Pausing in Portugal

Have you thought about that last trip you took before travel as we knew it became a memory? As the two year mark of when our world shifted in ways we could never imagine approaches, thoughts of that last pre-pandemic trip I took have been on my mind. How carefree I felt exploring a city I'd visited on my own less than two years before. How familiar and comfortable it felt to return to a city I'd grown to love if only for a short layover after another amazing week away. And, how I had absolutely no idea how drastically travel was going to change a mere week after I arrived home.

It was March 7th, 2020. I had just spent an incredible week in Marrakech, Morocco at the beautiful El Saadi Marrakech Resort on my third yoga retreat with Yoga Escapes. While that experience deserves a post of it's own some day, it's my time in Lisbon, Portugal where I spent a nearly 24-hour layover on my journey back to the U.S. after the retreat was over that resonates with me two years later. While many might groan at the thought of a long layover, I had spent four days in Lisbon in late May of 2018 after a two-week tour around Spain, had fallen in love with the city, the people, the food, and of course, the wine. I was excited to get back, even if only for less than a day.

Aiming to make the most of my short time in Lisbon, I booked the behotelisboa, the same hotel where I stayed during my first visit nearly two years before. It was located in a fabulous spot, right in the heart of the pedestrian district, within walking distance of the Rossio metro station, and Lisbon's market square, the Praca de Comercio. I would have one evening until the next mid-afternoon to do as I pleased. Before leaving Marrakech, I reached out to the hotel for their assistance in booking dinner reservations at a restaurant I enjoyed during my first visit, aptly named Dr. Wine. I was all set.

I packed my backpack with what I'd need knowing I would not see my larger bag until I arrived back stateside and easily made my way to the metro shortly after arriving from Marrakech. With only a little help from Google Maps, my memory did not fail me once I reached my stop at the Rossio station and found my way to my hotel. As I made my way down the familiar marbled streets, I remember thinking that the city felt empty. There were less people milling around then I'd experienced during my first visit, but I quickly chalked that up to the time of year. My first visit had been the end of May, the beginning of the summer tourist season and this time I was there in early March. Upon my arrival at my hotel, I was welcomed with a Pastel de Nata, a typical custard tart pastry, and a glass of Port wine, both quite symbolic of Lisbon and Portugal. Who wouldn't want to be welcomed with a sweet treat and glass of wine?

After getting settled into my hotel room, I set out for my dinner reservation at Dr. Wine. I remember feeling a bit taken aback when I arrived and was seated at my reserved table as I was one of only two tables occupied in the entire small restaurant. It was prime dinner time at around 730-8pm and a Saturday evening no less. During my first visit a few years before, it took me three nights to get a reservation at this restaurant! Again, I chalked it up to the time of year and fewer tourists.

The server brought over a chair and proceeded to prop up a chalkboard on the chair and shared that was their menu for the evening. Another change from my previous visit where I distinctly remember being handed a nice menu and extensive wine list. Had physical menus already started to disappear? I ordered my first glass of Vinho Verde, a Portuguese white wine that I loved and quickly choose my small plates from the chalkboard. I am pretty sure I had the garlic fried prawns and can't remember what else- there might have been more than one chalkboard!

Once I finished my meal and wine, I set off to wander around the pedestrian area to get some night photos. I was (ok, still am) obsessed with night photos and Lisbon provided the perfect backdrop for this amateur photographer. Again, while there were people around, it was not crowded at all, patio areas of restaurants were empty; it was around 9-930pm on a Saturday night and relatively comfortable to sit outside. Puzzling, but again, I chalked it up to the time of year. I made my way down to the Praca de Comercio and took some photos before grabbing a gelato and making my way back to my hotel for the night.

The next morning, I woke up to a gorgeous, sunny day and took in the view from my balcony. Remember Soli? It was his first trip and after a week of yoga he had to show off his balance on my fourth balcony railing. Not wanting to waste any of my precious time in the city, I grabbed a light breakfast and headed out. Before leaving the hotel I got a few recommendations for lunch from reception (they were just as helpful as I'd remembered from my first visit) and set out to wander along the Tagus River with no set plan. The weather was incredible, I couldn't have asked for a better day for a leisurely wander around the city.

Similar to what I experienced the night before the city was quiet and void of many people wandering around. It did not feel eerie, but peaceful. It was a Sunday morning, so this did not surprise me. Just as picturesque as the night before the pedestrian area of Lisbon is definitely a perfect place to just take it all in. I made my way back down towards the square and began to walk along the Tagus River, something I had little recollection of doing during my first visit. I quickly discovered several painted stone towers or statues along the river front that I definitely did not remember seeing before. It seemed fitting that I found one with the word "BALANCE" written on it after having spent the previous week practicing yoga every day. Look closely at the picture and you'll see it.

