A new experience.....

Thursday, August 25, 2016
Lisbon, Estremadura, Portugal
2016 Aug. 24 / 25 - Wednesday / Thursday

A day that seemed so far away when I first started planning this trip is finally here, and I hope I'm ready . I'm thankful that I got so many things done before the trip, as I only have to worry about breakfast, putting food out for the cats and closing my packs up.

The Shuttle arrived at the front door right at the appointed time, and as usual I was the only passenger. It was a beautiful morning and the short (40 minutes) trip to the airport was very nice. When I arrived at the Air Canada check-in counter, I was greeted by the sight of a long zig-zag queue of passengers waiting to check-in and drop their luggage off. This is one occasion where I was really glad that I had splurged for Premium Economy, as the preferred check-in line only had two people in front of me.

I was surprised when the agent asked me to unlock all the compartments on my main pack. She said the reason for this was that the baggage scanning machine was "broken", so security personnel will be hand searching bags at random. I was a bit concerned about that, as I've had the zippers on my packs open-up in transit in the past, and I wasn't too keen in finding the pack open and some of my travel gear missing, never to be found again . The agent solved the problem by placing my pack inside a large plastic bag and securing the zipper pulls.

Getting through security was reasonably fast, as I've almost got the procedure down to a fine art. For some reason, the screener decided she needed to have look at my coin pouch – that’s never been a problem before? I bought a bottle of water and didn’t have a long time to wait before boarding. This was another case where I was happy that I booked Premium Economy, as I was among the first to board in zone 1 or 2 and was able to get seated and comfortable before the cattle call started.

I was curious on what the flight experience would be like with Air Canada Rouge. Rouge began operations in 2013 as the low cost / leisure branch of Air Canada and they share the same ticketing and reservations system. Their reviews on SkyTrax have been somewhat "mixed" so I was a bit concerned. As with other low cost airlines, they only offer very basic service and anything above that is extra cost . There are no seat back TV monitors and if passengers want to watch movies, they either have to rent an iPad or download the Air Canada app and use their own entertainment device. Reviews have stated that seats in economy class are somewhat cramped and uncomfortable, but fortunately I didn't have to experience that.

Rouge aircraft don't have Business Class so Premium Economy is the next best thing. Those seats are in front (I had seat 02F) and there’s a curtain separating that section from "sardine class" in the back. The seats are wider with a nice arm rest / drink table in the middle, a larger-than-normal tray in the other armrest (no seat back trays) and of course more leg room. While it’s not quite the same as business class, it is very comfortable. The aircraft would be an Airbus 321 for this flight.

The flight attendants brought refreshments of orange juice and water right away, newspapers such as The Globe & Mail, menus for the two dinner choices and complementary iPads for watching in-flight movies . I had almost made it to the sports page by the time general boarding passengers started to arrive. Being seated in the posh section in the front was a bit of a guilty pleasure.

Departure was right on time and the flight was very pleasant without too much "lumpy air". A short time after take-off, the flight attendants brought hot towels for Premium passengers to freshen up before the meal. Shortly after that, dinner was served and I had the Curry Chicken with rice pilaf, edamame vegetable mixture, bun and Cheesecake for dessert. I also had white wine, water and what seemed like freshly brewed hot coffee.

The movie selection wasn’t great, but it was OK. There were about a dozen choices in the "new releases" section and I watched "The Boss" with Melissa McCarthy. It wasn’t a resounding knee-slapper, but there were a few spots in the movie that had me laughing.

The flight arrived in Toronto / YYZ in the early evening and it was nice to see the city basked in the light of the setting sun . I was amazed at how large the city is, as there seemed to be buildings and roads as far as the eye could see. Unfortunately there was about a three hour layover this time, which I wasn’t happy about. The next flight didn’t depart until 22:55. I whiled away the time sending some text messages and used the washroom to freshen up. I also had a nice visit with a family from Florida that would be on the same flight. After their stay in Lisbon, they’d be embarking on a Mediterranean cruise. One of their stops on the cruise will be the Cinque Terre, and I was sure to mention that cruise passengers are not held in high regard when they overwhelm those five small towns. After their “formal” cruise, they’ve chartered a yacht to tour southern Italy. As the saying goes, “the lifestyles of the rich”.

Again it was great to be one of the first to board and I was quite enjoying the special treatment.   The aircraft this time was a Boeing 767-300 which is somewhat larger than the previous one . In both cases I had a window seat (02K this time) so only one person sitting to my left. Again the flight attendants brought orange juice and water, newspaper, iPad and a menu for the dinner choices.

