san francisco, ca

We left Seattle and flew in to San Francisco. I have to say that coming away from this trip, I realise this was one of my favourite stops. It was diverse, huge and visually stunning. Whenever I think about the cities I saw, San Francisco lingers the longest in my mind. 

The arquitecture was both interesting and colourful, Being used to a certain kind of arquitectural aesthetics that regardless of its European charm, mostly sticks to neutrals, the colours easily caught my eye. Sometimes the houses would be a flamboyant combination of colours and odd shapes. Others, they'd form one long street of houses alike in faded tones of blue, pink, yellow and every other tint you can imagine.

What I loved the most, however, is how the city really keeps you busy. Pier 39, Haight Street, the Ghirardelli Square, Chinatown (by far the most enthralling I've ever been to), the Golden Gate Park and its museums (and the Conservatory of Flowers that won me over completely)... Quite honestly I can't even name half of it. I feel like it would take me forever to run out of things to do and see in a place like this. And of course, with the Golden Gate Bridge and the cable cars it also reminds me a little bit of home. If I ever live in America, I hope it's in San Francisco.

seattle, wa

After Vancouver, we headed to Seattle. Our stay there was short but sweet. The weather pretty much varied between a slight drizzle to a downright downpour though - no wonder they call Washington the evergreen state. But while the rain did cause a few setbacks, we still had a wonderful time. We visited the Museum of Flight, the Space Needle, the Public Market, the EMP Museum... The museums were particularly interesting. The EMP Museum was, in my humble opinion, one of the coolest museums I have ever visited. A truly modern space dedicated to music, pop-culture and sci-fi. It's full of memorabilia, some pieces of art, some great hands-on exhibits... And everything was presented in a creative, engrossing manner. The Museum of Flight is basically an old Boeing factory full of airplanes from all countries and all times. They even had the Concorde and the NASA FTT. Still, it was most impressive to see the impact that the Wars had on aviation. A few years really did push technology forward. Sad motivation, but remarkable in its way.

vancouver, bc

During this Summer I had the opportunity to travel. I spent a few weeks in Canada and in the USA, hopping from state to state and getting to know the cities on the way. There was an ocean and an entire continent separating me from my hometown. Even now, it just feels so… Big. I remember arriving in our first stop. It was 4 a.m. in Portugal and 8 p.m. locally. I didn’t get any sleep on the plane and I was practically tumbling to the side but I couldn’t close my eyes and give in to the sleepiness. This was a world that went on without my own and I wanted to take it all in. On our way to the hotel, we passed through the suburbs and I saw a random boy sitting on the front porch of his home with a guitar, singing. And there I was, a stranger, who travelled from none other than the far off country of Portugal and was about to experience something that he had access to every day. It’s funny how it’s all a matter of perspective. I think opportunities like this also make me value what I have at home. The more I travel, the more I realise just what a cool destination my own city is... But I digress. All in all, it feels… Unlikely. That amongst so many people, I’d be such a lucky one.

We didn't have much time in Vancouver but we did get to see a few interesting things. Granville Island, Capilano and the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden were my favourite spots. The first one was an island full of all kinds of commerce. I spent half of my time there trying to choose just some postcards to take home and during the other half we were at the Public Market, trying different foods and checking everything it had to offer. Capilano was my first glimpse of the North American flora. Giant trees making up a whole landscape, very unique trails and a view to the mountains. And last but not least, the attention to detail that went into creating the Chinese Garden, both visually and functionally speaking made it one of the most interesting places I got to see.