Cristina You know, when I arrived in Paris, I didn’t know a word of French. I learned most of it at Chérie, my neighbourhood bar, with drinks to lose my shyness. Thierry Was it easy for you to get to know people? C Yes. I came with friends who already knew some people, and they introduced us to others, and suddenly I knew lots of people. That never happened to me in Lisbon. Every time I go back there, I get that slow-motion feeling. It’s nice. In Paris, everything moves at high speed. T Actually, I think the two cities are pretty much at opposite ends of the spectrum. Paris is great to visit, but it can be very tiring. C Yeah, that’s true. And it’s cold, too. And it doesn’t have the beaches or the views of the river from the Adamastor. But it has Belleville and the Canal de Saint Martin. Where did you live in Paris? T I am from Champiloud. It’s in the periphery, 15 minutes from the city. In Paris it’s better to live outside. C I always travel by bike here, which is something that unfortunately I can’t do in Lisbon. T But there are people doing that in Lisbon now, too. People are demanding bicycle lanes. But I don’t live in central Lisbon. I’d love to live in Alfama though. C If I ever go back to Lisbon, I want to live in Graça, with view of the river Tejo. T Reminds you a bit of Montmartre, doesn’t it? C Yes, it does. But it’s even more beautiful. Lisbon is more chaotic and less modern than Paris–there is something more authentic about it. T That’s the word: authentic. C Isn’t it? I love Paris but sometimes I get the feeling that I live in a museum. Everything is so clean, it doesn’t seem like a real
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city. But then I get to my neighbourhood and think, yeah, this is the real deal. T Where do you live? C In Belleville, Goncourt. T Ah, ok! Near Menilmontant. C Yes. I go out between Menilmontant and Belleville. There are lots of different nationalities, a lot of cheap stores open at any hour, markets... it’s really nice! Not like La Rive Gauche or Saint Germain. I don’t like those very much. T Me neither. The great thing about Paris is that it’s very multicultural. And there’s so much culture, so much creativity–I’d nearly say, too much. See, I’m a bit scared that Lisbon may become like Paris. When I told people I was going to open a jazz club, they said, no, the Portuguese don’t like jazz, they only listen to hip hop and dance music. But then I realised that people loved my place. They were like, finally, something different! And now new things are happening all over the place. C In cultural terms, if Lisbon became like Paris, that would be great. I feel it’s one of the most important things we are lacking. Paris is so diverse. Lisbon isn’t. Still, I think it’s changing. Last time I was there, I felt the city was simmering. The only problem is that the cost of living is so high in relation to wages. Here in Paris the energy is different, you always find something new to do. The work and business situation is better. T I don’t agree. This project I started here would have been impossible in Paris; the market is saturated. There are so many bars, so much live music. In Lisbon there is still a lot left to do. The public is very curious and wants new things. The only thing I don’t like here is that people complain a lot.
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