Solo Backpacking: Loneliness and Happiness (Lisbon/Faro)

The saying goes that when you’re solo travelling you’re rarely actually alone. This is because of the friendly nature of other travellers whom you are bound to come into contact with.

But real talk here – in Lisbon I was lonely. I am someone who LOVES to be on their own, I like to potter around doing little bits and pieces I enjoy at my own pace but here, I felt it. I think it is partly due to the fact that I’d just been with my close friends for about a week and had loved being with them, so being plunged back into solo waters took me a few days to adjust to. In a previous post I’ve spoken about how I am learning to accept any anxiety or other feeling I experience and just ride it out and so that’s what I did in Lisbon. I slept in, I binged Netflix, took walks when I felt like it and sat by the river when I wanted to, I also went to the gym. I didn’t push myself to go stomping around the entire city because I knew I wasn’t up to it. Another beauty of solo travel is that I had the freedom to do just that. Initially I booked a free walking tour but I just didn’t want to go, so I didn’t – simple as that. The result probably means I didn’t see as much of Lisbon as I could have and didn’t experience it fully, but I took time to process things I was feeling and it worked! I arrived in my next destination – Faro – recharged and feeling like I was ready to explore. I’m proud for putting myself first.

Having taken a few days to mentally recharge, Faro seemed perfect to me. The hostel was amazing, I totally recommend it (Well’come To the Algarve) and it has a beautiful sun terrace. Faro is so small you can basically walk the whole thing in 45 minutes but I kind of loved that – it meant I could know my way around in the first evening. On my only full day there I took the super cheap ferry out to Ilha do Farol which is one of three beach islands in Faro and the boat ride alone was fun! Then I loved being a beach bum for the day, admiring the crystal clear waters and the holiday homes on the island.

Honestly it is the most clear water I’ve ever seen, it felt like I was in a movie! Additionally I sat in a beach cafe with the most stunning views while catching up with friends from home – heaven.

With excitement, I then packed up once more and headed to Lagos, my current location and officially my favourite place on the trip – coming soon!

Solo Backpacking: Porto with Friends

So my time in Northern Spain came to an end and it was time to head to Portugal for the first time! I’d heard great things and I couldn’t wait to see the beautiful country for myself. My first stop was Porto where two of my closest friends came out to join me for five days and we had an amazing reunion at the airport!

From that point onwards it was time to discover Porto’s every corner! One thing to remember about this city is that it is SO hilly it’s unbelievable! We figured out that if we weren’t going uphill, we were going the wrong way… a good leg workout everyday though and the hills certainly provided some stunning views of the historic city.

The beach was a regular sport of us to spend much of the day in the beautiful sun, Matoshinos was the most regular stop but we also visited Piscina del Mares which I adored. Due to the freezing cold waters in and around Porto, at piscina del Mares, they have made a salt water swimming pool right on the beach, allowing you to enjoy the very best of the beach while not freezing to death, it was the best!

People seemed to be so friendly in Porto, I’d end up having conversations with random locals and learning all about the traditions of the city. The friendly atmosphere and stunning scenery were a match made in heaven for me.

And I had the joy of being able to experience it alongside two of my favourite people in the world – what’s not to love?!

Interestingly there are many bridges from Oporto over to Gaia, the nearby town and one was built by Gustav Eiffel! So after his rejection of the Eiffel Tower in Barcelona, he still managed to put a stamp on this area of the world. Many people were jumping from the bridge into the river which was both terrifying and impressive to watch! I personally couldn’t do it, but hats off to those brave enough to.

I think my favourite thing about the little city was the atmosphere and relaxed vibe o got from being there, it was easy to wander around, get lost and feel completely at ease. Even in the 34 degree heat!

From Porto, I hopped into a BlaBla Car and headed for Lisbon, followed by Faro, that’s in my next post!

Solo Backpacking: León and Vigo

From Santander I needed to head west to be close to Portugal where I was going to meet my best friends. To cut the journey down, I split it and stayed in pretty León for one night before heading to Vigo for a few nights.

León is a pretty little town on the Camino De Santiago route, I seem to have accidentally done a good chunk of the Camino on a fast track route! When I checked in to the hostel, the owner and his wife invited me to join them for a meal which was so good! Freshly cooked fish and veg hit the spot and as they only spoke Spanish it gave me a great opportunity to practice!

Chilling with my pal Gaudí

I wandered around the city taking in the sights and loved Casa De Botines, a building designed by Gaudí. From there I moseyed up to the stunning cathedral, I didn’t go in due to an expensive entrance fee but the building itself was very impressive. The stained glass was unbelievably detailed and I can imagine with the light shining through inside it would be breathtaking.

