I’m Leonor, born and raised in Lisbon and working as a Tourist Guide in Portugal for over 25 years. I work mainly for German-speaking groups and some of the most rewarding experiences I had working as a guide was leading walking tours and hiking tours all over Portugal. The more experience I have with this type of program, the less enthusiasm I have for doing the regular tours, with programs that rarely stray from the line of the A1 highway Lisbon-Porto.
In the last two years, my restlessness with the regular programs has increased. It is likely that this restlessness has something to do with the disruption during the pandemic. For someone who works directly in tourism, the pandemic was such a disruptive event – no tours, no tourists, no income – the Covid pandemic was a terrible thing, but at the same time it was also a great opportunity. It opened up possibilities to learn other skills and improve others.
Wanderlust in Lisbon
At the same time, I must be perhaps one of the few people in the tourism field, who looks back on those first moments of March and April 2020 with some nostalgia. Privileged to live within a 30-minute walk of the historic center and gifted with an early riser gene, I rediscovered a love for my city with no tourists, no commuters, and no traffic (note that during confinement we could exercise and my morning walks took place between 6 and 8 am).
To stay at home, unable to walk, to walk at a brisk pace, or to wander around the city, would drive me crazy. Instead, these morning walks made me see the city during spring, hear the insane birdsong in the city, and simply enjoy the change of seasons in the busy capital city, something I haven’t experienced in over 20 years.
Those moments provided a certain lucidity in a time of turbulence. Walking, sometimes aimlessly, helps me to organize my thoughts, to reflect, and to find solutions. It also allowed me to dream with my eyes open, and in those days, while walking, I was able to forget for a moment the heavy burden of not knowing how I could pay my expenses.
When the trips came back, and they really did, in September 2021 and 2022 (the privilege of working with German-speaking groups) I had the pleasure of making several visits outside the box, with different programs, such as a circuit with several hiking routes outside the regular circuits, or accompanying a group on the Portuguese way to Santiago de Compostela. These programs made sense, the fears of the pandemic were still present, and we wanted to be outdoors, in nature, and away from crowds.
The return in force of tourism after the pandemic is a boon for those who work in the area. But the rush to travel after almost 3 years of shutdown also brings disadvantages, both for those who travel and for those who live in the cities that receive this tourism.
It is not easy to live with these opposing forces, the profession I chose, which continues to give me pleasure, and at the same time the deep feeling of dissatisfaction and impatience when I see that one more custard tart store has opened or when I see huge lines always at the same places.
Wanderlust in Portugal
Therefore, this project serves to organize and catalog some of the trips I have made around the country. It also serves to show that Portugal is more than the Elevador de Santa Justa, Livraria Lello, Óbidos, Palácio da Pena, São Bento Station, Belém Tower, and other clichés.
Wanderlust in Portugal privileges nature and hiking in the open air. But it is also interested in urban routes, however obvious they may be. It’s also important to show the cultural and historical heritage that exists in the country and should be visited.
So join me in this adventure.
