Santa Pausa

The story of a tiny neighborhood bar in Lisbon.

It was when I was locked out of my AirBnb that I first saw it. 

The year was 2022, and I was on a grand adventure. It was my first international trip since the pandemic: I was meeting my best friend in Lisbon, Portugal. We were going from there to the north of Portugal to walk the Camino de Santiago. But first, a mini holiday in the beautiful Lisbon. Visions of this city had gotten me through the pandemic. My friend and I spent hours planning this trip in great detail. I spent days reading about our destinations and dreaming up the perfect itinerary.

Now I was finally here! In Lisbon! After my flight landed, I took a train into the city and stopped for a much-needed coffee. The barista spoke to me in Portuguese. I thought I was so smooth— a woman of the world, international spirit, blending in like a local. I practically danced to the address for our AirBnb after that successful first interaction. I floated up to the charming old apartment building in the famous Alfama neighborhood, punched in the code to the lock box, took out the large key, and realized I didn’t know the apartment number. Everything stopped. My heart sunk. Reality sat in.

I was locked out.