There'd be no distance that could hold us back

I've been back in the United States since the beginning of July. I spent three months in New York and am now home visiting my parents until we go to Dallas to celebrate my brother's wedding. Woohoo!!  I remember the first few days back in New York I relished in being able to read and understand every single sign and menu. Overhearing absurd conversations was truly inspiring. That's what happens after you've been away for a while, you start to appreciate things you never thought possible. I talked to everyone, giving directions when someone looked remotely confused and enjoying small talk with the waitress or bartender.

I also appreciated feeling completely normal, blending in with everyone else around me, as well as being known deeply by good friends who I go way back with. The other thing about being away and traveling and telling stories of your adventures is that you discover how many of your friends have traveled far and you had no clue! I also got occasional eye rolls and snooty comments when I talked about where I've been over the past year, the differences between Spain and the US, or referred to my country as "the States". I guess it becomes habit when you've been criticized for saying you're from America.

Lastly, I realized that you don't have to go across the Atlantic for adventure. This summer I tried a few things that were new for me, namely sailing and long distance biking. The former I've always dreamed of and the latter I never thought I was capable of. I spent a lot of time going to my favorite places in New York and just hanging out with my favorite people.

I made it back to the states just in time to celebrate the 4th of July, which was a rainy one New York.

 But the next day at Fort Tilden was perfect.

 During the day I took care of kids in Battery Park City. We spent a lot of hours at Pier 25.

 I also spent a lot of hours playing with Desmond in the backyard. I am not ashamed to say that he might have been the most difficult to say goodbye to.

 We watched the World Cup together. I think most of us were rooting for Argentina. 

 I took Flo and Ollie, the girls I took care of this summer, to Coney Island. It was their first time!

 We also went to the Whitney Museum to see the Jeff Koons exhibit.

I met Charles Bradley and got a hug from him, went to see Conor Oberst in Central Park, and got to see good friends who were in town that I hadn't seen in two years.

Here is the aforementioned sailing adventure. I know I went a little overboard (lol) but there were too many good pictures not to include a lot!

I also made it out to Beacon in upstate New York to check out the museum with good friends.

And last but not least, the long distance bike trip. First of all, me going on this trip would not have been possible unless I had numerous avid biker friends who gave me tips and let me borrow their gear. I'm looking at you Kristen Fess, Kate Mangold, and Rachel & Sam Slaton! And there is no way I would have made it without Rebecka Birch, who not only initiated this trip, but navigated, patched and changed tires, and provided all camping gear. I was the novice and she was the expertise. This is how I know I've changed since I left New York last year. I never would have even remotely considered participating in this bike trip a year ago. We learned a lot along the way on Labor Day weekend. Rebecka and I were only friends of friends when we departed on this trip. Needless to say we not only got to know each other, but returned with hilarious tales to tell. We rode 50 miles in two days, which was how much we were hoping to make it in one day. But after continually reassessing our expectations for this trip, we agreed that we get as far as we get and go from there. Luckily Rebecka's friend offered to pick up in his car, so we were able to make it all the way out to the Poconos in Pennsylvania, which is about 100 miles away from NY.
Here is our campsite the first night. I did not sleep but two hours, out of the absurd fears of crocodiles, bears, and bulldozers. 

As for our bikes, we overcame nearly losing an entire bike rack, two popped tires, and miles of uphill biking. At times we definitely opted for walking out bikes uphill.

This is where we stayed in Greeley, Pennsylvania. Tent City!! I only knew Rebecka and Rebecka only knew 4 people out of about 25 that were camping with us. We were blown away by how welcoming and friendly everyone was with us. We ate delicious grilled food, chilled by the campfire, made crazy creations from glow sticks, played Cards Against Humanity, and went water rafting.

Unfortunately there was a leak in our boat, so between paddling we had to pump water out of the boat. But that was nothing compared to the ant infested boat!

All in all we rode about 75 miles and learned something new about ourselves along the way, the ability to overcome obstacles and how to adapt to a continually changing plan.

When I packed up all my belonging in Brooklyn, I listened to Transatlanticism. It all started when I first moved to New York 9 years ago and has now become my packing music. This time, I found a few lyrics particularly apt. I guess Death Cab is always nostalgic for me, and sometimes still relevant.

I wish the world was flat like the old days, then I could travel just by folding a map. No more airplanes, or speed trains, or freeways. There'd be no distance that could hold us back. 

