A few weeks ago, after being given abrupt notice to leave the West Village apartment I was living in, I packed my bags and decided to take a break from New York City, working remotely as a solution. I did not have any particular destination nor duration set in mind, just the goal of temporarily disappearing to focus on the business and myself - things which go hand in hand. And, of course, to do so within a certain budget. Fortunately, thanks to miles tickets and AirBNB, I ended up in Spain, and now Portugal for less than it would have cost to maintain my old living situation in Manhattan. Beyond that, traveling in a way that I have never done before - in shared accommodations, without google maps, and completely solo - has proven to be yet another new and enriching learning experience (though admittedly, at times, painful).
Sharing a few random thoughts from Porto before heading to bed, and waking up early tomorrow to work from the Livraria Lello, where J.K. Rowling was inspired to write the beginnings of Harry Potter. The above is a snap of a peaceful day working from Valencia outside the Plaza de la Virgen, one of the sleepier places I came across in Spain.
For those of you who know me, I don’t drink very much…but when I do, and when it’s not champagne, it’s my beloved vinho verde, a libation which finds its roots in none other than Portugal! A friend first introduced it to me in Hong Kong after bringing a bottle back from a trip to Macau (a former Portuguese colony), and ever since then I’ve been hooked. Only two places in Hong Kong carried Gazela when I lived there, and even at my neighborhood liquor store in West Village, they have all but 3 varieties of this sparkling baby grape goodness. Well, today I arrived in vinho verde heaven. Dozens of varieties on every liquor shop on every street corner, racks on racks in the supermercado… best of all, cheap as chips here!
Popping the other kind of bubbles on the street. Isn’t childhood delightful?
Oh, and I met a local outside the Sao Bento train station who became my de facto tour guide this evening. Before I could worry about the consequences of hopping into a stranger’s car in a foreign country, he had driven us to Capa Negra for famous Francesinha. This snap was taken before being rendered immobile from gassyness of consuming layers of bread, meat, fries and cheese. My new friend then kindly helped me recharge my SIM (oh yeah, phone was out of data too) and took me on a peaceful drive around the river before dropping me off at the hostel as I prepare for another day of productivity and exploration. God I’m so glad my body isn’t chopped up in pieces floating in that river right now.
More to come later.
