I spent this summer going to a few different ukulele festivals on my own across the country..... Although I felt daunted at first to be doing it alone, I made new friends along the way and found out a lot about myself in the process. Like you said... it's a great time to recalibrate and become 'you' again. We spend so much of our time pleasing others and adjusting to their interests and needs, but it's just as important to do that things that make us happy too. :)
Hell, yeah. I need solitude more than ever. Burnout, Overload, I'm Fucked. This resonates SO much, Laura. I'm struggling hugely. I feel like I'm drowning. Working hard, commuting to another city, feeling awful, post-covid... And isolated. Yet surrounded by people. Yet, they are strangers. But I give away too much of my vulnerable inner world, to the wrong folks. I need a parachute, you might just have provided one, in this 13 minute video. THANK YOU xx
This sounds and looks like such a great trip ❤️ Nice to hear you went to Savas - I went there for the first time recently :) I used to live around the corner from there (that hill was hard work at the end of a long day!) I've also been known to do that thing of walking past cafés then realising that I can actually go inside them and get a refreshing drink 😅 Love your photos and videos of Lisbon 😍✨
I fell in love with Lisbon last November and it’s one of the places I’d consider moving to. I was going to suggest places to go but I thought I’d leave you alone. I’m happy to be off social media now so my future adventures won’t be seen by anyone but me x
Love this. This trip was last October, but it was so great there I had to pop back with Tim as part of another Portugal jaunt in April :) I'd love to know where your recommend for next time I go (might not be too far in the future, but I'm more nervous about it now you don't have to wear masks on flights).
I love your storytelling videos like this one! Travelling alone is so much fun (although I usually know people in the city I travel to or at the event that's part of my trip but I always enjoy the walks and explorations I do on my own) and I need a lot of alone-time in general. And yay for street-art / sticker photos!
Thanks so much for saying this, Nina, it feels weirdly exposing to do the storytelling thing but I wanted to share some of what I create for The Correspondent's Club and this felt right. It's lovely to know you're enjoying the videos :) I'm a big loner too, but I think a lot of people could benefit from more solitude, it's so easy to avoid it these days with phones etc.
@@Penfriendrocks yes I totally agree! Thank you again for sharing this video! I also wanted to say that I love the look of your bright red face mask. 🙂
Do it do it do it. It's honestly one of the cheapest possible holidays too - direct flight from Bristol, my Airbnb was £50 a night or there are cheaper hostels. Cheaper than staying anywhere in the UK! And so gorgeous.
@@Penfriendrocks Cheers! For me it was a slow realisation that, whilst I can and do write serious poetry, I don't enjoy serious poetry readings, or poets. They are too political, or too pretentious and glum, and there was an anti-establishment vibe at many events that felt misdirected (one had a lineup who all insulted uni educated poets, and as one, I pretended to agree with them to amuse myself. They were very surprised I wasn't the evil caricature they imagined, though I do have the tophat). I tried to find a good event but they were all the same. A few events wanted to headline me and conveniently forgot about me (but put others on) when my sense of humour came into play. I did one poem that was satirizing the hyper political stuff I was hearing, and the response to that made me realise I didn't belong, that these people were not using poetry in the same way I wanted to use it. They were angry at everyone for their own issues, I just wanted to say something meaningful or funny to the audience. Ideally both. I found the company of comedians was much nicer. It's a steep learning curve, but the comedians have adopted me as one of their own. Long live the silly poems. Listening to Exotic Monsters right now. Got it last night. Love it. Thanks for the music!
@@Penfriendrocks Not anymore. Needed an exile from my exile. But not before I made some films, took some shots and wrote some songs. Lisboa might well be the most photogenic city in the world. And those nights in Cais do Sodré... Look what Lisbon and Portugal made me do: Alive In Lisbon: ua-cam.com/video/4yVrGX7UdMs/v-deo.html Lisbon City Exile: ua-cam.com/video/mIuvBTletGU/v-deo.html Taking The Face Trailer: ua-cam.com/video/cp_3_JaTuZQ/v-deo.html Cheers!
