid - Spain

I quite often play a game with Inga where was ask each other 'if you could give your past self a snapshot of this moment do you think you'd be able to figure out how you got here?'  - My favourite one of those questions was the time I was in the car with Inga, her brother Davis and their father Jurijs. We were driving back from Vilnius in Lithuania and they had allowed me to drive for part of the way, getting practice in for driving on the 'right' side of the road. Inga asked me 'If someone had shown you this photo the night after you first met me in Riga, what would you have thought' - I had to consider that for a while, the only thing that I came up with was that I got drunk with the girl that I met in the bar and now we were making a run for it as we'd probably done something very stupid.

Parque Retiro - Madrid - Spain

Plaza de Santa Ana - Madrid - Spain

Protest in Puerta del Sol - Madrid - Spain

                                                 Early morning escape - on the way to Lisbon

Anyway, back to Madrid and the 'Madrid snapshot'. If someone had provided me of a shot of my aunt, cousin and mum in Madrid at the ages we were, then yes, I probably could have figured something close to the mark. The simple fact that my father wasn't there would have been enough of a clue to have figured out what was going on.

Madrid as a city is almost regal, it's buildings are elegant and stylish. There's a vibrancy and type of electricity here that you don't get in too many other places. There's bars a plenty,  tapas bars and little restaurants, but also that Mediterranean mentality that the night only really commences after midnight. The lifestyle here is tailored to good vibes, a great atmosphere and great fun. In all honesty, its one of my favourite European cities. It's hard to call it number one as Amsterdam & Paris certainly give it a hell of a run, but with that said, it rotates in and out of that number 1 spot with a fair amount of frequency,

Barcelona (SPAIN) - Vitamin SEA

Barcelona
03 SEP - 05 SEP 2015

Point to point travel yet again. Another morning, another desire to get from one destination to the next without ever considering what was in between, all those small places, all those hidden gems. Anyway, I'll leave the lament on the back-burner a little, it was time for Barcelona, Catalonian magnificence in a Spanish prison. I don't mean it like that either actually, I just liked the way the line came out, I have no idea of the history or the politics that generate that divide. It's just that my scattered thoughts for this destination kind of typify the way I was feeling about the whole endeavour at the time. It's freakin' BARCELONA right! It's one of the capitals of cool and I know its a mighty fun destination, having been there there twice before, once in 2008, and the next during their World Cup win in 2010. This arrival was a little different. A little more understated, a little more 'blah'.

What can I tell you, we saw what we were meant to see. We experienced Barceloneta, we took the cable car up to Montjuic and back down, we went to La Sagrada Familia, we 'ate the food, we drank the wine, everybody having a good time, except you. You were talking about the end of the world'. Having spent so much of my hard earned money on U2 albums, concert tickets, DVD's , t-shirts and all else U2 related, I think they can afford me that line for my own personal use and amusement.

So, I'm going to do this one more in photos. Your typical family holiday, done in a very typical way in Barcelona, nothing 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' about it other than the setting being the same.

Barceloneta - Barcelona - Catalonia - Spain

Barcelona - Catalonia - Spain

Barcelona - Catalonia - Spain

View from Montjuic - Barcelona - Catalonia - Spain

Barcelona - Catalonia - Spain

Barcelona - Catalonia - Spain

Barcelona - Catalonia - Spain

La Sagrada Familia - Barcelona - Catalonia - Spain

La Sagrada Familia - Barcelona - Catalonia - Spain

La Sagrada Familia - Barcelona - Catalonia - Spain

La Sagrada Familia - Barcelona - Catalonia - Spain

Montpellier (FRANCE) - Blink and you'll miss it

Montpellier (France)

02 SEP 2015

Don't let the title fool you, I have nothing against Montpellier, actually, I was more than disappointed that we only spent an evening there, it looked to be an incredibly beautiful city. One of those towns that seemed to have everything on my list 'intriguing, fascinating and enjoyable'. As you already know however, this trip was not one of 'those trips'. I had no real control over duration, where we were going or what we were doing. I was on 'the clock' of someone else, whose mission I didn't understand...not for the life of me.

This day started in another country, far on the north eastern coast of Italy. Once again, we bounded out of Venice with rigour and purpose. Why? Who the hell knows why! All I know is that my cousin was aiming to get as far as he could in the amount of daylight that we had possible, and so we drove, Vicenza, Verona & Brescia, then the chaos of the traffic moving in and out of Milan. It was like nothing that I'd seen before. Three lanes of slow moving steel, plastic and rubber, columns of trucks that went for mile, after mile. The Northern part of Italy was just an endless procession of vehicles carrying cargo to and from destinations. Our only objective was to get around it somehow and head on our merry way.

It took a bit of time but somewhere around midday we hit Genoa and then set ourselves for a cruise down the Riviera. Great scenery (from the motorway), it looked as though there were plenty of places where you could put your feet up, enjoy an Aperol Spritz and watch the sun settle over the Mediterranean.

