Have you ever visited Portugal? I haven’t. What were your impressions?
My niece, Eve Vance Fleishman, lives part of the year in Portugal and invites YOU to join her in tours and a retreat. She writes: “Come join me under the Algarve Sun, October 12 -19! I’ve written a mini book for the day-to-day activities of the retreat. Message me and I will send it to you. Early bird pricing is extended through the holiday weekend. Save $250 when you place a deposit by July 7.” — eve@evefleishman.com
My uncle, Jim Buie, just wrote an article about Frances Mayes, the author of Under the Tuscan Sun. I read this book over a decade ago and it was one of my favorites. The subsequent movie was fun, but I found the book to be richly satisfying - you really felt like you were experiencing Tuscany with her.
Mayes’ sense of being at home in the world is the same thing that keeps bringing me back to Portugal. I like the “me” that I am there, and I bring that “me” back to my life in the US. I never thought I’d be living in two different places at once, but for now this is working, and it’s helping me to thrive.
My uncle’s article points out that the best kind of travel is not just about sightseeing. He quotes Mayes: “It’s because you want to grow. You want something to happen to you, you want to be changed. You want to be changed into something you are.”
I found another illuminating quote from one of Mayes’ later works, A Year in the World:
“Travel pushes my boundaries….The own-little-self is unlocked from the present and released to move through layers of time.”
After fifteen trips to the southern coast of Portugal over the past six years, I’m still in love with the idea of sharing this beautiful place with the world. Of course, I will always be somewhat on the outside looking in - much like Wes Andersen says he is a tourist in Paris, even though he has lived there for almost twenty years.
An outsider perspective has its perks. At the very least, it’s breaking up my patterns, my routines. At best, it’s forging a sense of community with people of a different culture - connecting on a very personal level, instead of through social media or the constant news cycle. I bring this inspiration back to New York and hold onto the feeling as long as I can.
For details, go to https://www.evefleishman.com/retreat
You can also follow Eve’s adventures on Instagram.
How Did Portugal Happen?
Portugal may be one of Europe’s most underrated countries. It has a rich history and culture from its founding during the Christian Reconquest of the Iberian peninsula in the late 1400s. About the size of Indiana, it was once one of the world’s most significant maritime powers. During the Age of Discovery (1400s through 1700s), it founded and colonized Brazil and launched military campaigns in Asia. In 1498, Vasco da Gama accomplished what Columbus set out for and became the first European to reach India by sea, bringing economic prosperity to Portugal.
From 1519 to 1522, Ferdinand Magellan (Fernão de Magalhães) organized a Spanish expedition to the East Indies which resulted in the first circumnavigation of the globe.
A severe earthquake in Lisbon in 1755 devastated what had been a wealthy country. In the early 1800s, it was occupied by the forces of Napoleon, and in 1822 Brazil declared its independence. A civil war between liberal constitutionalists and conservative absolutists over royal succession followed.
History Matters: “Where did Portugal come from? Who founded it? When was it born? Well that’s what here to find out when we ask ‘How did Portugal Happen?’. We’ll learn about Leon/Castile’s relationship with the County of Portugal, how it became independent under Alfonso I, and how Crusaders from England, Scotland, Belgium, and other European states helped in its birth as one of Europe’s most important nations.” All in 3 minutes and 15 seconds.