When I visited Lisbon in November 2022, I expected nothing more than a sunny place to work remotely for a month. Certainly, I had no idea that I would be lured in irrevocably by the charms of what was recently named the world’s most liveable city.
I loved everything about Lisbon. The distinctive pavements which are covered in calçadas, or Post-it sized hand-cut stones, their polished surface forcing you to slow your pace or else risk flying horizontal. The paper tableclothed tascas, where you could eat simple, delicious bife de atum (tuna steak) with jugs of wine. And, of course, the climate: a study last year found that Lisbon is one of Europe’s sunniest capitals – and due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and low air pollution, it has a constant blue sky. I learnt to slow down, exhale, and savour everything that the city had to offer.
When I landed back on the tarmac at Luton, my heart sank. I knew then that Lisbon was more than just a holiday destination. I began travelling back-and-forth between Lisbon and London, stretching my Schengen limit to the max on my British passport. I established a community here, meeting international friends through a co-working space and through attending a weekly writing hour at English language bookshop, Salted Books.
Lisbon is not famous for its party culture, nor its excellent job opportunities. The people I met were united by their passion for a good (and fairly wholesome) lifestyle, more than anything else. I found myself more likely to know a new friend’s hobbies than what they did for a living. “I felt like I really fit in and found my people – we had a similar mindset,” says Sarah, who moved here in summer 2022.
For years, I thought of Lisbon as my fantasy life. Still, deterred by the difficulty of getting a visa post-Brexit, it took until last summer to make the leap. I visited in June for the annual Santos Populares festival: a month-long block party characterised by live music, colourful streamers and the ubiquitous pop-up barbecue restaurants serving grilled sardines.
I recall that week in a haze: dancing in the street and listening to fado music in the early hours at a hidden bar in the medieval neighbourhood of Alfama. I learnt the now badly kept secret of Lisbon’s beautiful beaches: while many flock to the seaside towns of Cascais or Carcavelos, locals and surfers alike know that expansive white sand beaches can be found over the bridge on Costa da Caparica, just a 15-euro taxi away.
