Curiosity is the Heartbeat

29 June 2013

Can you guess which one of us this is? Myself? Stephanie? Kailey?

Does anyone else find joy in peeling sunburns? Not that I like being sunburnt, I just really enjoy slowly peeling the dead skin off my chest and shoulders… Alright, that sounded a lot grosser than I intended. I am just going to straight up admit that I am one of those weird people who enjoy popping and peeling things. Unfortunately this habit comes back to bite me during instances such as this. Let me paint you a picture of what is happening right now. Stephanie, Kailey, and I are all sitting next to each other on the airplane on the way to Strasbourg, France. We have our backpacks at our feet stuffed to the brim with clothes, food, chargers, and ticket stubs. Our hair is ALL OVER THE PLACE and our clothes could definitely use a good wash. We do smell decent because we had to use up all of our lotion before going through security and we kinda tend to go crazy on the essential oils. Luckily we only have a couple layers of clothing on because we were able to slide through the gate without our bulky bags being noticed. Everyone else was scattering to empty their bags enough to fit in the “carry-on size detector” by putting on as many clothes as they could. Our skin is beginning to turn into a tan, but we still have a few square inches of casualties. The peeling began a few days ago but we have been too busy to notice. Now that we have a few spare moments we are going to town peeling off every inch of clinging dead skin left on our bodies. Let me just spit it out now, THIS IS SO FUN. I can’t stop laughing at what we probably look like right now. Three American girls peeling their sunburns and blogging about it. Kailey just announced that there is dead skin on her computer and Stephanie just saved a piece for her scrapbook. Ryanair flights are great.

We spent the evening in Braga, a small city just outside of Porto where Xavier and his family live. We woke up at the crack of dawn and through the kindness of Xavier’s son dropping us off at the train station we were able to board a train and head on our way back to Porto. Being in Porto has been an incredible experience and I am glad that we were able to spend several more hours exploring today. Xavier picked us up from the train station and drove us around the city once again until it was time to go to the airport. The kindness of people still blows my mind as I continue to encounter instance upon instance of generosity and compassion that others have showed to me.

Porto is just plain unique. Those two words wouldn’t normally be used in the same sentence, but here they work. As charming and dapper as Porto is, it doesn’t come across as being too over the top. It is perfect. If I could live anywhere in the world, I would love to live in Porto. The streets wind up and down, narrow as can be and changing elevation quicker than you could ever imagine. Houses are old and are usually located above the shops that push against the cobblestone streets. I actually wouldn’t call them houses, I would call them flats. The shops are full of old rustic antiques and one of a kind handmade items. When I imagine what my dream home should look like, the interior looks as if it were decorated with treasures from Porto. I want my home to be a representation of the beauty of the world. Imagine faded rugs from india, blown glass from the Polynesian Islands, rustic pottery from the Middle East, and paintings from Africa placed in a home where they go perfectly together. This is what I want my house to look like. Simple (as in not cluttered with items) yet complex because everything in it has a meaning and a purpose. I want my home to be a place where my family is inspired and encouraged to follow their curiosity out into the world and explore. This is how I enjoy living my life. Curiosity is the heartbeat of adventure.

We visited several more cathedrals today and drove through many beautiful narrow cobblestone streets. Hands down the feature that makes Porto unique is the narrow cobblestone streets. The narrowness is something different. As you walk so closely enclosed on either side by colorful old buildings you feel comfortable, you feel close to the city. This closeness contributes greatly to the charming vibe that Porto gives to the people who live and visit there. From the windows of the homes hang lines of clothes set out to dry. From a street view the wind blowing the clothing to and fro offers a quite relaxing feeling to its viewers. Old town Porto has a special place in my heart, forever and always.

Earlier in my posts about Portugal I failed to mention the differences I experienced between there and the states. Here are a few. Portuguese dinner time is at the earliest 8pm. This is something I have had to get used to because we don’t typically eat that way in the USA. Although, I would say that my family eats later than most because we are never all home from practice and events until later.

Today was our last day in Portugal as we arrive back into England late this evening. The beauties I have experienced have been incredible and I hope have created memories I will never forget. One adventure leads to the next and the next and the next. My term at Cambridge starts in a short two days, an opportunity I have been looking forward to for a very long time. Eight weeks at one of the best Universities in the world is just around the corner. I am anxious to settle down for a while at such a charming school and experience things that have the power to be life changing. A new journey is about to unravel. Remembering to always be open to exploration and adventure has helped me to be ready for any opportunity that comes my way. Curiosity is a great attribute to have. Curiosity is the heartbeat of adventure. Just be careful, because curiosity did kill the cat…