Zaka zingapo zapitazo nditawerenga buku la Pascal Mercier, "Night Train to Lisbon," ndidayamba kukhala ndi malingaliro olakwika obwerera ku Portugal. Sindinakhalepo kuyambira chakumapeto kwa zaka makumi asanu ndi anayi pomwe ndidagwirapo ntchito yolemba za Port Wines ku Oporto. Nditamaliza bukhulo, lomwe limabweretsa wowerenga munyengo yamdima ya mbiri ya Portugal pomwe kusintha kwa chikhalidwe cha chikhalidwe cha anthu kunali kuchitika ndipo dzikolo likuyesera kudzipatula ku maunyolo ankhanza, ndinakumbukira ulendo wanga woyamba wopita ku Lisbon:
Ndinali ndi zaka 11 ndipo ndinkakhala ku Madrid. M'mawa wina bambo anga adadzuka ndi lingaliro loyipa - kuti akakhale kumapeto kwa sabata ku Lisbon, ndipo timayendetsa makilomita 500 kapena kuposerapo mu Renault Dauphine yake. Awa anali masiku asanakhaleko misewu yayikulu, inali 1959, ndipo Salazar anali akulamulirabe.
Chidwi changa choyamba chinabwera chapakati pausiku pamene tinafika pamalire ndipo tinayenera kupereka mapasipoti kuti tilowe. Mawu oyamba a Chipwitikizi omwe ndidawamva adamveka ngati chilankhulo cha Asilavo. Kuthandiza atate kuyenda m’misewu yopapatiza yopita ku Lisbon inali ntchito yotopetsa, magetsi ochepa m’njiramo kuti athandize kutsogolera dalaivala ndi mzere woyera wokha pakati, umene unafunikira ntchito yopenta.
Maola angapo pambuyo pake, tinafika mumzindawo ndipo tinalandilidwa bwinobwino ku Hotel Tivoli pa Avenida Libertade ku Lisbon.
Mofulumira ku 2018, ndipo zaka zingapo zapitazo, ndinali nditakhala mu ofesi yanga ku New York, pamene chipale chofewa chinali kukwera m'misewu pansi ndipo kutentha kukupitirirabe, ndinayamba kuwonetsa zithunzi za nyengo yotentha.
Maginito anga anali nthawi zonse ku Mediterranean ndipo makamaka Southern Europe, ndipo ndinayamba kufunafuna njira yotsika mtengo yomwe ingandibweretsere kumudzi wanga wa Nice. Mwachilengedwe, zonyamulira zachikhalidwe monga BA ndi Air France zingakumbukire, komabe, ndalama zawo zinali zokwera kwambiri, ndipo sanapereke mpikisano wanjira imodzi kupita komwe ndikupita. Lowani, Air Portugal. Nditayang'ana tsamba lawo sindimakhulupilira, njira imodzi yopita ku Nice kudzera ku Lisbon pamtengo wochepera $300 - zinali ngati izi.
Ndikayang'ananso, ndidazindikira kuti Air Portugal imayimitsa usiku 1-5 ku Lisbon kapena Porto popanda ndalama zowonjezera. Kuti zoperekazo zikhale zowoneka bwino, oyendetsa ndege amatha kusankha mahotela otsika mtengo, maulendo, ndi malo odyera kuti ayambitse. Izi sizinali zovuta, ndipo iyi inali nthawi yanga yopuma yozizira.
Chodetsa nkhawa changa chinali zomwe ndidakumana nazo m'mbuyomu pa TAP, kukumbukira ndege yokhazikika komanso yoyendetsedwa ndi boma. Izi zinali kale mu 80s. Tsopano tinali mu 2018, ndipo ndidamva kuti motsogozedwa ndi CEO wawo watsopano, Fernando Pinto, chithunzicho chidachoka kale ndipo ndege idalandira mphotho zambiri.
Chithunzi © Ted Macauley
Patapita mlungu umodzi, ndinali kumwa tiyi madzulo, ndikumapita ku Ulaya, ku cafe ya Audrey, mbali ya hotelo yokongola ya Santiago de Alfama ku Lisbon, pamene ndinakumana ndi mwiniwake Manel. Manel ndi mkazi wake anathandiza kwambiri kukongoletsa ndi kukongola kwa hoteloyo ndipo tsopano akukonzanso nyumba yoyandikana nayo yotchedwa Palacio de Santiago, yomwe idzawonjezera chithumwa komanso zipinda za hoteloyo. Pamene ndinali kuyendera “malo” atsopanowo, Manel anaonetsetsa kuti ndikudziwa kuti pa msewu umenewu, Rua Santiago, “kudalirana kwa mayiko” kunaperekedwa ndi ndalama, ndipo Christopher Columbus anakwatira. Hotelo yabwino kwa oyenda chidwi. Mawonekedwe okongola a chigawo chakale cha Alfama kuchokera pamalo ake okwera pamwamba pa mzindawu ndiachilendo monga momwe amachitira ku Pantheon ndi Sao Vincente Monastery.
Patatha masiku awiri, ndinabwereranso ku bwalo la ndege nditatha "kukonza" kosangalatsa ku Lisbon ndikukwera ndege yanga ya Air Portugal yolumikiza ku Nice.
Sindingaganizire njira ina yabwino yopititsira kuchedwa kwa ndege.