Italian Riviera

 Italian Riviera

Italian Riviera

Somewhere in the afternoon we dropped into Monaco, more so that I could just add another country onto my 'been-there' list. It was what you'd expect of Monaco, flush with money, flush with ritz and glamour. Not too hard to see it on the streets, more than just ostentatious, it was like different level wealth.

Still, 'nothing to see here', we had to move on of course, we had to get to ....'who knows where' by 'who knows what time' for 'who knows what reason', so back we were, bundled into the car and heading to our next destination, which we figured out as Montpellier.

We arrived there in later afternoon, with no accommodation booked. Something that didn't appear to be a problem to me but apparently became one. What I didn't know then but what I should have probably anticipated, is that my three other cohorts can turn on the hyper-anxiety and hyper-stress in an instant. Their penchant to become unnecessarily stressed regarding a mild situation, I know now is a common trait that all three feed off from one another. I didn't know that that, not at that time. So when we turned up looking for accommodation I though 'ok, perhaps 20 mins, perhaps 40 mins, perhaps an hour', we'll find a place. After our first few misses however the stress levels in the car went through the roof, why? Who the hell knows why! But it certainly wasn't needed. In any case, we did finally find a comfortable location close to the centre of the town, with some friendly fire taking place along the way. So for that night my aunt and cousin stayed in their rooms, both 'too tired' to do anything and my mum and I went for a walk to discover a little about Montpellier.

...And so I come back to the beginning. Montpellier looks like quite a beautiful town, as one commentator has put it, 'elegant, subversive and seductive', both a town of students and one infiltrated by IT specialists creating their own 'hub', its becoming interesting and complex in a fascinating way. Not that I knew any of this of course, all I could pick was the mix of old and new plus the smooth, lighter than air trams that would glide by with high frequency. To me it looked like a place where I could quite happily spend more than just a few hours but rather a few days. Not on this turn unfortunately. Never the less, its definitely on the list of places to revisit and hopefully that might be able to occur soon-ish.

Venice (ITALY) - the Suzhou of Western Europe

Venice (Italy)
01 SEP 2015

Ever noticed how labels get applied to places, people, or things that have similar characteristics to other, more well known places, people or things. For example, a great footballer in say China will be called 'The Messi of the Far East' or a city or town in Northen Europe with amazing waterways will be called the 'Venice of the North', well, I'm dubbing Venice the 'Suzhou of Western Europe'. Why?  Because I can!

We bounded out of Belgrade at some ridiculous hour, I believe it was close to 6am. Again, another question that I can never get my head around answering, why do family holidays always commence before dawn? Was your family ever part of that brigade? The ones that needed to get on the road to 'beat the traffic'. First, I'd like to know, what traffic are you anticipating, is it all those 'mid-morning' road-trippers that you're wanting to beat? And then where are they actually coming from? What about those early morning road-trippers heading your way from the destination your heading to, did you anticipate a convergence point somewhere along the way that might halt your progress? Either way, I never understood the need to rush of as the sun was rising, the purpose was always lost on me, both as a youngster and as an adult.

Another thing I know about road-tripping with my cousin Vladimir. He's one for endless driving. He's a point to point driver without being one of those that like to get side-tracked by additional stops or points of interest on the way. So even though during that day were were going to be driving through Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and the Northern edge of Italy, the drive was always going to be a straight drive from Belgrade to Venice with no other breaks in between other than for petrol or comfort stops. That's just the way he rolls. Ok if you're in a rush, but does it make for a cool driving experience? Well, I'll let you be the judge.

Venice - Italy

Venice - Italy

Rialto bridge - Venice - Italy

Venice - Italy

Our arrival time in Venice was early afternoon, probably close to 2pm. We stayed in a hotel outside of the actual famous islands that form the well known part of Venice in the lagoon. It didn't take us long however to find get ready, jump a bus and head over the causeway in order to do a little sightseeing. And I have to admit, this day, for the most part was pretty ok. We experienced what tourists usually would on a typical Venice day, the Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge, Piazzo San Marco and St.Mark's Basilica.

My aunt and my mum - Venice - Italy

Venice - Italy

 Piazzo San Marco - Venice - Italy

Piazzo San Marco - Venice - Italy

Piazzo San Marco - Venice - Italy

Venice - Italy

Without doubt the city is an amazing place, both in terms of architecture, construct and lifestyle. I always have a fondness for medieval style places with their labyrinth of alleyways, where the twist and turns brings you so someplace new, hidden and intriguing. Venice to me felt like that but just totally overcome with tourists, my family being part of that dilemma of economy vs. preservation.

Venice - Italy

Venice - Italy

Rialto Bridge - Venice - Italy

 Venice - Italy

Venice - Italy

We spent probably 3-4 hours in the main part of Venice before an attack of heart, weariness and exhaustion overcame my mother. And here it commenced. Day one of what was going to be two weeks catering to the capacity of 'senior citizens'. Let it be known, this is not a complaint directed at older people or my mother/aunt specifically, its simply that my capacity to do, to see and to go places was now going to be dictated by their levels of fitness and mobility. Anyway, that's something that I'll discuss in future blog pieces. Still, as a start to our road trip I found Venice to be quite a surprising places, somewhere that I'd definitely love to return to and spend a few days in future.