Lisbon - Blog Posts
by kost80 on Flickr.The Sintra National Palace is located in the town of Sintra, in Portugal near Lisbon. It is the best preserved mediaeval Royal Palace in Portugal and it is an important tourist...
When I was younger my mum use to send me to a Christian get away camp with the church and I would always fantasise about making out with girls during service ♱
White Peacock, Botanical Garden, Lisbon, Portugal
I see myself from the back. From inside the restaurant. I'm alive and happy. That means I took the hard way in. Not the easy way out. For some time I wasn't sure. That time is now. Seeing a picture of myself in the near future, free and letting time be time, not allowing thoughts to interfere or take control, and giving my mind access to whatever words is worth writing, not by any assignment or deadline, and... There's really nothing else to say. I had a choice. The tempting easy way out; just caving in. Or the hard way in; a maze with almost impossible obstacles the way out. It's still ahead of me. But seeing myself from the back, tells me everything. No matter what I must do to be there. Again. Happy and free. Being me. Just me, only me. #mantelmomento #danielmantel #udenfilter #laurieandthestoryof (At least geographically...) #me #hardway #being #meandmystory #meandmymind #lisbon #wayin #portugal #home #aperiodintimewithsomeharddifficultiesofdifferentkindslowlyturningsotheeasywaybecomeslessattractiveandthewayinopensup (Usual one-off hashtag) (her: Lisbon, Portugal)
I see myself from the back. From inside the restaurant. I'm alive and happy. That means I took the hard way in. Not the easy way out. For some time I wasn't sure. That time is now. Seeing a picture of myself in the near future, free and letting time be time, not allowing thoughts to interfere or take control, and giving my mind access to whatever words is worth writing, not by any assignment or deadline, and... There's really nothing else to say. I had a choice. The tempting easy way out; just caving in. Or the hard way in; a maze with almost impossible obstacles the way out. It's still ahead of me. But seeing myself from the back, tells me everything. No matter what I must do to be there. Again. Happy and free. Being me. Just me, only me. #mantelmomento #danielmantel #udenfilter #laurieandthestoryof (At least geographically...) #me #hardway #being #meandmystory #meandmymind #lisbon #wayin #portugal #home #aperiodintimewithsomeharddifficultiesofdifferentkindslowlyturningsotheeasywaybecomeslessattractiveandthewayinopensup (Usual one-off hashtag) (her: Lisbon, Portugal)
I see myself from the back. From inside the restaurant. I'm alive and happy. That means I took the hard way in. Not the easy way out. For some time I wasn't sure. That time is now. Seeing a picture of myself in the near future, free and letting time be time, not allowing thoughts to interfere or take control, and giving my mind access to whatever words is worth writing, not by any assignment or deadline, and... There's really nothing else to say. I had a choice. The tempting easy way out; just caving in. Or the hard way in; a maze with almost impossible obstacles the way out. It's still ahead of me. But seeing myself from the back, tells me everything. No matter what I must do to be there. Again. Happy and free. Being me. Just me, only me. #mantelmomento #danielmantel #udenfilter #laurieandthestoryof (At least geographically...) #me #hardway #being #meandmystory #meandmymind #lisbon #wayin #portugal #home #aperiodintimewithsomeharddifficultiesofdifferentkindslowlyturningsotheeasywaybecomeslessattractiveandthewayinopensup (Usual one-off hashtag) (her: Lisbon, Portugal)
I see myself from the back. From inside the restaurant. I'm alive and happy. That means I took the hard way in. Not the easy way out. For some time I wasn't sure. That time is now. Seeing a picture of myself in the near future, free and letting time be time, not allowing thoughts to interfere or take control, and giving my mind access to whatever words is worth writing, not by any assignment or deadline, and... There's really nothing else to say. I had a choice. The tempting easy way out; just caving in. Or the hard way in; a maze with almost impossible obstacles the way out. It's still ahead of me. But seeing myself from the back, tells me everything. No matter what I must do to be there. Again. Happy and free. Being me. Just me, only me. #mantelmomento #danielmantel #udenfilter #laurieandthestoryof (At least geographically...) #me #hardway #being #meandmystory #meandmymind #lisbon #wayin #portugal #home #aperiodintimewithsomeharddifficultiesofdifferentkindslowlyturningsotheeasywaybecomeslessattractiveandthewayinopensup (Usual one-off hashtag) (her: Lisbon, Portugal)
