Crusader

It was sometime around October 1995 when a vintage double decker bus loaded with around 20 backpackers on their way to Morocco rolled into Lisbon. The general feeling among the group was that we had no cares in the world for 6 weeks as we rattled and shook our way through the sunshine and discovered new places along the way. Recently while going through photo albums from that time, there were many great photos taken in Lisbon from all vantage points in the city. These were days of film photography when you had to choose your shots wisely as they were limited and you bought each photo when you got back home. I must have thought something of the place. Though my memory of the detail back then is faded I do distinctly recall being surprised by Lisbon and vowing to return again one day to really check it out.

So here I am 22 years later and the opportunity to really check it out has presented itself. I have one week in an apartment in Mouraria, which remains one of the last parts of the city to maintain the traditions of life here. This is the birthplace of Fado music and it is still played each night in the rustic bars and cafes in the neighbourhood, for themselves, not the tourists. It's real and I am privileged to spend the week living like a Portuguese local. That includes hanging my washing on the line outside the window for all the world to see.

But right now, I am going to also live like a tourist. I am heading down to the main part of town to soak up the memories of this beautiful city and to create some new ones. I am told the city has changed a lot in 22 years, but then again, haven't we all?Read more