As it was dark by this time, there wasn’t any view except for lights almost as far as the eye could see. About an hour after takeoff, dinner was served. Again they brought a hot towel a few minutes before the meal, along with a linen tablecloth for the seat tray. This time I chose the Penne Paste with Alfredo Sauce, mixed greens with balsamic dressing, bun, wine (red this time), water and coffee.

The movies were mostly the same on this flight and I started watching “Demolition” with Jake Glyenhall, but it was somewhat boring so I switched it off. I eventually settled on another movie that I had seen before,”13 Hours, Benghazi”.

About two hours before the end of the flight, I asked my seat mate to move so that I could get up to stretch my legs . I felt a bit guilty as he was sleeping, however this was the first time I had gotten up during the entire flight. I spent a few minutes in the front galley, chatting with the two flight attendants.

Not unexpectedly this became a déjà vu moment, as there was an announcement on the PA from the flight attendants working in the back, asking if there was a Doctor or other medical personnel that could help a passenger having a medical issue. I volunteered of course, but when the FA’s in the front phoned the crew in the back, they learned that a Physician had already come forward. Consequently I carried on chatting and then went back to my seat. Those of you who read my Blog last year might remember that I assisted a passenger on a flight to London last year, and almost had to do that again on the flight home. This seems to be becoming a regular occurrence!

Arrival in Lisbon was a few minutes early, and I was surprised to find that the plane would be parking on the far reaches of the tarmac rather than using a “sky bridge”, so passengers would be disembarking the old-fashioned way using stairs . The flight crew held passengers in their seats for a few minutes to allow ambulance crews to board. Once off the plane, passengers all boarded the usual large kneeling bus for the trip to the terminal. The weather was quite warm, and also slightly hazy and “muggy”.

A couple of flights had arrived at about the same time, so Passport control was busy and the line for “All Passports” zig-zagged for quite a distance. It took the better part of half an hour to get through that, and then it was off to baggage claim. They had directed the baggage from my flight and another to the same carousel and it took another half an hour or so before I saw the familiar profile of my pack coming up the conveyor belt in a bin, plastic bag still intact.

I had decided in my planning to take a Taxi into the hotel and had thought this would be a fairly easy process – wrong! There was another long zig-zag queue to access a Taxi and that took at least another 20 minutes or so . I should have known to expect that, as this is still prime tourist season. Had I checked the guidebook, I would have discovered that if I had gone upstairs to the “departures” area, there usually wasn’t a queue for Taxi's there. Finally it was my turn and I was on the way to the hotel. The fare turned out to be a bit more than I had planned, and was about €28. Traffic was a bit heavy, but not unexpected at this time of day. I could have used the Metro for far less cost but in my increasingly jet-lagged state, I just wasn’t in the mood.

I arrived at Hotel Lisboa Tejo about 13:00 and was very relieved to get to my room and switch on the air conditioning. The girl at the desk said that my originally assigned room wasn’t ready yet so she has put me in another room of the same class.

The hotel appears to be a bit older, but it’s been well maintained and quite comfortable (the A/C works well and it’s reasonably quiet). The wear is most apparent in the bathroom, as the taps on the sink are hard to turn off, the bathtub has seen better days and the shower curtain is discoloured on the edges .   One other minor issue is the traffic noise (including sirens) which can be quite pronounced in the middle of the day (nights are much quieter and no trouble getting a good sleep). Despite the minor issues, the room is quite acceptable and I have no complaints.

By this time I was starting to run out of steam and in need of a rest. Although I was hungry, I decided to take a rest first so had about a two hour power nap. I felt quite refreshed after that and now it was time for food as I hadn’t eaten anything except a piece of banana bread which was the last thing served on the flight. I asked the girl at the front desk for some suggestions and she recommended a place around the corner. Unfortunately that didn’t open until 19:00 so that won’t work. She suggested another place close to the large square not far from the hotel. I had a look there and the items on their picture menu were mostly fish so that was out of the question.

I decided to explore the neighborhood and a few blocks away, I discovered a long pedestrian street leading down to the water, with numerous restaurants . I found a small restaurant called Damas e Vagabuno and they had exactly what I was looking for – Taglietelle al Ragu! It was a most enjoyable first meal in Lisbon.

