Manuela is our friend! Manuela writes, photographs, questions things, dreams… lives! Manuela has clear memories of when she was under four years old and playing in Campo Grande Garden, next to a pomegranate tree that was her size at the time. In Lisbon in Us by Manuela Henriques she tells us how, although not living in Lisbon, Lisbon lives in her.
I was born in Lisbon in 1966, in the former civil parish of Campo Grande and lived in the neighbourhood of Alvalade until I was four years old.
That was the only period of time where I lived in the city, but my relationship with it has developed and continued, as we stayed relatively close.
I studied, worked and made friends in Lisbon, which gave me a calm, progressive and pleasant knowledge of the city.
The Tagus River has always been an obligatory point to make use of and contemplate. The cacilheiro (boats that connect the two banks of the Tagus River) was part of my life during my childhood and adolescence and the crossing took place every month, more than once, to visit family or go to the beaches of Costa da Caparica, in the summer. Having family members linked to the Navy, we also took trips to the river to admire and visit the large sailboats when they docked.
Downtown Lisbon would make us return with some frequency, especially in early autumn. We used to buy fabrics, threads and wool, books, coffee and tea in traditional stores, some of which still exist today. In addition, of course, on those days we took the opportunity to enjoy the typical “hot and nice” roasted chestnuts.
Everything enchants me and is essential in Lisbon.
The gardens and viewpoints where we can take a break and enjoy the view, the narrow streets, the staircases and courtyards, the old neighbourhoods where it smells of stone and verdigris and where the lack of light, at certain times of the day, surprises us with watercolour shades. The avenues, where the new architecture strangely matches with the old one. The Castle, the 25 de Abril Bridge and the Vasco da Gama Bridge, the pavement, churches, museums, kiosks, traditions and multiculturalism.
Currently I rarely travel to Lisbon and when I do, I’m invaded by a mixture of joy and anxiety. I start missing it long before leaving.
Lisbon is my hometown; it’s where I continue to live even when living outside of it.
| Lisbon in Us by Manuela Henriques | |
|---|---|
| Mini introduction | I studied Business Management, but what I really like is Art in its various expressions. I also love getting to know different places and cultures. Reminiscences fascinate me, as does everything secular, human-made or natural. Nature balances me, especially water, be it a spring, lake, river or sea. |
| An inspiring place | Carmo Ruins |
| An unmissable visit | Peixinhos da Horta (tempura green beans) |
| Her mouth waters with… | The bitter aftertaste of coffee together with the cinnamon sprinkled on a pastel de nata |
| A song… | Lisboa que Amanhece, music and lyrics by Sérgio Godinho; cover by Carlos do Carmo and Bernardo Sassetti |
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