When I was in Brazil in ’22 the locals couldn’t believe I hadn’t been to Portugal. They had a point, it’s a cheap 2 hour flight and I was 4 decades old at the time. For many Brazilians it’s the only place they have been outside Brazil so they were baffled.
My parents were obsessed with Spain and its islands – probably because they were cheap, familiar and routine – it never occurred to them to book something in the country next door. By the time I came of age I couldn’t have been less interested in the Spanish peninsular, I wanted to go everywhere but. Then 25 years passed and a return was chronically overdue.
What a treat I had missed, Lisbon is one of the best cities I have ever been to. It’s weather fortunate but it’s not just about the weather. It’s beautiful and so alive, a very happy place to spend time. It had a beat lingering in the air, like I imagine Havana to have.
Locals say there’s something special about the light in Lisbon, the unique brightness of the blue sky. It sounds ridiculous but when you see it yourself you know it to be true.
Dr Martin James 