Collecting Moments

Chronicles of 49 hours and 50 minutes of spontaneity, apagão -lypse and quick decisions April 27th: 20:29 A guy named Raphael sends us an emergency request through a hospitality exchange platform. He missed the last bus, was stranded in our town and was looking for a kind soul to host him for a night. We checked his profile page and it was alarmingly empty. 20:30-20:47 We try to overcome a wave of suspicion and doubt, remembering all the horror stories about inviting complete strangers into your home (just like Swedes and Norwegians before they decide to pick up a hitchhiker). 20:48 We send him a WhatsApp message to ask for his whereabouts. 21:26 Raphael answers and we talk on the phone. He doesn't sound like a serial killer or even like someone who wants to steal our TV. 21:33 We send him our location. 21:56 We open the door to a smiling guy with long hair and a medium sized backpack. He's so laid back, chilled and relaxed that we immediately feel ashamed of ou...

Since we moved closer to the Atlantic two years ago, leaving the creeks and ribeiras of Serra de Estrela behind, I've missed the sound of bustling and plunging water. The ocean has its charms. It has a rhythm but lacks a flow. I’ve hiked to many large and small waterfalls during my travels, but I've never had the chance to stand under one. For a long time, I’ve dreamed of feeling the primal force of the current on my skin. So, when I found out about a hike along a cascading river just outside Lisbon—especially after the heavy April rains that filled all the waterways—I couldn't pass up the opportunity. To reach the trailhead , we took a bus from Lisbon to Loures, and then another bus to Bucelas. From the station, we followed a tarmac road that quickly turned into a dirt path leading to Ribeira do Boição . The trail eventually took us down to a swirling stream that we crossed via an improvised bridge made of a long wooden log. On the other side, a full waterfall awaite...