This week has been completely given over to spending time with a Six and a Nine while their parents enjoy a few days on their own. Not much time for pondering transitional post-travel time! But I’m not ready to let go of that experience yet, so let me throw a few images on the screen and add a few words about what I got up to in Lisbon last month. . .
I wrote a bit, last post, about the challenges of solo travel; there were also a few factors that helped minimize those. One was choosing to stay in a small, independent hotel (see photos, last post) rather than opting to rent an apartment as some of my classmates did. Yes, this meant that I wasn’t able to cook my own meals, so both accommodation and food costs were greater for the week.
But it also meant a friendly interchange with the helpful staff as I dropped off my room key on the way out and picked it up on the way back in — a safe opportunity to test out the bit of Portuguese I’d learned in the months before.
And although it could have been fun to supply a rented kitchen at the nearest grocery store (grocery shopping in new places can be entertaining and illuminating and make one feel like a resident), and I could have found some comfort in making my own meals, I appreciated walking across the upstairs lounge to the breakfast room where all I had to do was choose from the buffet.
Again, exchanging a cheery “Bom dia” and a smile with the serving staff lessened my sense of being alone and far from home as I figured out the coffee machine and learned which table I preferred, and the servers recognized me as the woman from Room 108.
Five mornings out of seven, I added a (mini) Pastel de Nata (If you’ve ever been to Portugal, you know!) to my breakfast of muesli, plain yogurt, and fruit. I wasn’t overly tempted by the other offerings, but couldn’t help but note how much my husband would have enjoyed the eggs, sausages, and bacon. . . And while my meal was more plant-centric, I was charmed by the artwork over the meat and dairy section — these little touches of whimsy, and the solo time to be delighted and inspired by them. All part of what I was there for.
Up the street from the hotel was a small, casual restaurant that served a mix of traditional and contemporary Portuguese food with international influences. Fresh and tasty, and complemented by a selection of organic wines and craft beers, many of them regional. I found this spot my first evening in Lisbon, happily accepting a table on the sidewalk when all spots inside were full or reserved.
And I went back twice, another small sense of the connection that bolsters during solo travel. That first visit, my attempts at using Portuguese were awkward (and not necessary, the servers all spoke English), but I shook off my embarrassment to enjoy my meal (the croquetes and a salad of grilled halloumi, lettuce, cheese, in a creamy anchovy dressing, Mmmm!).
On my second and third visits, at slightly less busy times, the servers took time to chat with me — where was I from? where were they from? How do I say such-and-such in Portuguese? — and generally showed some sweet solicitousness about this older solo traveller. Quite heartening, actually.
I found the same friendly helpfulness in the two local cafés that served simple and traditional lunches. If I’d had the convenience of a kitchen in my accommodation, I think I would have missed the interactions with the servers — not to mention the chance to observe the locals’ habits and soak up the Portuguese chatter.
Of course, the biggest factor mitigating the challenge of solo travel, at least when I was in Lisbon, was that I was there to participate in an urban sketching workshop. So I quickly had a group of friends, fellow sketchers. Each of us found our own way to the daily sketching sites, but that was all the planning we had to do — and once those sessions were over, we had ample free time for our own explorations. We had several meals together, but enough solo time for an introvert to regroup. And, above all, we had a sense of purpose in a city we didn’t know well.
Day by day, we filled these gorgeous little leporello (accordion) notebooks (Fabriano watercolour paper) the cork covers custom-designed for our group. Back home, I’ve been going through the pages, finishing some, adding to others, groaning in frustration at one or two, and smiling, overall, at the memories generated. I’m still sorting out what I learned, overall, and working through whatever occasioned the frustration (hint: forcing myself to get more comfortable with a Brush Pen!).
But as I pack up here and clean up a bit after the morning whirlwind (Six and Nine dispatched to soccer and baseball games), I’m happy to share two sketches with you.
Below, a double-page spread I did in my room on our last day. We had the morning free, unusually, and I used it to map the space around the hotel, the plaza across from it. . .
And then I went for lunch in the nearby Jardim do Principe Real (Principe Real Garden) . . . and while I waited for my omelette, I listened to the jazz stylings of these Brazilian musicians. . . and sketched. . .
I only managed the ink sketches there, and wasn’t especially happy with these two pages — except that I was pleased I’d made myself do the sketching in public, sitting by myself, which can feel awkward. . . But I liked it much better after I added some colour the other day, back at home. I may still use that blank white space on the right-hand page to add some notes about what else we did that day. . .
Not now, though. Right now, I have to be ready when Paul gets back and we head to the ferry. . .
Hope you enjoyed the post.
xo,
f
Enjoyed your “tales from the journal of a solo traveler.” It is so much fun to read about your adventures in independent travel and imagine of some my own someday.
You have grown so much as an artist since the early days of sharing your work on this blog. I am always thankful that you continue to share with us, your readers, the pages within your sketchbooks.
Author
You’re so encouraging — thank you! I’m pleased you enjoy the posts.
Oh, those Pastel de Nata! So delicious! We were first introduced to them in Macau and then enjoyed them in Lisbon several years later. I’ve tried making them at home, but wasn’t entirely successful. Your halloumi salad looks delicious too.
I commend you for choosing to eat out rather than cooking for yourself. It obviously added richness to your experience. Thank you for sharing that with us.
Author
Aren’t they good? Something about the contrast in texture . . . and the mini ones they had at the breakfast buffet were satisfying but not guilt-inducing 😉
I really enjoy sharing vicariously your sketching journey. A friend remarked earlier this week that she didn’t have an artistic bone in her body. I remarked that art is a habit that we nurture. Sometimes we are pleased with the product but it is really the process that matters. Being able to sketch solo out of doors and to vanquish the negative voices is a great accomplishment. Brava!