The traveller is the journey

The first weekend in May, I met one miss Christy Pitre in Lisbon, Portugal. We'd been planning this trip since Memorial Day last year. Christy studies Portuguese in New York and was fearless putting it into practice in Portugal. I took the night bus from Madrid which is about a seven hour trip. Christy met me the next morning at our hostel, The Independente. If you're planning a trip to Lisbon, I would recommend staying here. It's close to Barrio Alto, which is where the night light is happening. Before I dig into the details of my trip, let me tell you that absolutely everyone I know who went to Lisbon before me told me it was the best. I was a little skeptical at first. What makes it so great? Is it even better than Barcelona? And like always, they told me you just have to go and see for yourself. And man alive were they right. To all my blog readers, may I insist that your next Euro trip has to be to Portugal. To all my New York friends, it's so close and I will undoubtedly meet you there.

Jetlagged and sore from sleeping on a bus, we took a walking tour of the city. I've blabbed a bit about how all the places I travel I'm always overwhelmed by the history and it was the same in Lisbon. In 1755, the city was destroyed by one of the deadliest earthquakes in history. About one fourth of the population was killed. What is known as the center of the city today is what was rebuilt after the earthquake. Before coming on this trip, I saw the movie Night Train to Lisbon. I won't give away the movie but it takes place during the revolution against Salazar and the Estado Novo. Christy and I happened to be in Lisbon just a few days after the 40th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution which happened on April 25, 1974. It was one of the most peaceful revolution. Only four people died. 

Moving on, this is one of the oldest bookstores in Europe. (But as you will see, when we were in Porto, they also claimed to have one of the oldest bookstores in Europe). Regardless, I bought The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa here. You can see his picture all over Lisbon. They are very proud of this tortured genius. I'd recommend the book if you're feeling introspective and existential. "Life is whatever we make it. The traveller is the journey. What we see is not what we see but who we are."

We also tried a sour cherry liquor called Ginjinha that was served in a shot glass made of chocolate. Yum.

This is the Santa Justa Lift. 

Until this trip, I never knew the endless possibilities of the colors and patterns of buildings covered in mosaic tiles. 

In front of the Tagus River

25th of April Bridge

Chilling at Fernando Pessoa's favorite cafe in Baixa Chiado 

Christy and I went to Tasca do Chico to listen to Fado music. We drank vinho verde, a deliciously light white wine from the north of the country. We pretty much stuck to drinking that the entire trip. Christy pointed out pictures of Mariza on the wall, a famous Fado singer.

The next day we woke up early to take a day trip to Sintra, Cascais, and Estoril. Sintra is where the Park and Palace of Pena are located. 

Sitting on the Queen's throne and look out point

Christy the explorer

The combination of color and texture of the buildings and plants at the Palace were beautiful to say the least.

Bird of Paradise 

We went to lunch in the little town near Sintra. We had carrot soup and sardines, vino and cafe and pudding. 

Here we are with the other people in our group. 

This is Cabo da Roca, the most western point of Portugal and the closest I've been to the United States in almost a year.

Next we went to the ritzy beach town of Cascais. 

When we arrived back in Lisbon, we were pretty exhausted. We took a nap and went to dinner at Principe do Calhariz. Ate some of the best fish I've ever had.

 Our last day in Lisbon, before catching the bus to Porto, we finally went to Sea Me, a sushi restaurant that was recommended to Christy. And I say finally because we tried going there each day of our trip and the wait was always an hour or more! 

We also did some thrift and vintage shopping in Barrio Alto, as well as stumble upon this cute cat duo.

After a three hour bus ride, we found ourselves in Porto. We were so exhausted, we went to bed without even eating dinner! The next morning we toured the entire city. Everywhere we went we saw people dressed in black gowns because it was the graduation day of the university. 

This is the other acclaimed oldest book store in Europe. It's also heard that J. K. Rowling was inspired by this bookstore and the school clothes of students in Porto because they are similar to Harry Potter. Rowling lived in Porto while writing some of the books.

Portugal Pride

The city of Porto feels much older than Lisbon since it wasn't destroyed.

We walked through the old city and Christy chatted it up in Portuguese with a new friend from Brazil.

We went to Cafe Nicolau to have vinho verde and francesinha which means little Frenchie in Portuguese. 

Francesinha is a famous, fatty sandwich in Porto that includes ham, sausage, steak, egg, cheese, a tomato and beer sauce plus fries. Christy and I split one.

Next we hopped on a boat to take a ride down Rio Douro.

Across the river there are streets full of wineries where you can taste Port wine. We went late during the day so only one was still open. After that we went to La Bohème  for our last dinner in Portugal. We're already planning a road trip across the country for next year

"I experience time as a terrible ache. I get ridiculously upset whenever I have to leave anything: the miserable little rented room where I spent a few months, the table in the provincial hotel at which I dined on each of my six days there, even the waiting room at the railway station where I wasted two hours waiting for the train. But the good things of life, when I have to leave them and think, with all the sensitivity my nerves can muster, that I will never see or have them again, at least not as they are in that exact, precise moment, hurt me metaphysically. An abyss yawns open in my soul and a cold blast from the hour of God brushes my pale face." (Fernando Pessoa)