Feet up

This is a multicultural photograph without trees.

I took it a year ago whilst waiting for my train home from Lisbon (Entrecampos Station) after attending an important event in my life in an outfit quite different from the one pictured.

The Courteney® boots are real leather and from Zimbabwe. At the time of the photo, they were at least five years old, have walked through good stretches of the African bush, climbed to the top of 1,000 tonne grain silos, have done international corporate banking with me, gone through airports, walked and run through puddles intentionally and unintentionally, been polished countless times after dusty gardening and other jobs in Portugal, encountered endless cobblestones, been from Faro to Lisbon and back twice and have walked various routes of the hilly landscape depicted on the map I posted two days ago. The original laces are still holding up! I wear them almost every day.

The nice thick socks were purchased at a Chinese shop in Loulé, Portugal. Three for €2.00. Enough said.

The Levi® jeans were purchased at a flea market in Zimbabwe. I know from chatting to him that the stall owner got all his merchandise from Mauritius, but the place of manufacture of these jeans is definitely the USA.

I do not remember where my cute little red suitcase with wheels was made, but I do remember that I purchased it in Heathrow Airport (do I have to add London, UK?) on the way back to Zimbabwe from a business trip in The Netherlands in order to contain all the duty-free items I had bought as gifts in Amsterdam. The excess baggage cost more than the cost of the gifts and the cost of the suitcase put together.

The suitcase travelled all over Portugal on a holiday once, and has been on many other trips too. It is very easy to spot on airport luggage carousels, especially with its big bright yellow Velcro® tag acquired specifically to make my luggage look “unique”.  I know I have good taste in some things, but I am not prepared to apply such taste to luggage.

My feet are in the photo because I had done so much walking in Lisbon in the twenty-four hours preceding this shot and was extremely sleep-deprived. I had arrived at the station early. I could not wait to get away from all the steel and concrete, but thought I should document it anyway. The first few photos looked too grey; that was when I put my feet up, had a nice relaxing stretch, and clicked. Job done.

Then I realised that I was in the perfect position to read a magazine and eat chocolate. Eating chocolate I do quite often, but I do not think I have put my feet up since. I still need groovier socks.

Allison