My journey to Portugal

Hello there!

I've been wondering around a bit and I have a lot of things to share with you. Lately I'm not sharing much of my work on the blog because of commitments to my full time job and daily obligations wich are pretty haotic, so I hope you'll not take me for bad.

And I've one more thing to share with you before I start writing about my journey. Well due to obligations I had with my folklore ansamble on this tour/festival I didn't use my camera that much, I just didn't have time to carry it around and shoot. Most of photos on this post are taken with my phone camera and I sincerely hope you will understand because quality may not be HD but my emotions are and I truly trust you will like it and of course feel it. Thanks in advance! :)

Well now I'll try to bring you my fifteen days tour on the best and shortest way that it's possible. And just to remember this is not a tipical touristic journey.

One of my New Year's wishes was to visit Portugal so you can imagine level of happiness when my art director told me about this tour. I was thrilled. As the date of departure moved closer with eveyday I was more excited. And finally that day came... I felt like I was dreaming, so I needed to pinch myself to see it's real. 

On our way to Portugal we had two major stops, cause bus drivers needed to rest, a first one was in Italy, San Remo. 

Italy, I was there a few years ago, but never in San Remo. It was early in the morning, sun just apeard on the horisont and the smell of the sea was all around my senses like a drug. I couldn't wait to dive into the water after 14 hours of driving in the bus. And that feeling was almost magic. After swimming and swimming aaaand swimming, sunbathing and hanging out on the beach we decided to go to the city center whic is only 15 minutes away from the beach, maybe even less. San Remo is like an old Italian lady. Glamorous, with opulent style, charming and with all the years passing by it didn't lost on it's beautie. Every allyway and corner calls you ''hey, come and explore my beauty''. Smiling faces of Italians, their hospitality and sweet accent will make you feel all the charming things of one Mediterian city. And after whole day spent on the streets of this tipical Mediterian city we had to go, sadly. But as the road led us over this beautiful city, San Remo decided once again to take my breath away. Panorama of this city leaves you speachless and I must say this city is a true jewel of the Italian coast with it's never-fading beauty.

Our second stop - San Sebastian, Donostia, Spain. We came here early in the morning, searching for a place to stay whole day and as our bus glide trough the city streets I started to feeling something special. So much people walking around, runing down the street, driving their bicycles, surfers with their boards, cityscape, streets wet from the last night rain, morning sun shines on the sea... Well Hugh Jackman said ''To visit San Sebastián is to fell in love with it.'' and I couldn't agree more. It's impossible to lay eyes on stunning San Sebastián and not fall madly in love. The beach ''Playa de La Concha'' stretches out for a kilometer and a half, with accent of elegance and delightfull city view. It's landscape and fine white sand makes this beach unique. It feels heavenly to dive your feet into that sand. No one before us walked down the beach, maybe just a few birds leaving traces of some stray passerby staring at the sea. It's a city filled with people that love to indulge you and best places to eat. Everything here is at your fingertips, but walking these street exploring, finding place to eat, finding place to buy souvenirs, finding place to try some of Spanish beer it was all an adveture, fun adventure with friends. After city exploration I found my peace at the beach, with a can of beer just sitting there watching landscape, sea, people walking by the sea, smiling kids building sand castles, birds flying high, the wind messing with my hair, hot sand under my hand, sound of the waves... every little thing here it's perfect and in a strange way close to your heart. Only thing I can say I'll never forget you San Sebastian, hope I'll enjoy in your beauty again.

So our tour got back on track after this beautiful city stright to Portugal. Long night ride took us on last destination - Cantanhede, Coimbra, Portugal. We took participation in "FOLK Cantanhede – Semana Internacional de Folclore 2016" along with 10 other folk grups from all around world (Austria, Africa, Bolivia, Colombia, New Zealand, Poland, Timor Leste-Indonesia, 3 local grops from Portugal and Bosnia and Herzegovina). During the festival we had so much fun although our schedule was pretty rough with obligations like shows, tours to other citys and beaches, partyes and so on. All nine days I was overwhelmed with emotions. We had chance to meet all the participanst from so much different cultures, countries, tradition than ours and it's such a unique feeling, all together in one place creating memories for a lifetime. I could write for days about that special feeling and relation between people no matter what colour of their skin is or what languange they speake, but... :)

Every day we had somewhere to go, some city, beach, village... we didn't have rest, at all. First city we have visited is Coimbra. If “Coimbra is a lesson”, as the popular fado song says, Coimbra is firstly a lesson of Portuguese History. All over the city, you will discover landmarks left by those who built the nation starting form outbuildings of the University, created by King D. Dinis. Coimbra is university City, there is no other Portuguese city like Coimbra in what comes to academic tradition which is present in the students’ everyday life. And because there’s nothing as passionate as youth, Coimbra is also a lesson in romance. It is the city of poets and fado, where in every corner lived a great author and it is also the land of Inês de Castro and King Peter, two historical figures who lived the most famous and probably the most tragic love story in Portuguese History.  But the identity of the city is also built by men and women today who bring old streets to life by appreciating the food and wine of the area or by enjoying the long walks down the Mondego River. You must come and visit Coimbra!