I went to Lisbon on my own for a few days in late 2019. It was one of the places I most enjoyed exploring on my own. I think I took a handful of photos and shared none of them. I did what you did; followed whims and explored where my heart led me, but was so entranced by the city that I completely forgot to capture most of it in pixels - just locked away on my head's internal hard drive. I would go back to Lisbon in a heartbeat. If I see you there next time, I'll nod, smile, and not attempt to divert either of us from our own soul-nourishing solo explorations. PS I chuckled at the comment regarding surprise that your husband "let" you travel alone - what is this? The 14th century?
Apparently it's at least 1952 yep! Several people said that to me, men and women. Bizarroland. They assumed we must be "having problems" for us to have some time apart. OK then! I'm so glad you had a great experience there too, its gorgeous isn't it. If I bump into you next time let's have uma meia de leite and a chat :)
@@Penfriendrocks I get the same attitude whenever I go off exploring alone - we've been happily married for 12 years, there isn't "something wrong" 🤷 Absolutely, I might make mine uma bica e um pastel. Siiiiiigh... I miss Lisbon. I'm also really glad YOU took some photos to share with us having completely forgotten to myself.
I'd love to send you a gift of two free songs and stories - just visit penfriend.rocks/hello ❤️
Solitude is severely underrated! Thank you for validating that solitude is not only good, but needed.
So needed! Thanks for watching xo
I spent this summer going to a few different ukulele festivals on my own across the country..... Although I felt daunted at first to be doing it alone, I made new friends along the way and found out a lot about myself in the process. Like you said... it's a great time to recalibrate and become 'you' again. We spend so much of our time pleasing others and adjusting to their interests and needs, but it's just as important to do that things that make us happy too. :)
Yes yes 100 times yes! This sounds like a wonderful way to spend the summer :)
Hell, yeah. I need solitude more than ever. Burnout, Overload, I'm Fucked. This resonates SO much, Laura. I'm struggling hugely. I feel like I'm drowning. Working hard, commuting to another city, feeling awful, post-covid... And isolated. Yet surrounded by people. Yet, they are strangers. But I give away too much of my vulnerable inner world, to the wrong folks. I need a parachute, you might just have provided one, in this 13 minute video. THANK YOU xx
You're very welcome xo
This sounds and looks like such a great trip ❤️ Nice to hear you went to Savas - I went there for the first time recently :) I used to live around the corner from there (that hill was hard work at the end of a long day!) I've also been known to do that thing of walking past cafés then realising that I can actually go inside them and get a refreshing drink 😅 Love your photos and videos of Lisbon 😍✨
I wouldn't have found Savas if you hadn't shared your Lisbon tips document, that's why I was heading to the Miradouro :) So.. THANK YOU!
I fell in love with Lisbon last November and it’s one of the places I’d consider moving to. I was going to suggest places to go but I thought I’d leave you alone. I’m happy to be off social media now so my future adventures won’t be seen by anyone but me x
Love this. This trip was last October, but it was so great there I had to pop back with Tim as part of another Portugal jaunt in April :) I'd love to know where your recommend for next time I go (might not be too far in the future, but I'm more nervous about it now you don't have to wear masks on flights).
@@Penfriendrocks I’ll drop you an email 💜
What a wonderful story, told with style and verve! Also, your photos are fantastic, Laura!
Thank you!
I love your storytelling videos like this one! Travelling alone is so much fun (although I usually know people in the city I travel to or at the event that's part of my trip but I always enjoy the walks and explorations I do on my own) and I need a lot of alone-time in general. And yay for street-art / sticker photos!
Thanks so much for saying this, Nina, it feels weirdly exposing to do the storytelling thing but I wanted to share some of what I create for The Correspondent's Club and this felt right. It's lovely to know you're enjoying the videos :) I'm a big loner too, but I think a lot of people could benefit from more solitude, it's so easy to avoid it these days with phones etc.
