In Love With Lisbon

Author: Lily

  • A Reader’s Poem

    Azulejo 18Back in the summer, a reader of In Love With Lisbon contacted me for some tips before visiting Lisbon. I was delighted to receive an email back from him a few weeks ago saying how much he had enjoyed his trip. In his email he included a beautiful poem that he had written whilst in Lisbon. With his kind permission, I have included it below.

    Amos has now set up a website called Lisbon Poems to showcase his gift with words. Lisbon is his muse. On the site he writes :-

    “Lisbon is a city that demands to be written about. Everything about Lisbon seems to quicken my senses and inspire me. It’s a deeply melancholic place, a deeply warm and local place, a unique city. In my humble view, it is the greatest city in the world.”

    I couldn’t agree more Amos 🙂

    Beneath the Triumphal Arc on Augusta Street
    By
    Amos Mallard

    Lisbon is gentle, warm, sad.
    The walls are waxed in carnelian light, the sky is brass
    Each cobbled stone is white and weary and undulates a woven path
    Toward the sea

    Narrow as a knife blade
    Tiles and plaster crack, paper peels and fades
    Dark, slender wristed women lift their chins and walk away
    And pigeons nest in minarets

    Dust and loving breath upon the Tagus
    Turn Pessoan faded pages.
    Whip white sheets on balconies, cool flushed faces
    For those beneath the arc on Augusta Street

  • Changing Course – An Inspiring Voyage to Lisbon

    Changing Course is a wonderful project which has captured my attention recently. Greg Frucci, known as “Frooch” to his friends is soon to set sail on a single-handed voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from his home in Wilmington North Carolina to Lisbon, Portugal.

    Portugal of course is known for The Discoveries: the monument at Belém stands testament to that. Bound within the history of the voyages is the economic, cultural, psychological and spiritual impact. These daring journeys of exploration opened up a new world view as well as new trading routes and experiences.

    After visiting Lisbon on business, Frucci fell in love with the culture, architecture and the language. As ever, Lisboa worked her mystical magic and wove herself deep into Greg’s heart and soul.

    The journey is both physical and spiritual. For Greg it is a chance to reflect upon his life. He says “The voyage is more about a series of life events over 50 years which synchronously leads to this event.”

    The entire trip will be filmed by standalone high definition cameras onboard. From this footage will be produced ‘Changing Course’ “an inspiring film about a 50 year old man’s quest for peace within himself and the world he lives in.”

    Greg’s challenge is to sail 3280 nautical miles. The voyage will be split into three legs from Wilmington to Bermuda then Bermuda to the Azores. He will rest for around a week in the Azores (although ‘rest’ includes possibly climbing a volcano!). From the Azores he will then make for his final destination landing in Cascais. The entire journey is likely to take around 30 – 40 days – no mean feat considering during this time he will sleep only in strict one hour intervals as checking he remains on course is paramount. Home for the duration will be a 30 foot sailboat named “Cuddy”.

    His blog not only explores his preparations for the journey ahead but also includes philosophical points to ponder. In one post where he talks about truth and falsness he says: –

    “While in Lisbon, Portugal, a feeling of calm surrounded my soul supported by what is real.”

    And this is what I experienced in Lisbon: a sense of calm, a feeling that everything seemed more ‘real’ than it had ever done before. I ache to go back, to stowaway on Greg’s ship and let the waves carry me home.

    Frucci aims to set sail on May 17th (weather permitting) and plans to stream live on a daily basis so that we can join in on his journey. He should land in Portugal sometimes around late June/early July.

    Boa Viagem Greg!