Lisbon — The eternity of an instant —
What if an instant had the power to become eternal? What if everything we know and believe to be eternal only lasted a moment?
The last time I traveled to Lisbon was for work in June 2013. This time as a photographer to participate in a workshop led by P. Turnley. I had already been fortunate enough to visit this melancholic city at least twenty times, always for work, except once very distant in time, so much so that it seems like an instant.
I always liked the city of Fado and I still didn't know everything I had missed.
June 2013 brought about a full-fledged rediscovery, it was like reconnecting with an old friend whom you haven't seen for years, whom you are extremely happy to see and, you think you know...
And yes, there are characteristics that you remember in it as if it were yesterday, that you recognize instantly and give you the feeling that time has not passed for either of you. What a great fantasy!
And little by little you detect new things, nuances that you hadn't noticed and traits that you did know but that you now like more or less than before, depending... you too have changed. Could it be that you see him with different eyes? Do we take more time to listen and to observe? This is what happened to me when I discovered Lisbon through my camera.
My pace was definitely different, more leisurely, the one needed to observe and anticipate, to be able to be ready and capture moments that would make me better acquainted with this city of just over half a million inhabitants.
My attitude was definitely different, I spoke much less and listened much more. I enjoyed listening to the people from the neighborhoods who explained to me who they were, what they did or simply why the festivities of San Antonio for Lisbon are like San Fermín for Pamplona.
And the thing is that what happens to many other cities happens to Lisbon, it seems as if each neighborhood were a town in its own right. In Lisbon, this is accentuated by its orography, by its steep streets that reach one of its 7 hills. Without cars, neighborhood life grows and is nourished day by day on every corner.
I definitely communicated in a different way, much more through my body, more by intuition than by reasoning, perhaps I unconsciously realized that the moment of a safe, kind and inviting gesture had the power to generate an almost eternal empathy, as eternal as photographed and photographer we wanted.
I realized more than ever the power of visual communication over verbal communication. An eternal battle that oddly enough usually wins the word. I'm not going to defend photography as a method of meditation, I'm neither that funny nor that innovative. But if I must say that it has made me a better person, it has made me understand the other person better, wanting to observe him as if he were an old friend, even if I had only known him for a moment, wanting to listen to him using my ears but above all my eyes without falling into the temptation to tell my story, just to be receptive and attentive to all the stories that surround me.
And that's why I also always share with my photography students the importance of knowing how to wait, of being focused and attentive to everything that happens around me, with infinite patience, so much so that sometimes it seems eternal. Blessed patience that helps us photographers to capture those moments that last fractions of a second.
I think that because of all that, a Lisbon emerged that surprised me greatly and that I had not had the opportunity to visit on previous occasions. I discovered that not only is it a city that welcomes foreigners, like almost any city with a large port, but also that its years of history give it character and charm. I also met another Alejandra with whom I like to travel the most, who, when she arrives at a place, is dying to know its people and their stories, because we already have the history of monuments in books and travel guides.
And so I enjoyed hundreds of moments that turned into thousands and some became eternal. Because every time I look at these photographs I feel with the same intensity — as in June 2013 — the pride of the mother who embraces her son,
Claudia's joy when she is turned around gracefully and vigorously while dancing rock & roll with a friend in the arcades of one of the main streets in the center,
the adrenaline rush of an Extremadura resident in Lisbon who plays jazz with several percussion instruments, including his cajón, a teller of his roots,
the comfort of a hug from your partner on the edge of the Atlantic,
a warm icy kiss in the middle of Lisbon's summer,
the fervor and heartfelt collective homage that the people of Lisbon give every 13th of June to Love and its patron, Saint Anthony,
Instants, Eternals, until I come back again and reconnect with them. Then I will rediscover a new Lisbon and a new photographer. Hopefully we can continue to understand each other!
Some Tips
When to go to Lisbon
If you can see in June, the weather is nice and not too hot. They are also the festivities of Saint Anthony (13 June), the patron saint of Lisbon. The city dresses up like a party and its streets, being many pedestrianized, turn into restaurants, bars, terraces and outdoor dance floors. They are not crowded parties, but there is a lot of atmosphere and joy in every cobblestone.
What to see/ What to do
- Public Weddings
They are celebrated on June 13th. The city council selects several couples from a humble economic background and supports them financially throughout the wedding ceremony and celebration. This is witnessed throughout the country through public television channels and by thousands of Lisboners who accompany newlyweds to the doors of the Patron Cathedral and through the main streets of the capital. - Music on the street
- Stroll through the neighborhoods of Baixa, Alfama and Bairro Alto, with a lot of charm
- Cathedral, Casa Dos Bicos, Santa Justa elevator
- Visit the Belem Tower, the Jeronimos Monastery and the Castles of Saint George with great views
- Views from its hills
- Take the Sta Justa funicular
- Have an ice cream walking around the plaza, the Atlantic
- Go to the mouth of the Tagus
What to eat
- Pasteis de Belem
- Cod — in any of its 365 ways to prepare it
- sardines
- Any of the Brasileira pastries