1. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE TRAVEL MEMORY? WHAT MADE THIS MOMENT STAND OUT?

My most cherished travel memories are always related to people I meet along the way. Whoever said that traveling is all about people was absolutely right. Throughout the years I’ve been having so many incredible experiences and meeting such wonderful people, it is hard to pinpoint just one. But (for example) on my last trip to Sri Lanka I spent a few weeks exploring the North and Northeast of the country, areas with still very few tourists. On a visit to a local Hindu temple, around sunset time, it was coincidently time of the last prayer of the day. As I am not a local and didn’t want to interfere with their rituals I stood aside. Not speaking more than two of three words in English, they started telling me to come here and there, do this and that, making me feel welcome and teaching me (with more gestures than words) what I had to do along the temple. It was such a magical moment. It wasn’t just religion... it was human kindness and warmth at its best. I left feeling happy, light, and with a much reinvigorated admiration and trust for the human kind. That is what travel teaches you constantly: kindness, love and appreciation for people around the globe.

2. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TRAVEL IN PORTUGAL “LIKE A LOCAL”?

I would say that the best way to travel in Portugal is the same way I like to travel in other places too: slowly. If possible, without too many plans. Portuguese are “people’s people”, they love to talk and are always very helpful and try to communicate even when they can’t speak other languages (we are incredibly good at improvised and completely made up gestural language). So if you travel slowly in Portugal and speak to people in every place you go to, you’ll find out a lot of places, local cafés and restaurants, nice views, etc, just by having the time to be open to it. Local and public transportation is always the best for it, as you get to speak to several people, enjoy the view (that you wouldn’t get to see if you took the plane for example) and stop in little towns and villages you didn’t even know existed. Portugal is a very small country, so if you come here with the time (and mental disposition), you will really get to know us well. Guaranteed! 

3. WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? IN WHAT WAYS IS THAT PLACE STILL A PART OF YOU?

Lisbon. My soul is alfacinha, a hundred percent. “Alfacinhas” means “little lettuces” and is the name given to the people in Lisbon (besides the more official name “lisboetas”). The reason of that name is not exactly known but there are several theories, including that it is because people from this area used to eat and grow many lettuces. Lisbon for me is home, and incredibly the more places I visit around the world the more I love my city. Lisbon is Portugal’s capital and although here is known to be a “big city” it is in fact, when comparing to other international cities, quite small and “village like”. One of my favourite things in the whole world is getting lost in its narrow streets, enter shops and little cafés I have never been to, the same way I like to do abroad. This “little big city” where you still say “Bom dia” with a smile to each other and you eat like nowhere else (to be fair, everywhere in Portugal). The light in the city is hardly compared to anywhere else too - every time I am back home, I can’t help smiling even before landing. There’s nowhere else like Lisbon, like home.