Day 19 Thursday 27th April

Leaving Faro today and going back to Lisbon. We start packing our bags and have a bite to eat. watching BBC World News. Blackpool is in the news for having 1 in every 50 kids in care. Jeez. 

At 11am we manage to get our bags down the steep stairs and out into the pedestrian mall where we meet our AirBnB Host who takes us for a walk to her Mum's Clothing Shop where we will be leaving the bags until we catch the 2.15pm train. She has been a lovely host and we meet her Mum and Dad. We wander off and Liz manages to find a few more pottery things to take home. We are going to need some bubble wrap! 

So we just stroll and look at a little market, the pair near the train station and so on. Grab a quick bite then make our way back to the shop to pick up our bags. Catch a Bolt to the station. Bolt cars are always cheaper. And wait for the train to board.

When it comes time to board I put the smallest ones on first. The first one has the records and my laptop. As I reach out for the second case Liz shouts out. My bag has rolled off and fallen under the train. I'm not going to wait for help from a porter or be told to leave it so I jump down between the platform and the tracks and grab the suitcase. A bit scary because we are always told never to do that. But I get my bag and we continue to load the bags. It's a combination of the wheels on bags and the trains having a sloping entry. Plus from platform to train is really high. But with a bit of a kerfuffle, we get to our seats. It's 2.15.

The train doesn't move and it's like a sauna because there is no air-conditioning. We don't move until 2.45 and everyone is suffering in the heat. It doesn't get better for ages. I check my bag and everything is alright Phew.

Trian ride is about 3 and a half hours and though we are going to Oriente I noticed on Google Maps that the station is near the airport. Too far. So when we cross the bridge we get off at the first station it stops at. Which is not far from our hotel SMY Hotel. We book a Bolt that doesn't turn up and then book another Bolt which eventually gets us to the Hotel. Typical tourist hotel. Lots of people. The room is a bit smelly like they are trying to cover up cigarette smoke (and there is an ashtray on the balcony). A few things require repair. But they have a cool rooftop bar so we grab a drink up there. Then we go looking for a supermarket and something to eat.

Oh, and there is a record shop round the corner so we might pop in there. On the way, we hear a band playing. Sounding quite rocking and there is a big stage and lots of people. We get there right on the last note. Bummer. But then they say thank you and start singing a song in Portuguese and the crowd sings along and it's quite wonderful. They are holding red carnations because it's Freedom Day. In the end, they throw them into the crowd.

When we get to the record shop it is closed permanently so we look for a market to get some supplies. And then dinner. Liz finds a Poke Bowl restaurant so we follow the trail to that. Turns out it's in a Food Court in a Shopping Centre, with lots of places to eat. And it all looks good. We change our minds and have Burritos.

Take a Bolt back to the hotel and that's a wrap!