Generally speaking, I don’t buy souvenirs when I travel. But occasionally I do find something that’s absolutely perfect and then yes I will bring it home with me.
During the first year of the pandemic, our passports gathered dust and my knitting and sewing projects ramped up as I sought to calm my anxieties while we learned more about this new disease and waited for vaccines to become available. I wouldn’t say that knitting is better than therapy or prozac, but it’s beneficial in a variety of ways.
In 2022, two years into this neverending pandemic, we flew for the first time since 2019 and went to Portugal, one of our very favorite places in the world. I was anxious about flying again, even though everyone on the plane would be masked (halcyon days, in retrospect). I packed a calming knitting project to help alleviate my anxiety and keep myself busy during the flights over and back.
In the first week of our trip, it became clear that I would run out of yarn while we were in Portugal. This presented the perfect opportunity to visit some local yarn shops. While in Porto we walked by a highly-recommended one a few times but it was always closed. One day we were taking care of some errands and my husband noticed an open shop that we had not seen before. We decided to pop in for a visit.
Y’all, I highly recommend visiting locally-owned shops when you travel. Lopo Xavier is delightful — tiny and colorful and a feast for the eyes. I had my knitting project with me and the owner helped me find more yarns. We had a lovely conversation about knitting and the history of the shop, which has been in business since 1934.
I eventually finished that knitting project and when I look at the yarn I bought in Porto, I smile. The very best kind of souvenir, right?
What’s one of the best things you’ve found while traveling?
That picture is full of gorgeousness! I love how you captured that colors and texture.