home thoughts from abroad

Home thoughts from abroad is a new series on Travel Words featuring a single photographs that remind me of a country visited and showing something that uniquely identifies it as being ‘abroad’.

“Here in Lisbon it is a warm 20°C on a sunny day in late May. I am dressed in sandals, jeans and a light linen top. Lisboans on the other hand are still wearing boots, opaque tights, cardigans and leather jackets. Some are even in puffer jackets with fur collars! I am sweating just looking at them.”

It reminded me of a conversation I had with my daughter in March many years when I was on holiday in Johannesburg. The temperature was around 19°C and again it was a lovely bright and sunny day. I was outside in T-shirt and jeans. My daughter, up from Durban was shivering in jeans and a jumper. “Ma” she asked plaintively, “Aren’t you freezing?” I smiled and shook my head. In England it had been a mere 8°C when I left. These were summer temperatures for me. She on the other hand had just spent the winter living in Durban where temperatures rarely fall below 20°C with a 90% humidity.

Everything is relative.

Published by

Heyjude

I have lived in the UK for most of my life, but when young I definitely had wanderlust and even ended up living in South Africa for several years which was a wonderful experience. I now look forward to a long and leisurely retirement doing what I like most - gardening, photography, walking and travelling.

27 thoughts on “home thoughts from abroad”

  1. Made me smile, after a month back in the Algarve I’m already reaching for the jumpers whereas newly arrived visitors are in shorts. In three weeks though after a brief trip back home I’m sure it will be me reaching for the shorts!

    1. me again. I was wondering what your second photo was as my tablet only showed the lovely one of the tram, just logged on via the chromebook and saw your brilliant one of the bottoms on a seat on the calçada . . .that’s so Lisboa 😀 brilliant photo xx

  2. Exactly how it is! 7C and dampish in Leeds translated to 17C and blue skies here. I usually have a jacket in case a breeze gets up (or even just walking through shady streets can make a big difference) but my jeans are hanging in the wardrobe. But you know I’m a hardy northerner. 🙂 🙂

    1. I’m the daughter of a hardy northerner, and luckily don’t feel the cold as much as some…it’s the heat I can’t deal with!!

  4. I have always been astounded at how people in hot countries can cope with being dressed in suits and formal clothes during mid-summer, then seem to feel cold if it drops to 25 C. I always stood out as a tourist, dressed in shorts and thin shirts. 🙂
    Best wishes, Pete. x

    1. Quite often people work in air conditioned offices, shop in air conditioned shopping malls and drive in air conditioned cars – so wearing a summer suit is fine.

  6. hahaha! We northerners are a hearty lot 🙂 If we hit anywhere near 20C right now all the windows would be thrown open and everyone would be sprouting shorts and t-shirts in a heart beat!

  9. I’m ‘suffering’ from a similar situation here. It’s 19/20 degrees C and I am thinking it might be time to wear a cardigan… Back in the UK 19/20 would be a decent summer temperature and we’d all be in our shorts and t-shirts! 🙂

  10. I can’t bear the cold, but I’ve been in 44degrees and it didn’t floor me. Now when will spring be here?
    The stripy ground under the bench looks so three dimensional!

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