January 28. Lucky in Lisbon

Andre showed me around in his hometown Lisbon. We walked uphill into the Barrio Alto, and he showed me some bars in this lively part of the city. When it became clear that I had no Couchsurfing options open, he very kindly offered me his couch. Relieved of all my worries, I had a very nice evening in a bar with Andre and a girl who was an actress studying a Pirandello play.

Since there was internet, I aired my giddyness in a Facebook-status message “Kamiel is drinking ginger-tea in Lisbon”. I found that it sounded somehow exotic. At about eleven, Andre took me home with his black smart-car, curving sharply through the steep cobblestone streets of central Lisbon. Later that night, he went out again. I felt too tired and preferred the couch, on which I fell asleep over a funny Bunuel DVD.

For today, I recommend the poetry of Ann Hatcherly, a Portugese with an English name. Andre had a Portuguese-Spanish bilingual edition. It’s beautifully crafted language.