I see myself from the back. From inside the restaurant. I'm alive and happy. That means I took the hard way in. Not the easy way out. For some time I wasn't sure. That time is now. Seeing a picture of myself in the near future, free and letting time be time, not allowing thoughts to interfere or take control, and giving my mind access to whatever words is worth writing, not by any assignment or deadline, and... There's really nothing else to say. I had a choice. The tempting easy way out; just caving in. Or the hard way in; a maze with almost impossible obstacles the way out. It's still ahead of me. But seeing myself from the back, tells me everything. No matter what I must do to be there. Again. Happy and free. Being me. Just me, only me. #mantelmomento #danielmantel #udenfilter #laurieandthestoryof (At least geographically...) #me #hardway #being #meandmystory #meandmymind #lisbon #wayin #portugal #home #aperiodintimewithsomeharddifficultiesofdifferentkindslowlyturningsotheeasywaybecomeslessattractiveandthewayinopensup (Usual one-off hashtag) (her: Lisbon, Portugal)
Just a few days ago, this was almost too hot. A very steep street, and the sun straight in my eyes. With even the coppled pavement reflecting and making me almost blind. Sweating like it was almost 40 degrees celsius in that late afternoon sun. Oh, it was hot, steep, and I couldn't even follow the lady a bit ahead. Only about 50 meters to my next waterhole, but I really cursed myself for not spending the few €'s on the tram. Yes, it was hot like fire. Even breathing was like swallowing fire... Now, really just a few days later, I LONG to be back at that tough part of that street... And being too hot for comfort, thinking bout not having spent those few €'s, and so on. Now and here everything is flat out. The pavement can't reflect anything. There's nothing to blind me. No hard breathing. Then WHY do I feel more blind. Unable to see. WHY do I feel like choking. When the air is plain normal. Why do I wish, deep inside like a scream being made and ready to burst out, that I again was climbing that coppled street, along the tracks of tram no 28... And not being here, where everything is straight forward... All the way to the flat horizon. Maybe it's no wonder why... At least not for me. #lisbon #ruadoquelhas #blinded #sun #reflections #uphill #pavement #heat #momenttoremember #wanting #tram28 #electrico28 #back #ifonly #neverforget #laurieandthestoryof (Yup, she might have walked exactly here...) #ijustwishiwasbackonthatsteephotstreetandnotinthisflatcountryandthatsthat (Usual one-off hashtag) #udenfilter (None whatsoever; black and white purely the sun and reflections...) #mantelmomento #danielmantel (Very much so!) #primeiroproximopasso (He fits in here as well...) (her: Lapa, Lisboa, Portugal)
https://mantelsroman.wordpress.com/2017/05/17/dengang-engang/ #https://mantelsroman.wordpress.com/2017/05/17/dengang-engang/ "Primeiro Próximo Passo" is too strange a name. Even for the man that wrote the best book in the world. Maybe it's a 'taken' name as a writer? But still... Then again, for a portuguese it might have a slightly different meaning. Anyway. I'm sure that both Senhor Passo and Laurie has been at exactly the place on the photo. Mister Primeiro as living in Lisbon, and maybe Laurie did that too, earlier in her life. I'll ask her... In where I know she lives now. Not far away, near Estoril. So even if she only was a part-time portuguese, as so many in the Estoril-Cascais-area, she must have passed this place... I will remember to ask her! #lisbon #laurieandthestoryof #alfama #writing #fiction #novel #homeiswheretheheartis #illustration #inspiration #thisisanactualplacelikeinthelittlepieceofthestoryaboutlaurieandherwritingmasterandiamkindatrackingthembothdownandwritingaboutitundermyhuntandyesiwillsucceedonewayoranother (Usual one-off hashtag... Long one!) #udenfilter #mantelmomento #danielmantel (her: Alfama, Lisboa, Portugal)