Vigo

Following a 7 hour train ride (hey, it was cheap!) and taxi journey with several wrong turns, I apprehensively arrived at an ‘open house’ Air BnB. Now when I say open house, it was a very safe neighbourhood and so everyone left their door unlocked and generally open all the time.

Following my freak out in Bilbao, I decided that rather than run for the hills, I’d stick it out, see what it was like and trust my gut that the hosts were super lovely. And you know what? It paid off. They were the most friendly people in the world and I loved the house as it was out of town and super quiet, I woke up to the sound of birds. It was a bit of a trek to anything (the beach was a long but stunning 2 hour walk) but it definitely did me some good!

While I was in Vigo I found an awesome outdoor gym in a park about 5 minutes from the house so I went there and did some HIIT/callisthenics training which was tough in the heat but a lot of fun!

I’m a bit behind on blog posts! I went to Porto in Portugal after Vigo and I’m leaving Lisbon today, the Porto post will come very soon!

I Am Enough – 5 Lessons Learned

This week marks 1 month of travelling so far and so while it’s not long, there are some things I’ve learnt about myself, other cultures and freedom that I’d like to share.

1. Relying on myself

Travelling solo means you have only yourself to rely on, to book the right bus, to manage your days and to look after yourself. Self doubt has always been something I’ve experienced – as have most if not all of the population! Trusting yourself to be able to get out of sticky situations or find alternatives when you oversleep and miss your bus (oopsy) is surprisingly easy and something I’ve come to appreciate about myself. I’m capable, efficient and able to decide what I’m going to do, where I’m going and get myself there even with hiccups along the way.

2. Self assurance

Potentially my favourite thing about travelling alone is the freedom to do what you want when you want to do it. There’s no fussing over trying to accommodate people because you choose whatever you feel like doing and you just go for it. If I feel like being sociable I can find people in a hostel to go out and hang with and if I feel like chilling alone, that’s ok too! Which brings me onto my next point…

3. Self-Care

I feel that we grow up in a society where self care is neglected and I personally am pretty appalling at it. I was the one to fit in with whatever anyone else wanted, whether I wanted to do it or not. But travelling alone and realising that actually I am more than enough, I am beginning to know myself more (oh the cliché!). I know when I feel like being active, when I want to chill and also when I need to take a while to veg out and do nothing. Initially I was visiting every possible corner of the city whether I felt up to it or not. But actually that became a recipe for disaster as I’d get overtired, lethargic and stroppy. There’s nothing wrong with taking a day off, netflixing or catching up on sleep. My health and well-being are more important than seeing every church in the city.

4. Taking a breath

As all my close friends and family know, I’m a pretty highly strung person, I get anxious easily and stress about things which will never happen – I’m sure most people can relate. However the freedom to be able to recognise actually when I’m anxious, see if there’s a reason and rectify it is like breathing for the first time. And if I can’t find a reason, as opposed to what I’d usually do which is get frustrated with myself and be in a worse mood, actually being kind to myself is working out much better. Thinking ‘Okay, this is how I feel right now and that’s ok, let’s take a moment here’ is a way to let the wave pass and just be okay with feeling like that. After all we don’t feel guilty for feeling happy, angry or ill, so why feel guilty for being anxious. Having a coffee by the sea, sitting in a park, drawing or listening to music are all things I’ve found which help me to accept the way I feel and ride it out. More often than not, it passes. I also find that if I’m anxious while exploring, plugging in some good music to reduce the surround noisy chaos is a good strategy.

5. Being Present

This is more of something I’m aware of an hope to change. I’m a millennial and one marker of our lives has been the amazing innovations in technology which has streamlined our whole lives. However I’m becoming ever more aware that my phone serves as a filler – waiting for the bus, escaping an awkward conversation, mindlessly scrolling in the bathroom – it’s essentially surgically attached to me at this point and I know I’m not the only one! One of my main goals before I came here was to learn to just live, enjoy each moment for what it is and not need a constant stream of information or photos to fill the time. I’m not there yet! But I am getting better and the benefits are countless, I notice more, have conversations with strangers and have more time to think. When you give yourself time to process the hoards of live action information in front of you, you release your mind and give yourself freedom to be human.

With hopefully a few more months to go, I’m sure this list will be exhaustive by the end!

Solo Backpacking: San Sebastián (Donostia)

After a few days in the tranquil countryside setting of Logroño, I was looking for my beach fix again so the next stop was the little known but stunning city of San Sebastián.

