Reflection through Portuguese Perfection

First let me just say, thanks for coming to read. As some of you may know, I am a huge nerd. When Holly and I decided we'd keep a blog, she definitely didn't have in mind me building one and trying to tweak it and add features while we were on our trip. So it's obviously awesome to see that some people are finding some time to read it.

As most of you may also know, we've been keeping an Instagram account for our adventures. It's been a really interesting exercise to try and launch ones self into the land of social media and travel blogging. In all honesty, it's actually quite a lot of work. Not that I mind. It's been fun and it's kept us going through our photos everyday, which we will thank ourselves later when we aren't trying to curate a million photos while suffing from post-adventure-sadness. That being said, it's interesting how I find myself taking photos, curating photos, editing photos that I think other people will like. I mean, I'm also taking them because I like them. But in some sense, it's not about me or us. Now, Holly has a different outlook, so at this point I'm speaking for myself. But just reflecting on how the imagery broadcast and portrayed through social media lacks contrast. There's no edges to it. It's all sunshine, and the best moments that happened that day. It's not the feeling exhausted and making poor decisions. It's not the dehydration and hunger because we were too silly to pack extra water and a lunch. It's not the train-station meltdowns or mid-morning arguments about what we should see and if we should hike up to some crazy castle or not.

And in a sense, I'd like to share those things. But it seems that social media is only for the good parts. It's only for the beautiful, curated, magical parts of the day. Not the missing friends and family days. There have been times where it feels like we have to forge on and see every last detail that every place has to offer. This could have a little something to do with our idiosyncratic personalities, but lately I've felt that Portugal has provided such an interesting perspective and analogy for these thoughts.

The beauty of Portugal continues to catch me off guard. It's been so hard to get anywhere without seeing some amazing street with great leading lines for a lovely photo. We likely have more than our ration of Portuguese building and cityscape photos. But what I find so lovely and inspiring about this landscape is the difference between these beautiful cities when viewed at a distance versus up close. At a distance, the bright colors of the buildings lay in stark contrast with the red roofs and iron balcony railings. The buildings crowd together, almost leaning on one another, clambering up the hill sides and down the valleys. The streets glisten with tiles and smooth bricks, checkered in blacks and whites. They wind and flow, up and around as if on a whim. They hug the curves of the land on which they rest. At a distance, everything looks so perfect. Perfect enough for an instagram post even.

But as you descend from the mountain top vistas. Down from the castles and the bell towers. You find yourself in the gaps. In the nooks and the crannys left by the buildings that now surround you. You find yourself in the shadows, meandering through the tiled streets of the perfect city you just captured. The tiles beneath your feet are cracked and broken. The stairwells and walls are both jeweled and marred by graffiti. Some pieces so large and intricate they stop you in your tracks. Other tags so thoughtless and menial you speed your gait to be past them. Chipped stucco and plaster give way to rusted pipes and cracked doors. A stark contrast to that distant vista.

This dichotomy has been inspiring to me. I often struggle with the symptoms of perfectionism. The analysis paralysis as a result of wanting things to be perfect or being afraid to fail and make a mistake. The fear of looking foolish or stupid. But here, it's so clear that perfection needs to be imperfect. The flaws and scars, the misunderstandings and the ill-advised choices. These scratches and dents create this patina that is so intoxicating. My eyes just can't get enough of it, and despite trying to capture it with our camera, I still can't do it justice.

Even though Instagram doesn't seem to be the medium for sharing our down moments. Know that we have had them. We've been worn out, we've been sick. We've stayed in and watched movies instead of exploring cool cities. But that's just not something worth putting on Instagram right? This is probably just my own complex with social media. Perhaps I've been brain washed by the Influencers. But then again, we're all influencers to some degree. So thanks for coming along on our adventure with us. It's felt really nice to get little notes and comments along the way. This blog I suppose, can be the nooks and crannys between the buildings of our currated Instagram facade.