By Richelle
Friday 7th of September 2018
Megan, Josie and Sara are three of my best friends. We grew up together. We became women together. Although, since 2012, we haven’t spent more than a few weeks in one place at one time. I think it says a lot about us. We are all inspired, adventurous, independent and curious.
A few years ago, we made a group promise to meet up somewhere in the world for our 30th birthdays. Since then though, we have all traversed the globe, moved to foreign cities, built new lives, worked multiple jobs and remained several thousand kilometres apart. I really couldn’t quite believe that we somehow managed to make this happen. #Portugal2018.
Sara and I got about 2 hours sleep the night before (primarily thanks to an over-emotional and fidgety dorm late-comer). We left the Edinburgh hostel at 3am to catch a flight to Paris where we had a 40min connection time before our flight to Lisbon. It’s no surprise to say that we didn’t make it. Instead, we grabbed a bottle of wine, sushi, pastries and a selection of macaroons (we were in Paris, don’t forget) to pass the 4 hours.
It was 10am. But time is irrelevant in an airport.
When we finally arrived at our AirBnb, Meg and Josie were well settled in. Sara and I stripped down to a minimal amount of clothing, and the adventure really felt like it began.
Looking back on these photos and thinking about the week we got to spend together makes me smile. It also makes me reflect on a perhaps remarkably overused word. So here is what this little trip taught me about friendship.
Quality over quantity. Bonds take time to form, and time to maintain. That’s what makes these relationships so special. It’s an unspoken covenant. A mutual investment of time, energy and emotion.
Conversations fall back in place even after years of being on hold. Voices you haven’t heard in years sound just as you remember them.
They will make you feel light and fluffy and your cheeks will hurt from hours of laughter.
Their presence makes their absence more painful. And 3 weeks together makes years apart seem extraordinarily unbearable.
You don’t need a veil over your personality. You also don’t need makeup. Or a bra.
They make you remember you are important in this world, and you have your place. That you’re not alone.
They remind you what wine is really for.
They make visits to the supermarket fun.
They make life simple again.
We did everything you are supposed to do in Lisbon; Eat Belém tarts, take photos of yellow trams, drink all the white/red/green wine, eat tapas, visit the Torre de Belém, skirt the marina via the Monument to the Discoveries, attempt a night of clubbing, walk past Jerónimos monastery, walk the cobblestones at night, get lost in the streets of Alfama, stumble across the most incredible views of all time and watch the sunset over terracotta tiles.
Luckily for us, Lisbon was only the first stop of our grand reunion tour. Early one morning, we made our way to Hertz, where we hired a car and set off on a road trip up the coast of the country.