Author
I completely agree with what you told your friend. I think we all have “artistic bone”(s) in our bodies, but we are somehow discouraged from making our marks by all those negative voices. . .
It was lovely to read more about your Lisbon experience. Your writing and sketches capture a bright and beautiful city. I was especially pleased to hear about the pleasant interactions with staff at your hotel and the local cafes, which would have lightened the experience of solo travelling. Good on you for sketching in public. Sketches are such a personal way to record new places and capture happy memories.
Author
Thanks, Maria! It’s true what you say about the sketching — they capture my memories. . .
You continue to inspire me, Frances! Thank you so much for generously sharing your experiences. Also, brava for all the solo adventuring! Your experiences in Lisbon (combined with what I heard last year when my son and his wife honeymooned there) make me want to go there some day!
As I get ready to leave for Italy on Wednesday, I am already thinking about the drawing I will do. Probably not as much the first 9 days, when we will be cycling with a group of ten other couples on tandems. But even then, I may squeeze in some sketching time after the daily rides are done. Probably there will be more opportunities to sit and use my colored pencils when my husband and do some exploring on our own the last week of the trip. I am so looking forward to it!
Author
Oooh, here you go! Buon viaggio! What an adventure!
I think what I would miss in solo travelling is sharing the experience – those ‘ oh look ‘ moments . However I can see that being alone makes you more open to interacting with strangers especially the locals . I’ve always tried to do that on holiday , whether abroad or in the UK & most of my best memories are of conversations with people whose lives are very different to mine . I would come away thinking we are all very similar really . Your decision to stay in a small hotel & eat in local restaurants seems a very good idea .
Author
There’s definitely a trade-off in solo travelling and I wouldn’t do it all the time nor recommend it for everybody. But there is something about being alone that I find worth the challenges. . . And I record the “oh look” moments to share later 😉
Your accommodation choice seems to have opened up far more for you that just a place to sleep. And a small independent hotel and a local restaurant yielded interactions that may not have taken place in an anodyne large chain hotel. It’s precisely for the deep value and satisfaction of those interactions that I’ve chosen the host family accommodation option for the Alliance Française language courses I’ve done in Bordeaux. Extending the language effort into “I’m only just awake and I have to make coherent conversation in French”, and likewise at the tired end of the day after full-on classes IS an effort, but it really makes the language muscles work.
I’ve got to put my tin helmet on and admit that I may be the only person on the planet who can take or leave a Pastel de Nata…
Author
Yes, I can imagine the interactions and language-learning you’d gather from the family accommodation option. My introvert self would find this a huge challenge, but I know it would be worth the effort — my husband has some funny stories about his own experiences hosted in a family home in Quebe when he was polishing his French. . .
What a wonderful post. I recently did my first solo international trip and I also pulled out my sketchbook as I waited for dinner. I am excited to learn more about urban sketching. Thank you for all the details, I felt like I was traveling along with you.
Author
Good for you, Juliann! Check out Instagram for many examples of urban sketching — and it works in your own home city as well, of course. I like the emphasis on simplifying, forces me to see anew.
I too felt like I was travelling with you! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your sketches. I love them and they do capture the moments so well.
I thought that somehow you’d sketched those animals over your photos! They share a whimsical vibe that is similar to yours.
Author
Ha! Thank you for imagining I might have sketched those animals — I took the photo, actually, thinking I should try to imitate them in my sketchbook, and your comment pushed me to do just that yesterday evening. I might show you later — there’s a definite skill-level gap discernible between the original and mine 😉 (but I had fun trying!)
Reading this in bed, with coffee, in Rome and listening to the gentle hullaballoo outside. I find myself leaning on the windowsill to watch the constant parade of life in the mornings, sun on my face. Drawing is not a talent so it has to be committed to memory. A transient pleasure.
Author
I’ve been watching through your Rome window along with you — never gets old, does it, that watching? Thanks for sharing it!
Your sketches are so charming. I dabble occasionally and wish I had your discipline. I really enjoyed the details on your solo trip to Lisbon. As always I like how you document the essence of the places to which you travel, not just the touristy highlights, and your meal looked delicious!
Author
Thanks for the kind and encouraging words, Darby! Much appreciated!
I could read your tales of travel and gaze at your photos and sketches every day…they inspire so many thoughts and memories (and a fair number of imaginary conversations lol).
If I was staying somewhere for a longish amount of time I would choose the restaurants AND the cooking at home because I would hate to give up the joys of the grocery store in a foreign land. Lots of great conversations happen there too, and at the other end of the chain at the garbage bins (when the refuse is sorted I mean…there’s not too much to be said at a dumpster). And the market, with free cooking instructions! So there’s conversational potential to be found in almost everything, really. (The laundromat too…do you do a load or two mid-trip? I like the convenience of a washer at home but hate living with clothes strewn on a rack and every radiator when the weather’s not good. Flipping them like pancakes to be sure they’re evenly ‘done’.))
Author
Yes, very true! If I’d had more time I would also opt for the restaurants AND the cooking. I love doing the marketing, chatting with others in the line-up, getting recommendations for how to prepare a new-to-me fruit or vegetable. And no denying the convenience of a washing-machine at home, but laundromats are also fun (although Paul came home one time with all his clothes reeking of the most ghastly “fragrance” — apparently there was no alternative and he hadn’t thought to pre-purchase detergent! So there are hazards involved). . .
The pancake-flipping! Ha! (in the hotel room, it was more a question of where to tuck away the drying undies so they wouldn’t offend the cleaning staff 😉