What a way to end 2020! I am still in shock by the amazing news of yesterday. I am so proud and honored to announce that I am 1:5 out of 2,000 people to have won the #heritagetoshare photography competition by Visit Portugal!!
8.5 years ago, I landed in Lisbon for a summer internship at Corinthia Lisbon. After just 3 months, I had completely fallen head over heels in love with the country, the people, their hospitality & passion, the architecture, and the food! So much so that I have returned every year, except 2020.
I first discovered the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos and #pasteisdebelém café back on my 2nd day in Lisbon. The Corinthia Lisbon team had organized a tour of my new home for the summer, #Lisboa. My tour guide {who has now become one of my dearest friends and who now owns a stunning boutique hotel (Obidos Aquae Ductus Suites) in Obidos, PT - more on that later}, painted such an epic picture of the Monastery in its heyday. It was both the first & last stop for explorers, the likes of Vasco da Gama, to be blessed before and after setting out to discover new lands. In addition, as legend goes, in 1837 a monk walked across the street to the sugar factory to sell some homemade pastries to upkeep the monastery. These pastries were so irresistible, that the sugar factory turned into a bakery in partnership with the monks! The secret ancient recipe, created deep within the monastery’s walls, has remained unchanged to this day and is passed down to a select few. The monastery (and the café) have become my first and last stop whenever I return to Portugal, and now it is THE reason why I will be returning in 2021!!
Thank you so very much Visit Portugal for this great honor and for the opportunity to share my love of your exquisite heritage & country, to showcase my photography, and for the incredibly exciting experience that we will share in 2021! Congratulations to my fellow award winners on a job well done, your photos are stories are beautiful! A massive thank you to my family and friends for your support of my work over the years, and to my Corinthia Lisbon family for igniting my love of Portugal❣️#christianavphotography
These two below from Braga and Guimarães respectively were runners up!