There’s an old saying about not going back to a place where you have been happy, and, although sometimes I succumb to the temptation, I must admit there’s much wisdom in that sentence. There are many places where I have lived very happy, intense moments, be it in Lisbon, Madeira, or cities I have travelled to. While I pass by some of those places in Lisbon quite often – never without a smile on my lips or a …
Tag: lovers
Yesterday I was watching a documentary about Karen Blixen, the heroine of “Out of Africa”, a movie based on her autobiography with the same title, and played by an unforgettable Meryl Streep. At a certain point Denys Finch-Hatton (played in the movie by the one and only Robert Redford) is mentioned as “the great love of her life” and I wondered about why is it that all great love stories – or most of them – have such sad …
Life is like the water in a river – each chapter begins, unfolds, and then it’s gone forever, as the water flows from its source to the estuary, only to lose itself in the immensity of the sea. Like flowing water, our happy moments only lingered for a while, and then they were gone, swiftly but inexorably heading towards the end, an end neither of us wanted but both knew was inevitable. It’s incredible how all relationships are …
At eighteen she arrived in the big city with butterflies in her belly – leaving her island to come and study at university was no small adventure! She had many friends there, though, and through one of them she had found the place where she was going to stay. For years, friends of friends coming from her island had stayed there and recommended it. She knew Lisbon of course, she had been there several times with her family; …
Malta international airport, almost 7.30 am. My plane is boarding and as I join the line of passengers, I see a young couple embracing only a few metres away. As I approach I think they are both also boarding the plane, lovers who have come to enjoy a few days of holidays on this lovely island; then, as their ardent embraces continue, I sense the feeling of desperation that comes with goodbyes and understand they are enjoying their last minutes …
The month is June and she is spending a few days on the Algarve as she has done for almost as long as she can remember. She loves these first days on the beach, even if the wind still blows a little bit more than it should and the water temperature chills her bones when she dives in. She feels the warm sand under her feet and looks at the sea before her, at the waves that softly wash onto …
It was a winter afternoon, cold and damp, with heavy clouds announcing rain. She felt restless, but she very much wanted to see “Out of Africa”, recently arrived on Lisbon cinemas, so she agreed when he suggested they go and see it. As usual, when the lights went out he searched for her hand. She let herself hold his but she felt ice cold. And then, as the beautiful, intense, romantic and ultimately sad story unfolded before her eyes, she …
