Lisboa-going back :-)

I want LIFE, I want Sun and light, I want fun, happy, bold and nicely crazy people next to me. I want amazing, surprising and exciting events.

I don't want this to sound too "American motivational", but I want solutions, not imaginary problems. You might believe this is just a list of wishes. No. This is what I wanted and this is what I have received.

Around two months ago I put on my Facebook status "I miss Lisbon too much" and I believed every single word of what I was saying. I was longing for Lisbon, I was longing to escape from the dark, non ending winter, to run away and feel the freedom of my beautiful country, Portugal. A few days after my message I received an e-mail from a girl I know, who works for the Romanian Cultural Institute in Lisbon - "Monica, do you still want to do an exhibition in Lisbon?" - what a question. Is there a "no" answer to this question? :-)) of course I said "yes". Then she says ok, pick up some pictures. Jesus, what pictures to choose? Where to start from? So I started to look up for photos I took starting with 2007 in Portugal. Those brought back tough memories, love and sorrow, bliss and tears. But I made it rapidly. I didn't have time to think too much. And just when I was supposed to end my selection, my dear Apple computer decided to collapse. That was a surprise. A nice thing is that the very next day I found out in two minutes what happened to my computer, I was also on the lucky list of those who didn't have to pay for the spare part, as it was Apple's fault and after dreaming during the night about my computer working again, he worked :-) I continued my selection.

I forgot to say that actually I was sure that I would send the pictures to the Institute and then stay at home thinking about my pictures on the walls of Instituto Camões in Lisbon. But no, the surprise was even bigger. They invited me to go there to be present at the vernissage. Me in Lisbon!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I was planning to go back in May because the Jacarandas are in bloom only in May, but I was busy at work. Then I looked up for airplane tickets but they were too expensive. And here comes Lisbon, a present to my heart. For me, who, as a friend of mine said "tens alma portuguesa" :-)

I was afraid I would not have good weather. I remember being there around 3 years ago and praying for Sun in May. This time I asked all my friends to pray for Sun. And he showed up, I had 25-30ºC for all my stay there, only to leave Lisbon in rain :-) thank you, thank you, thank you.

I arrived in Lisbon looking down from a Lufthansa plane and having a strange feeling - that Lisbon is not beautiful anymore, that me and her are not friends anymore. I got into the airport and I felt it was poor, much poor. Minha querida Lisboa. How wrong I was. In a few hours we were friends again, I was crazy about her and felt again like being home. Lisbon is my city and my love.

I ran to Gulbenkian knowing that Sunday was a free entrance museum day and then I just strolled its beautiful streets.

Now will you believe if I tell you that I was walking on Avenida da Liberdade and I literally bump into a friend of mine? :-) now that is life, these are beautiful encounters, these are the things that confirm us that nothing is random. :-)