Then it happened again. Again-again-again... I don't know how this will make my writing better. Wrong: It does, I just don't know how or why. (Laurie and me and the book we read, and the writer of that book, are becoming more and more clear. Fiction or not.) Anyway, it happened: At this place, I had a dinner that couldn't make it past 100 DKK / 12 €... Including main course of beef (a lot!!) with salad and 'batatas fritas', bread, half bottle of vinho tinto, desert, coffee, and an (old!) brandy that for sure wasn't small... And the couple that has the place, were simply nice. And yes, I know those unbeliable prices partly are a result of the 'crisis'. BUT! It IS also a cultural thing: Here in Portugal you live your life so much more on café's and restaurants. It's as simple as that. You don't stay in your home; you get OUT! The streets are part of your home. And, besides a lot of other stuff, it makes people less isolated. More a part of the local community. And that can only be a good thing! Period! (Why I put this on Instagram, I don't know. The picture isn't even anything special. So...) #cheapdinner #lisbon #minhaanita #calcadadaestrela #culture #livinglife #communityfirst #portuguese #portugueseculture #society #azulejos #wayoflife #restaurante #anotherlife #lifestyle #dinner #abetterway #whyorhowthishasanythingtodowithmewritingthatnovelireallydontknowijustknowthattheportuguesewayoflifeisaninspiration (Usual one-off hashtag... Oh; btw going to Castelo de Vide; somehow where the story of 'Laurie' began...) #udenfilter #mantelmomento #danielmantel (her: Restaurante Minha Anita)
Not much to add... But: Only in Lisbon this is repeated several times; you can't miss it... Stenciled all over, like it really matters. It does! Whatever "pure poetry" is or means. It's important! Enough to be repeated again and again... In Lisbon. Imagine something like that in Denmark? It could happen... But ONLY as an Facebook-event; made by some more or less official 'organisation' or 'having-the-right-to-so' approved institution. And then you could buy variations over the theme; all inclususive a spray-can. Wrapped in some kinda smart looking "we got the idea"-(and copyright-)casing... Am I wrong??? Actually, I hope so... Really! "Pura Poesia" is just something sprayed a lot of places in Alfama, Lisbon. And it IS just POETRY, in its most pure form... Nothing else. Which is more than enough! Only in Lisbon... #purepoetry #purapoesia #lisbon #alfama #pessoa #streetart #streetpoetry #therealthing #writingonthewall #truth #nothingelse #repetition #learning #creative #whyithastobeinlisbonandinalfamaidontknowbutthatisjusthowitissadlyenoughbuthappilyformebeingtherewherethosethingsjusthappen (Usual one-off hashtag...) #udenfilter #mantelmomento #danielmantel (her: Alfama, Lisboa, Portugal)
I am lucky... Not that I'm that much into soccer, but... I was in Lisbon when Portugal became European Champions. THAT was a whole city going totally crazy! And today, again right in the spot, Benfica becomes national champions. Again, the city is going happy. (Except for those very quiet Sporting-fans...) In every public place, in most normal café's, in every parque or jardim... People are gathered to celebrate. And the whole experience is so different from Denmark. Here it's happy partying. And only that. Not frustrations and aggressive behaviour. So: More respect for a people that uses every opportunity to be happy. No matter what the "official" ranking of 'happy' countries say... (Which is a as misleading as possible...) No! I'm not that big a soccer fan. But I'm fan of a country that uses any excuse to be... Happy! #benfica #champions #lisbon #happiness #portuguese #happycountries #partytime #winners #nothingtodowithwriting #anightout #writingbreak #people #statistics #lies #campeones #celebrating #notmuch #notwriting #laurieandthestoryof (Is somehow related to this...) #howthiscountryanditspeoplemakesmewritealmostallthetimeevenwhenimjustwatchingsocceroutsideinaparcfillefwithpartyingcelebratingbenficafans (Usual one-off hashtag... VERY one-off!) #udenfilter #mantelmomento #danielmantel (her: Lisbon, Portugal)