The beginning of an idea…
When I first moved to Lisbon, I didn’t speak any Portuguese, and my Bachelor of Arts that specialized in 20th century European history had barely touched on what had been going on in Portugal. I had taken an entire undergraduate course on the Spanish Civil War, but I don’t remember once hearing about Portugal…and the fact that it was neutral during World War Two? The fact that it had a dictator for 45 years? The fact that it was the first and largest colonizer force in 14th century age of discovery? It is a blank. I almost feel like I knew so little about Portugal (coming from Canada) that it had kept itself secret, behind a mysterious veil that I had to be ready to uncover at the right time.
I had backpacked through Portugal as a solo traveller in my early twenties and Lisbon had left a lasting impression: its magical light, the mournful music of Fado sung throughout the dimly lit alleyways of Alfama, the hills and stairways that made any journey far longer than planned…my memories of it were there, but they were somewhat hazy. Perhaps because I had also drunk a lot of port and stayed up until dawn, watching the sun rise over the rooftops after nights of dancing to samba and chatting to people from all over the world.
But then, years later, Lisbon came back into my life, or rather I into it’s, when I was looking to move to Europe permanently, to somewhere sunny that felt light and hopeful, ready for a fresh start after working for too long as a history teacher, travelling the world and never really staying one place long enough to set my roots into the soil.
Perhaps I found Lisbon again just as many tourists are now finding it - mentioned in passing through a friend, or in a random Instagram post…I had been living in Scotland, it was May and still 5 degrees. I was ready for some sun and some change.
I landed in Lisbon in June and within a week, I had a job interview as a tour guide with a local electric bike touring company. And there, my initiation in the history, culture, language and richness of Lisbon began. I was in love. I couldn’t learn enough, see enough, spend late nights walking and days on bike showing the tourists all the new things I was discovering like a child in a candy store, eyes lit up, enthusiasm contagious…
I worked this job for 7 months until I was utterly exhausted and ready to launch out on my own. It was time to start Mythic City Tours, a tour company run my way….
