Rowan Spazzoli

Today we left Lisbon and travelled to the south of Portugal. We’re staying with my great uncle and aunt, and have already been treated to a wonderful evening.

We ended up chatting a lot about our family’s history, and I got to hear about my grandparents and great grandparents.

So this week I’ll be compiling these stories and sharing them on my blog 🙂 I’m excited to dive a little deeper in to the family history and write it up 🙂

Image was taken as we were leaving our hostel in Lisbon 🙂

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Song of the day: Resistance – Muse

Concert was just… wow.

Will post a proper blog about it tomorrow.

Absolutely blown away by today

Image was taken at the Rock in Rio concert 🙂

Song of the day: found it in silence -HAIM

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When I went to China in 2012 we had a simple rule: no eating at places we recognised.

It led us to some incredible meals. I ate foods that were really tasty and some that made me feel really uncomfortable

We’ve repeated the same thing in Portugal. We try to buy as local as possible. Off the beaten track, non-brand name stuff.

And so far, we’ve been treated to wonderful food and experiences.

It’s easy to go for what you know. But it’s better to allow yourself to be a little uncomfortable.

Image is of some sardines we ate at a tiny street restaurant

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Song of the day: Showbiz – Muse

Two years ago I travelled around Italy with a close friend. When we visited places, we got into a habit of just sitting down and soaking the place up.

We went to a beautiful cathedral in Milan. And we spent almost 2 hours there, looking at every single stained glass window.

When we were in Pompeii we found a sat in the Main Street for an hour and experienced the ruins.

No photos, no phones.

Just us and the moment.

Today we did something similar. We went to an old monastery in Belem. And we spent almost an hour sitting in the court yard and absorbing the incredible architecture.

The best way to enjoy a new place is not by trying to do as much as possible and take all the pictures.

Sometimes you need to just sit and soak it up

Image was taken outside the monastery 🙂

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Song of the day: Bastille – Pompeii

I’ve been at the backpackers in Lisbon for two nights. And in that time the entire social crowd has evolved and changed.

My roommates last night were entirely different from the night before. And the ones tonight will be different again.

Each person you meet here is on another part of their journey. Some have just started a 7 month trip around Europe, some stayed here as the last stop before heading home.

This coming and going, constantly changing means that the experience evolves every day, leaving no room to get attached.

I’ve always been someone who wants to hold on to things how they are. For example, when I left my university res I was distraught… because things would never be the same again.

But change is the only thing that is constant here. Which forces me to experience a moment instead of trying to preserve it.

And in turn, I’ve become comfortable with the constant coming and going.

Image was taken in the commercial square of Lisbon where I watched the Portugal vs Morocco game 🙂

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Song of the day: Don’t save me – HAIM

I’ve spent the day wondering the streets, tasting the foods and drinking the beer. I’ve also made some great friends 🙂

The magic of exploring a new city is that it’s new to you. You soak it up in extra detail and are mindful of the world going on around you.

Despite having some work to do, I feel like I was able to immerse myself in the city. A fresh perspective.

Just the break I need 🙂

Image is of my roommates , Helena and Sara, sharing a drink on the balcony of the hostel 🙂

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Song of the day: Super massive black hole – Muse

I’m sitting in a beach themed bar at the airport in Luanda

I’m watching a soccer World Cup game

I’m drinking a local beer called the Luandina (pictured below)

And I’m listening to one of the most jamming Portuguese songs, which is playing loud enough to be heard throughout the airport (see song of the day)

Life is good 🙂

Today marks the start of my 3 week holiday in Portugal, with a layover of a few hours in Angola on the way there and back.

I’ll be touring Lisbon with Jared and an old childhood friend, Alzira. We’re going to the Rocking in Rio concert where we’ll see Muse, Haim and Bastile. And then spend the rest of the time in Faro, a small town on the south coast (with maybe a sneaky visit to some other towns)

It’s going to be a great opportunity for adventure, perspective and relaxation. And even though I’m taking some work with me, I know I’ll come back feeling rested and ready to take on the rest of the year.

Blogs might be delayed slightly on some days, but I’ll make an effort to write them everyday and post when I find WiFi 🙂

Let the adventure begin! 🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹

Pictured above: the beer I had at the “beach” bar 🙂

Image taken outside the “beach bar”

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Song of the day: Sai da minha aba – Alexandre Pires

Last week one of my flatmates bought a game called “Bloodborne” for Playstation 4. He’d seen reviews about it online saying that it was both a brilliant and incredibly difficult game.

Let me tell you, it’s the hardest game I’ve ever played.

The sound of our character dying has become background noise in our flat. The last boss fight I played took me 9 attempts and almost 3 hours of gameplay. We’re currently fighting a giant spider boss, who we’ve fought and lost to the whole evening.

Even the little enemies in this game will destroy you.

It’s an immensely frustrating game. But it is also immensely satisfying.

It takes ages to get past a level. And you have to be really sharp a lot of the time. So when you do finally get past, you feel victorious. Triumphant.

So despite it being so tough, the experience of overcoming it keeps us motivated. I guess that this could be metaphor for life.

But also… you get to squish spiders with a giant hammer. That isn’t a metaphor for anything, I just think it’s really cool 🙂

Image is of the giant spider and his baby spider bodyguards that we were fighting tonight. We went to bed unsuccessful

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Song of the day: Muse – Knights of Cydonia