peace + quiet

As I mentioned on my previous post, I spent this past week with my family in Cerveira, a small town in the north of Portugal. Something that needs to be said about this region is that the weather is really, really inconstant, which may cause a lot of frustration - but, in this case, it led us to many new discoveries and adventures!

We stayed in a tiny house in the middle of the mountains, with barely any phone reception or wi-fi connection. It felt amazing to disconnect from social media, even for a week. As I may have mentioned before, I struggle with anxiety, and by temporarily removing all the social media checks from my life, I felt way more peaceful.

As an introvert (I'm an INFJ), I feel the need to take time to be alone sometimes, and this week was perfect to do that! I could just sit back and read my book (A Feast for Crows) without constantly checking my phone. However, now that I'm back, all those things are flooding back into my life, which can be kind of hard sometimes.

On the warm days, we'd swim in the pool and sunbathe. My aunts and uncles even came by one day, to share a meal of Cozido à Portuguesa (Portuguese traditional dish) made by my mum! It was a true blessing to spend these days with those I love the most.

On cloudy days, we had to find something to do, so we decided to explore the North of Portugal and Galicia, Spain. We went to Valença, Melgaço, Vigo, Santiago de Compostela and we explored the valley of the Lima river. 

My heart was in awe with all these wonders of my beautiful country (and, well, Spain). These places have kept their uniqueness through hundreds of years, away from all the confusion and mess of big cities. It feels so wonderful to look around and feel the presence of God everywhere. How could it not be the presence of God, when it amazes my heart so much?

It was also a great opportunity for me to develop my photography skills. I've recently started shooting on manual mode, and I would love to invest on a camera of my own someday. For now, I use my dad's camera, but that's okay because I love it! Here are some of the many pictures I took this week. Hopefully, one year from now, I'll look back and think they're terrible, but that's okay because it will mean that I've improved!

my aunt's family house in Seixas

chimney top in Valença

me "taking over Winterfell" in Melgaço

the castle of Melgaço

Viana do Castelo (traditional scarves)

me @ Ponte da Barca

the Lindoso Dam

the valley of the Lima river

Santiago de Compostela

my sister running through the fields near our house - she's my main model!

lots of love,

Mariana

Summer Plans

At last, I'm on summer holidays!

After the most exhausting year of my life, but also the most fulfilling, I finally find myself with a LOT of free time on my hands, and while it seems tempting to spend it all lying on the couch watching Game of Thrones, that's not all I want to do. These feet weren't made to stay quiet, they were made to adventure and explore.

I started my holidays with a night out with my best friends. Even though I'm not at all a party person, it was lovely to dance the night away, not a worry in my mind. College parties are the best - you end up unexpectedly meeting a lot of people, and people are nice and spontaneous. I'm glad I didn't let my anxiety win.

The bad part is that the love of my life is going away for a month, and I'll miss him terribly. The things that keep me going are the prospect of my own trips this year, and thinking that one day it will be just us, a car, my camera and the road. We'll adventure together, and that dream makes this situation more bearable.

On the other hand, I'm also going to travel myself! Next week, I'll go to Cerveira, in the north of Portugal - a small piece of paradise, lost in the middle of the mountains and only a bridge away from Spain. It reminds me of Lord of the Rings, because that's what I was reading when I went there last year. No wi-fi, no TV and barely any mobile connection - it will be the perfect opportunity for me to disconnect from social media and the world, and to feel a part of nature. I'm glad I'll get to spend such a peaceful week on a beautiful place, with my books and journals, my camera and my family.

Some days later, I'll go on the most anticipated journey of my life. When I was about to enter medical school, my parents promised that if I made it, they would pay us a trip to New York! It will be my first time outside of Europe and I couldn't be more excited. There's just so many places to see, but what makes me happiest in every city I visit is observing people's everyday lives. It's so amazing to witness those moments and to wonder about people's stories, and I think New York will be a huge font of inspiration for me.

Meanwhile, before I go on these two different adventures, I'll spend this week wandering around my beautiful city of Porto with friends I haven't seen in a long time! We'll visit coffee shops and build memories, and I'm glad I finally have the time to do so.

If you have any tips on things to do in New York, please leave them in the comments!

Lots of love, 

Mariana