I got myself a BlaBla Car (honestly the best way to travel in Europe!) with a lovely Parisian guy called Abdelhek, we had a great chat all the way there about travelling, fitness and all things Spain. That’s what I really enjoy about BlaBla Car, you find some really interesting people! I arrived at my Air BnB which was quite a little trek away from the centre but all the walking was good activity! I also met Tómas who was my host’s cat!

On the first day, I spent a couple of hours at the stunning beach La Concha, and just starfished in the sand and also went for a little swim although not for long as I’m not the most confident swimmer and the waves were huge!

After a good sunbathe, I met up with Jiminy who was originally from Laos but now is studying in London, he was super chatty and we had a nice coffee outside. Later that night we met up with a few other travellers and decided to explore the festivities which were happening across the little city for this week’s festival. We somehow ended up joining in this parade through the streets! Afterwards we grabbed a drink and watched a stunning display of fireworks over the marina.

Festivities

I had a really good wander/hike the nexday up to the top of Monte Urgull, an old fort with a huge statue on the top. It was a climb and a half but so worth it to discover secret paths and stunning views!

It was quite rainy for a couple of days with not a lot to do inside cheaply, so I took those days as a bit or R&R time to catch up on reading.

All in all, San Sebastián was stunning but I think I spent too long there! I think two night would have been enough.

Next up: My 24 hr experience (eek) in Bilbao… and Then onto Santander.

Solo Backpacking: Barcelona

After some careful consideration and a whole lot of Instagramming, I decided to pack up my necessities into a 40L backpack and get on a plane with a one way ticket… Something I didn´t ever think I would be brave enough to do! With a brief, sparse plan I threw caution to the wind and decided to explore Europe.

First stop? Barcelona!

After a very long journey consisting of a 13 hour wait at the airport, 2 flights (1 delayed) and a hot metro journey to my Air BnB – I was there! The reality of leaving behind my job, friends and family did not set in for a few days, during which I explored my surroundings. Fortunately my Air Bnb was right next to this modern wonder of the world : La Sagrada Familia, I could literally see the towers from my balcony. In order to get to know the city´s history a little better, I joined a free walking tour with Sandeman`´s Tours which was amazing! As it was free I was fully expecting an hour long quick whizz around the city but in fact it was 2.5 hours of fascinating information about how Barcelona came to be the cultural and historical pinnacle we know today. The history of the city is very much alike to the plot of Game of Thrones, perhaps this was their inspiration…

Pablo Picasso´s School

Interestingly, I even saw the school which Pablo Picasso attended and learnt that he moved to France, refusing to return while Franco was in power. Sadly, he never made it back to Spain as he died before 1975. One evening I even plucked up the courage to head out to a CouchSurfing Salsa night in a local bar! I almost talked myself out of it because my dance skills are APPALLING but I am glad I went, I met some lovely travellers and have a laugh (mainly at myself).

 

 

 

After two nights in an Air BnB it was time to move onto a hostel, while the Air Bnb had been a great location, I wanted to meet other travellers and have adventures alongside them. So I hoisted my backpack on and headed to the Paral.el district where I checked into Mambo Tango Hostel, I was super early ans so went to drop my bag and met a fellow londoner in the process – we headed off to see food market, enjoy un cafe and walk around the area.

 

Soon after, I decided it was high time to go for a swim, so I headed down to the beach. I had been concerned before I came about how I was going to enjoy the beaches without anyone to watch my things, especially in places like Barcelona where pickpockets are rife. So armed with a waterproof bag, I headed out and loved bobbing around in the mediterranean sea. The temperature was perfect as I went in the late afternoon, not too hot but nice and comfortable. It was only yesterday that I discovered this temperature do not mean you wont burn… I have a lovely line on my back and bum where my costume was! Lesson learned.

That night after a shower and siesta, it was time to head out for tapas! Myself and a few other travellers headed to Carrer De Blai which was at the end out our road and fortunately for us, one of the best tapas streets in Barcelona!

 

We went to a few different places but by far our favourite was a place called La Tiza, where they served pintxos for 1€ or 1.80€ depending on your choice. They also had the best Tinto de Verano! There´s something amazing about countries like Spain at night, the temperature and the atmosphere is amazing, I love how chilled it is!

 

 

The next day we walked up to Plaza de Espanya and into the Palacio area, climbing up hundreds of stairs to see the best views of Barcelona both from the Palace and the Olympic village.

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We finished off the day with a delicious paella and head back to the hostel. The next day it was time to say goodbye to Barcelona and head to Logroño, La Rioja in my BlaBla Car – and that´s in the next post!

¡Hasta Vista Chicos!