Skip to main content

Looking Back: Portugal

Last July and August, we went on our first vacation abroad as a couple. We wanted to travel to a warm country (Else loves the heat!), not too far away (Ilse fears flying and didn't have a passport until recently). We also wanted to go somewhere we both hadn't been to before. In the end, we decided to go to Portugal: a few days to Lisbon and, from there, a few days to Porto.

As a very religious, Catholic country, we did some research before we traveled to Portugal and our first stop, Lisbon. We were surprised that queer rights in Portugal are said to be among the best in the world (!), but we also learned that queer people tend to be discreet in public—even though Lisbon and Porto celebrate pride parades.

So, before we arrived in Lisbon (Ilse luckily survived the flight!), we had planned to be a bit more discreet. But: we suck at being discreet. Also: nobody seemed to care. We stayed at our hotels without being judged. We took the train from Lisbon to Porto without being judged. We explored Lisbon and Porto without being judged. We held hands without being judged. We kissed without being judged. Maybe, tourists are seen differently. Maybe, people choose to be discreet. In any case, we didn't feel like we had to hide away. We enjoyed our vacation as the persons that we are.

In Lisbon, we ended up in a bar and had our best night in Portugal! We drank too much sangria, met local women (straight), and danced through the night—right next to the gay bars which were empty. They asked the DJ to play Nena, a German singer-songwriter—probably to make us feel comfortable. And we danced the night away to the sound of 99 Red Balloons (go by ...).
Labels:
Location: Portugal

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Our New Passion for Outdoor Activities

We love traveling, we love exploring, we love outdoor activities. But we barely have (or: had) the time for them! So, here's an upside to the COVID-19 restrictions of not seeing anyone, of not going to bars, restaurants, and clubs, of not traveling: we have more time for each other and more time for outdoor activities! (We  do not  want to downplay the pain, loss, and death this pandemic is causing — we just got lucky enough to enjoy some extra time.) These last few weeks, we have been hiking and exploring the nearby woods. It's incredible how beautiful they are in spring! Lush, green, the sun shining through the green treetops, rustling from last fall's brown leaves with every step. And most of the time, the woods are surprisingly quiet, with only a few people taking walks or hiking. The only thing missing these days, particularly for Ilse: ending the trip with a cool beer (or two) and maybe a snack at a beer garden. She wants her reward! Also, after years without ev...
Post a Comment
Read more

Happy Pride Month?

We were and are so excited for Pride Month! Although most Pride festivities are canceled this year (Cologne Pride is, for now, postponed, so we still have some hope ...), we couldn't wait for this month of visibility, of pride (not just Pride), of rainbow flags, of support, of loving each other. Then, George Floyd was brutally killed. And although we cannot imagine how it must feel to be Black or a person of color, we can't stand this injustice. We will do everything we can to stand with you. To fight with you. Pride started as a riot. And although we do not support violence, it doesn't seem likely that this injustice will end without another riot. We stand with you. We won't have queer equality if we don't have racial equality. Black lives matter. The lives of people of color matter. Remember those who died from police violence. Say their names and never forget.
Post a Comment
Read more

Traveling in Times of COVID-19

We are addicted to traveling. So when COVID-19 put so many travel restrictions on us, we certainly agreed with the measures, but we also knew that we would miss traveling a lot.  When the numbers of new infections started to drop and travel restrictions were slackened, we carefully went on a three-day hike not too far from Cologne . A month later, we joined Else’s family on a family vacation in central Germany . And when Ilse’s birthday approached and travel in Europe seemed okayish again, Else planned a birthday present that would bring us to Paris. Yet, during summer time when everyone goes on vacations (and apparently many don’t care to wear their face masks), infections were bound to rise again.  Not surprisingly, a couple of days before our journey to Paris, Else had to reveal the destination of our surprise vacation so that we could discuss together whether we should go or stay at home: infections in France, particularly in Paris, reached critical numbers. We finally dec...
Post a Comment
Read more