Serra da Arrábida

The best way to visit a place is always with a local. I doubt I would ever have reason to visit Setubal or Arrábida, but I’m so glad to have discovered this pristine coastline. And it all happened by serendipity - I was visiting Lisbon at the same time Sergio was back in his hometown.

We had a totally blissful day, starting with homemade sponge cake ‘Tortas de Azeitão’ for breakfast, then driving and winding around monastery ruins and glistening beaches. All the while admiring the  turquoise shades of the Atlantic in the background. The afternoon continued with exploring a secret fisherman’s cave and a late seafood lunch of eel eggs, Bulhão clams, garlic prawns and flaming chouriço. And then it was over all too soon, as we made our way to the airport for my flight back to France.

It’s been a blessing and a curse making new friends at INSEAD - a one-year MBA across two continents. I will always have a friend to catch up with, no matter which capital city of the world find myself in. But I will never feel close enough to the ones I ran out of time with. Would it be easier to have stayed in one city, with all your friends and family in the same place? The longer I live abroad, moving from country to country, the more lost I feel about that question.