All That You Can Leave Behind
Carry me caravan take me away
Take me to Portugal, take me to Spain
--Spanish Caravan by The Doors
Perhaps others have had a different experience but traveling with KLM across the continent and over the Atlantic ocean is a treat. They make you feel like a special guest- pillows, sheets, meals, complimentary drinks, headphones, and so on. I don't care so much for frills and all those things, but all that good KLM treatment is just fine by me. I also don't want to disparage our national airline, Air Canada, but I think they could learn a thing or two from KLM on how to treat customers right. Right on, KLM!
The flight is only interrupted by the lady sitting beside me, who briefly chats with me and lets me know that people are overly friendly back in Vancouver.
"When you go into a store there, people wave or say hi aloud, they seem so excited to see you, like they're old friends whom you haven't seen in a long time. They chat about this and that and are interested in how your day is going and so on. In Germany, vendors and shopkeepers don't do that. They provide the service, you pay, and that's it. I mean, if one is going to just shop, there's no need to be so flamboyant."
I chuckle and stroke my chin abstractly. "That's an interesting observation. I think I read something about it online. It's partly cultural, I guess. Efficiency is important for Germans while Canadians expect a bit of friendliness on top. We also have a lot of tourism-focused industries in the west coast, so a bit of over-the-top cheerfulness might be good for business."
"It's very disconcerting."
You know what's disconcerting? When you arrive at a place and realize they don't speak English. They have their own language, for reals. What used to be just an intellectual curiosity back home is now a tangible reality that you have to navigate.
Bem-vindo a Lisboa!
I have no idea why the cobblestones/tiles fascinate me. In this timeline, I'm not so concerned about content creation. Hive is a few years into the future. I'm just a guy on a mission to Lisbon.
But first, the important things in life. This hotel truly knows their audience. What better way to spend the first night in Portugal than by having some chocolate bars and alcohol.
Living la vida coca
But enough silliness, let's get to what we all came here for- giant crocodiles!
We don't have art on this scale and style back home in Van. The large murals we have are all carefully curated by the city so they come across as somewhat staged. The mural art in Lisbon seems a bit more... urban.
I complete my mission and wander the streets in the evening, admiring the historical sights. I do not take photographs, however, content creation is the furthest thing from my mind.
In the morning, I head out to the airport and my rendezvous with Rochelle.
Images by @litguru
Enjoy Lisbon to the max! Great city. If you have time, visit the National Coach Museum; it's amazing. KLM is a good airline. The last time I flew with them was to Curacao for diving as they're the only airline allowed to land on the tiny island.
Thank you, @kriszrokk. This is from a trip I took some time ago. I'm just now getting around to upload the images. It's a wonderful place!
Wowww what a spectacular mural, especially the crocodile, I love it!😍
It's very creative and looks like a lot of work too!
I assure you it's a lot of work but it looks great!
Nice! Perfect vibes for the weekend.
Even better....
🙌👋🙌
LoL, was the lady indeed 'disconcerted'?
When I was abroad in your English speaking countries, it delighted me that shop owners acted as if they were old friends. Now I am much smarter and know it's business as usual, but back then it impressed me positively. So, I am trying to find out about your seating neighbor.
HaHa, yes, the language! I am always so looking forward to use your tongue on the streets and if you happen to run into me one day, I gladly will English you into a conversation. ;D
What made you pick Spain? Come to Germany, next time.
Nice shots, like always.
Bye bye
That was a funny conversation with the lady. It took place around 2 AM, when my mind was a bit unfocused, so it was somewhat surreal. I think she actually enjoyed the banter with the service people but was also amused by their behavior.
It's a deal! I'm actually amazed that English is not your mother tongue. You're such a cunning linguist!
I've always wanted to go to Germany, but I've only been in a layover to Prague from Berlin. Spain has as always been a romantic place for me, so the opportunity came up and the rest is history. I will be sharing more about my trip, so stay tuned 😉
Thank you for visiting.
I bet, she did. Who wouldn't?
Wunderbar! You now have one more reason to come :)
LoL. You wouldn't have said so if you'd met me in Amsterdam back then. I struggled to put together a coherent sentence on an international meeting, held in English. I felt so embarrassed that I quit my job, went to California and learned your language properly. ;) During that time I ate English books.
Nice. You found that romantic mood one more time?
That is an amazing decision with bold assertive action. California sounds like a great sunny place to practice English, and pick up a little Spanish too.
I'm always in the romantic mood 💃
Yeah, I liked it to have the opportunity to stay with a friend in sunny California. I lost all shyness with the language and enjoy it ever since to use it to the most. Since I am always posting in English and not my own tongue. Spanish is also not too difficult to learn but since within the working spaces it is not used here, I saw no motivation. I love Italian more, though. It has more of a singing character.
Romantic you :)
Italian sounds very passionate. French also sounds very romantic. Between Spanish, Italian, and French, that's a lot of romance. :D