I continued to make my way along the river before stopping to browse through a few shops. If you've ever visited Lisbon, you'll know that all the shops are filled with everything you could possibly think of made out of cork, and probably a few things you had no idea could be made from cork, too. I bought a cute little purse, which I ironically forgot I had bought until just last summer (2021). Little did I know when I purchased it, I would not be going anywhere for a while starting a mere week after I returned home. I continued to walk along the streets noticing things I had not noticed during my first visit. There were paintings of black cats obscurely placed on random buildings that made me wonder if there were more around the city. Perhaps a scavenger hunt to find them on a future visit? The trams rumbled by asking me to ride them as I did many times during my first visit, though my time was limited this time and I choose to continue my journey on foot soaking in as much as I could. I browsed an outdoor market in the square before making my way to one of the places I'd been recommended to go to for lunch.

Brown's Bistro in the Brown's Boutique Hotel was charming but also void of many other patrons when I asked for a table for lunch. As I enjoyed my sandwich and began to wonder if this city was always so quiet this time of year. As one that prefers to travel during the "shoulder seasons" I made mental note for future reference as the weather seemed perfect for being out and about and sightseeing.

I took the long way back to my hotel soaking up every last minute I had in the city before it was time to make my way to the airport to catch my flight home. As I got closer to my hotel, I was reminded of the one thing I had neglected to do on my first visit a few years before that I vowed that I'd do when I returned. Taking a ride up the Elevador de Santa Justa, which ironically is only steps from the hotel I'd now stayed in twice. Realizing I had a little bit of time, I walked over to see if I could take a quick ride to the top only to find a long line! Apparently all of the other tourists in the city were here- I had finally found them! So, I will be saving the ride to the top for my third visit, whenever that shall be. At least I got a picture this time!

Sadly, it was time for my short stay in Lisbon to come to a close. I grabbed my bag, made my way back to the Rossio station, hopped on the metro, and headed for the airport bidding Lisbon farewell. I left feeling like I'd made the most of my long layover and fed my wander-lust of being in a beautiful city. I had no idea what was to come, only a mere week after I arrived back home.

So what about the Coronavirus? While I'd spent the first full week of March enjoying the sun and cultural beauty of Marrakesh before I arrived in Lisbon, I won't be remiss in saying that I was not aware that the Coronavirus was taking over parts of the world. We'd been watching its impact in Italy and had been puzzled by the mad rush for toilet paper around the world. I think in a way, perhaps naively, I had thought it was isolated to a few countries and while terrifying, I was oblivious that this virus would overtake the world so quickly in the days ahead.

When I left Marrakesh for Lisbon to begin my journey home, I did not have a mask, but I did have hand sanitizer as I had always traveled with it. It was already common practice for me to use my shirt sleeve when opening doors with knobs, my hip for doors that could be pushed open, and my elbow to push elevator buttons in public places. Sure, the virus was on my mind, but in a way it still felt far away.

Looking back, I now wonder that even though the virus had not knowingly entered either Morocco or Portugal while I was there, if that was the reason for the lack of people wandering around and empty restaurants or if that was just typical of an early March weekend in Lisbon. I still do not know and probably never will. As I made my way through the airport to board my flight home, I noticed a few more masks than on my flight the day before, but still the majority of the passengers were just like me, maskless and seemingly "normal."

Upon my arrival back at Dulles as I cleared customs with my trusty Global Entry, when I handed my receipt to the customs agent, in addition to being asked if I had anything to declare, I was asked if I had been in four countries, China, Italy, Iran and one other I have since forgotten. It was probably the first time I realized that this virus was something bigger, but still had no idea what was to come.

It was four days later, on Thursday, March 12th that I learned while I was working that the local school systems were closing through spring break a few weeks later. And not long after that, I began to wonder what would have happened if I had been traveling just a week later. Would I have gotten stuck in Morocco or Portugal for an undetermined amount of time? I'll never know, and always be thankful that I arrived home healthy and safe when I did.

While I have been so fortunate to have traveled safely several times over the last two years, I know that my 24-hours in Lisbon will remain with me for a long time. It will always be the last place I was before the pandemic took hold and travel as I knew it changed. I will get back there someday, and I know when I do, it'll bring back a flood of memories of the "Before-Times."

"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." -Lin Yutang