Cities.
How I love the vibe of Cities... so vibrant, alive and full of energy.
When I moved to Cascais, Portugal, 5 years ago, I left the biggest part of me behind: my unconditional love for cities.
A city is the quintessential demonstration of humankind: every country has its own style, rules, ambiance, food scene, buildings & architecture, traditions and vibes. All depending on its culture.
NY, London, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Lisbon, Copenhagen, Rio, Tokyo, Singapore, Marrakech, Dubai, Sydney… think about each and every one of them. I bet you can easily name 10 differences, right here and there.
The time you go for lunch and dinner, the traditions and celebrations, the nightlife, the music and dances, the story of each building, what you eat, drink and visit.
I miss that energy; that vibrant and loud background noise: people chatting in the street, police or firemen sirens, cars honking, vendors yelling at the morning local market to sell their goods, street shows and concerts, the crowd, that particular smell and sweaty mood of the tube/subway, the rush, the adrenaline : ‘will I get there on time?’
Finally coming home to a quiet and safe place where the noise stops or at least becomes a very distant one.
When I visit a new city, i’m not very interested in viewing museums and big landmarks. Some, but very few.
The best way for me to discover a place is to just walk everywhere. Wander in the tiny little streets, find the cutest local stores, stop for a coffee on a terrace, speak to people, follow the locals.
Try to live as a real local of that particular city.
The messy streets, the smells, the laughs, the fights, the taxis going crazy, the people pushing you, the kids playing in the park and screaming, the crowd yelling at you to move out of the way…
I just love it. I feel alive, I feel happy and in the right place.
I’m so thankful to live in nature and away from all of that today. I needed a different lifestyle on the day to day basis.
But I will always need my ‘city fix’ every now and then…. I couldn’t live without it.