@@Penfriendrocks yes I totally agree! Thank you again for sharing this video! I also wanted to say that I love the look of your bright red face mask. 🙂
@@echozines thank you!
PS: Lisbon looks BEAUTIFUL 💖 Trams...Aww... I must get there, someday.
Do it do it do it. It's honestly one of the cheapest possible holidays too - direct flight from Bristol, my Airbnb was £50 a night or there are cheaper hostels. Cheaper than staying anywhere in the UK! And so gorgeous.
Great advice, thank you! I'll report back, if I manage to make the trip over to Lisbon... 👍
Those photos of Lisbon look amazing!
Thank you!
I vanished in 2019. It was good. I'm no quite where I want to be right now, but I'm on the right trajectory
That's great to hear!
@@Penfriendrocks Cheers! For me it was a slow realisation that, whilst I can and do write serious poetry, I don't enjoy serious poetry readings, or poets. They are too political, or too pretentious and glum, and there was an anti-establishment vibe at many events that felt misdirected (one had a lineup who all insulted uni educated poets, and as one, I pretended to agree with them to amuse myself. They were very surprised I wasn't the evil caricature they imagined, though I do have the tophat).
I tried to find a good event but they were all the same. A few events wanted to headline me and conveniently forgot about me (but put others on) when my sense of humour came into play. I did one poem that was satirizing the hyper political stuff I was hearing, and the response to that made me realise I didn't belong, that these people were not using poetry in the same way I wanted to use it. They were angry at everyone for their own issues, I just wanted to say something meaningful or funny to the audience. Ideally both.
I found the company of comedians was much nicer. It's a steep learning curve, but the comedians have adopted me as one of their own.
Long live the silly poems.
Listening to Exotic Monsters right now. Got it last night. Love it. Thanks for the music!
Went to Portugal 🇵🇹 in 1998 and dissapeared for nearly 20 years. It was my Lisbon City Exile.
Wow! Are you still there?
@@Penfriendrocks Not anymore. Needed an exile from my exile. But not before I made some films, took some shots and wrote some songs. Lisboa might well be the most photogenic city in the world. And those nights in Cais do Sodré...
Look what Lisbon and Portugal made me do:
Alive In Lisbon:
ua-cam.com/video/4yVrGX7UdMs/v-deo.html
Lisbon City Exile:
ua-cam.com/video/mIuvBTletGU/v-deo.html
Taking The Face Trailer:
ua-cam.com/video/cp_3_JaTuZQ/v-deo.html
Cheers!
@@TagusMan Fantastic! It's such an inspiring place.
I went to Lisbon on my own for a few days in late 2019. It was one of the places I most enjoyed exploring on my own. I think I took a handful of photos and shared none of them. I did what you did; followed whims and explored where my heart led me, but was so entranced by the city that I completely forgot to capture most of it in pixels - just locked away on my head's internal hard drive. I would go back to Lisbon in a heartbeat. If I see you there next time, I'll nod, smile, and not attempt to divert either of us from our own soul-nourishing solo explorations.
PS I chuckled at the comment regarding surprise that your husband "let" you travel alone - what is this? The 14th century?
Apparently it's at least 1952 yep! Several people said that to me, men and women. Bizarroland. They assumed we must be "having problems" for us to have some time apart. OK then! I'm so glad you had a great experience there too, its gorgeous isn't it. If I bump into you next time let's have uma meia de leite and a chat :)
@@Penfriendrocks I get the same attitude whenever I go off exploring alone - we've been happily married for 12 years, there isn't "something wrong" 🤷
Absolutely, I might make mine uma bica e um pastel. Siiiiiigh... I miss Lisbon. I'm also really glad YOU took some photos to share with us having completely forgotten to myself.
@@kavokei1337 sounds like it might be time for a little trip...
Brilliant video. Really informative yet thought provoking. Thank you Laura x
Thanks, Stu! Phew, it's nervewracking sharing stuff like this.
Loving the images…have a photography background myself…
Excellent! Thanks for watching :)