Second city we have visited is my instantly crush Porto! What a city! But sadly we had only 3 hours to visit it so my exploration of the city was pretty superficial. I caught on my camera only what I saw during my walk with the group. So even if I couldn't see the river, I felt it; even if I couldn't see the ocean, I smelled it. Trust me, this is one soulful city and you too will soon be smitten. It is a highly atmospheric place that has become known for its monuments by renowned architects and Porto is sight for your sore eyes. So eating and drinking in Porto is very exciting, all the local delicious meals and dessert, wine, beer you can't get enough of it.  But as every big city Porto has its dark side of poverty. One of your destinations to visit in Porto is the stadium of FC Porto the Estadio do Dragao. Everything around you is a collision of worlds and I sencerely hope I'll come back soon to Porto to explore more deeply its beauty.

One day we went to the beach placed on the Atlantc Ocean. And for me that was one of the most precious feelings I've felt in my life. So intensive. Thou... you are standing on the beach and the hot sand burns you feet only you can see is endless water and sky drawn up in a single line and you know that from where you stand there is no more land, you are on the end of one continent. Boy, when I close my eyes I can feel the smell of the ocean, sound of it, little water drops on my face, sun burning my skin and hot sand under my feet. But, I'll give you one advice don't go for a swim in the ocean it's freaky freezing, freezing like cold water with even colder ice. It's a day I'll remember all my life.

                    

As a real hosts wich Portuguese people indeed are, they took us to the winery to see how it's made one of the best wines in the world - Portuguese wine. It was a satisfaction to see production process and try some of the wines. There is also one special event we've testified and you can guess I'm talking about the final game of Europian football championship between Portugal and France. It was a one special night for all the Portuguese people and we felt all the emotions of that game together with them. It's hard to not be involved, cause their passion for football is contagious. What a night! I'm so happy that I've shared that event and night with my Portuguese friends.

When you are feeling wonderful time really flies, so... our last day in Portugal came to fast. Last performance of all participants on the main square of the Cantanhede city was an extraordinary experience, there was something special in the air like mix of happiness and sadness in the same time, everywhere you look around people were huging each other and laughing, taking photos, sharing contact informations, promising they will stay in touch everyday until the next time, until the next festival that will bring us together... so many different cultures and countries speaking one language, the language of friendship! 

Full of positive experiences I'm leaving this beautiful country! The land of good people and even better food and drinks, land of passionate football fans, land of fado, land of ocean, land of history, land that made me fall in love with every step that I made, the land I'll go back as soon as I got a chance to do it. Visit Portugal, cause it will be your instant crush!

Going back home was hard, but interesting. Madrid, Lloret de Mar, Lido di Jesolo... won't brag about it. :)

Madrid, Spain is a golden metropolis. I felt like there is no city on earth that is more alive than Madrid, a beguiling place whose sheer energy carries a simple message: this city really knows how to live. Here is a place where the passions of Europe’s most passionate country are the fabric of daily life, a city with music in it's soul and an unshakeable spring in it's step. It's the city of beautiful architecture and it has an boast artistic pedigree. And when you are in Madrid of course visit one of the greatest stadiums in the world Santiago Bernabeu, the home of powerful Real Madrid C.F. - HALA MADRID! 

Morning, Lloret de Mar, Spain. Leftovers of night life, drunk people eating their dinner or breakfast on the beach, smell of sea in the air, glamorous palm-lined boulevards... well it felt like LA. At day is overcrowded with young people searching for fun or drinking coctails at the bar, everything here is made for fun or better say wild parties no metter is it day or night. If you wanna have a blast party of vacay visit Lloret de Mar and I bet you will spend all your money on the parties and won't regret it/won't remember it maybe you can even film the next Hangover of just your own one. :)

Lido di Jesolo, Italy.
So, I've been here 2 years ago but in a other season of the year. It was the beginning of the spring, very foggy and rainy but at the same time beautiful to see empty beach and the city streets. This time, well totally the opposite - beach full of people, bustle on the streets, kids running around plaing... If you get bored with beach life you can easly go to Venice it's not far away from here and there is direct boat service. Everything here is simple and beautiful. And yasssss, here is the best place to eat pizza and ice cream. Italians are charming, as always, girls... but my heart goes to Spanish boys, sorry. :)

 

And for the end my friends never stop exploring the world around you, cause at home is nice but everywhere is beautiful! CHEERS!!!
If you enjoyed my post like, comment, share... thank you!!!