Up high: Alfama, Lisbon

Writing with the Seasons - March 2024

Welcome to ‘Writing with the Seasons,’ a collection of writing prompts, ideas and inspiration that follow the rhythms of the natural world.

This year we're introducing "Up high," a new series on walking, writing and the view across rooftops and hills. We’ll take you with us as we explore these great heights, charting the seasons through people and places in this set of early morning journeys! First up: Lisbon.

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Sunrise: 07:23am
Location: Alfama, Lisbon
Elevation: 44m

As I walk, the sun is already rising. I feel it on my face already. Pigeons fall into step with me, two cyclists push their bikes up the hill, laughing. Ahead, a man pauses and talks softly to his dog. It’s tiny, darting birds and their birdsong that I follow up the cobbled, winding street to the miradouros, viewpoints over Lisbon.

I notice a set of beginnings: early morning cats jogging by doorways. Laundry hanging neatly from balcony after balcony. Three identical Fado posters, a window suddenly opening. A loose till receipt roll, blank and unused, fallen down and along several steps. Each of these feel like the start of a story. This is Alfama at dawn.