After a really long flight from Melbourne to Lisbon we finally arrived in Portugal in the early morning of Sunday 7th April. Last year I flew an extra 3 hours when going to London but it wasn't as bad. I think it was because the first leg of the journey was short. Singapore then London. This trip the first leg was 13 hours. Horrible.
But it doesn't matter because we are in Lisbon. First, we work our way through the airport which goes really fast. The non-European line for customs is surprisingly short except when it's time to scan our passport and all the people in front of us seem to be in their eighties and can't work out how to use them. Nobody from customs comes out to help so it's up to fellow passengers to come forward. From there it's pick up the bags and grab an Uber to our airport. First though we get a sim card for our phones. In the past, I've gone for the bargain ones in town but give me convenience. Vodaphone. New number but an Australian number works too. No fuss and plenty of outlets if something goes wrong. Book an Uber to the hotel. $15 only which is pretty good. Too early to check into the Memoria Lisboa Hotel however we drop the bags off and they offer us breakfast. That's never happened before so we change our socks and go upstairs to the dining room. Custard tarts spinach rolls and Nespresso Coffee. And orange juice and we're off to get lost in Lisbon.
Across the road from the hotel, we see an elevator. Lisbon is the city of seven hills and they have built elevators around the city to take you to the upper levels. We take the stairs and find we are heading towards the castle. A focal point of the city. They are not kidding about the hills. Yes, we are tired from the trip but the sun is shining and the light is brilliant.
The city is just magical. Yes, there is a lot of graffiti (though a lot of great art) and abandoned buildings but it's great to walk around the maze of streets surrounding the castle. Really only pictures do it justice. We reach the castle however the line to get in is so long that we take a pass for the day. So we visit old churches, and children's playgrounds with stunning views and continue to wander down towards the main town.
It's full of Tuc Tucs (how did they get here) new vintage cars (touristy) and trams which along with the bumpy footpaths and the way they blend into the street means you always have to keep a lookout for vehicles. Liz keeps pulling me to the side.
Continuing our walk we reach the oldest elevator in Lisbon but elect not to use it and take the steps to another level of the city. Wandering into blind alleys and stunning views. Finally, our legs give out and overcome by tiredness we make our way back to the hotel. At the supermarket, we pick up some wine and snacks. It's around 5pm. A short nap and then out later for a bite to eat. We woke up at 5am the next morning.
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