After dinner I took a walk down to the water to familiarize myself with the neighborhood. My back was starting to give me trouble by this time, so it was back to the hotel to update my diary and then go to bed early.

2016 August 26 – Friday


Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in Europe, and indeed in the world, with a history that goes back to pre-Roman times. Over it's history, it was ruled by Romans and later by Muslims in 711 and then the Spanish and also Napoleon. As with Sicily and other places in Europe, the current culture is a blend of historical influences.

Lisbon has suffered a number of earthquakes in its history, with one of the worst being on 1 November 1755, which killed an estimated 30-40,000 residents and destroyed about 85% of the city's structures . Rebuilding was assigned to the 1st Marquess of Pombal, who is revered in Lisbon history. He directed the injured and dead to be taken care of first, and then developed a plan to rebuild the city in a more modern configuration.

Lisbon has one of the warmest climates of any European city. It is comprised of a number of different districts and has an population of about 3 million. It is the wealthiest of all regions in Portugal, and is above the E.U.'s GDP per capita. One distinctive aspect of transportation in the city is the old-fashioned electric trams, some of which are still in use today (along with more modern Trams).

I was hoping to sleep in to at least 07:00 but couldn’t sleep past 06:00 so just resigned myself to getting up. I was hungry and wanted to be ready for breakfast, which starts at 07:00.

There was no one in the breakfast room when I arrived so I took a minute to have a look at the selection . This hotel provides an outstanding breakfast selection, including not only the usual cold meats & cheeses, buns, fruit cocktail, yogurt, toast, etc., but also scrambled eggs and bacon. What a treat! I made sure to get my money’s worth!

Each time I venture out of the hotel, I’m noticing more and more of the local surroundings and have found that there’s a small convenience store next to the hotel, a Kebab joint, a couple of pharmacies, several ATM’s and a large street market under a tent.

After breakfast I started my first day's touring. I usually choose something that doesn’t require too much effort on the day after arrival, as I never know when I’m going to crash from jet lag. This morning I signed up for one of the hop on/hop off Yellow Bus tours, which covers two different parts of the city. Each route took just under two hours. I find that’s a good way to familiarize myself with the layout and note places that I might want to return to later . I was able to buy a ticket from the hotel desk clerk (€19 for 48 hours) which was very convenient, as was the pickup location just around the corner from the hotel.

I started the first route fairly early, so it wasn’t yet too hot. By the time I finished that and was back at the plaza by the hotel, it was starting to get warm and I had donned both a hat and sunglasses. As I had expected, I crashed so it was back to the hotel for a short rest and some A/C.

After that it was time for lunch so I stopped at Vincenzo’s Italian & Portugese restaurant, which is one of the side streets close to the hotel. On the walk there I had to “run the gauntlet” of all the vultures at the various restaurants along the street. In some cases they were quite aggressive and would stand directly in front and shove a menu under my nose. While I can appreciate the reasons for their behaviour, it’s still darn annoying and I’m less inclined to have a meal at one of those places just because of the “annoyance factor” .

After a nice plate of Spaghetti Carbonara and some wine, I was ready for more touring. By this time it was the hottest part of the day so not quite as comfortable on the open top level of the bus (although there was a nice breeze blowing off the river, and that helped). Towards the end of my meal, I had a chat with a street vendor from Senegal, and quite enjoyed talking to someone from Africa. All people are much the same in many ways.

After another short rest and cooling down, I ventured back out at about 20:00 to have dinner at a Fado restaurant. I had considered taking a Taxi but Google maps said it would be a 15 minute walk and they weren’t far off (although that walk was mostly uphill). The desk clerk had marked the route on a map as I prefer to use those when possible rather than my phone (less chance of “Apple picking” theft). I almost got lost in the maze of narrow streets where the restaurant is located, but fortunately two police officers were walking by and they pointed me in the right direction .

I arrived at Restaurante Adega do Ribatejo at about 20:15 and it wasn’t too crowded so I was able to get a table right away. The menu was mostly seafood, but they did have fried chicken so I chose that, along with a small bottle of white wine.

Fado (fate) is a style of music that dates back to the 1800's or so. It has a mournful style which conveys mourning or loss, and is often delivered in a very sad and emotional way. There are slightly different varieties of Fado in Lisbon and Coimbra.

Before my order arrived, an attractive blond girl arrived and started the performance. She was accompanied by two guitar players, one with a standard guitar and one with a unique Portugese style with a round structure with 8-12 strings,similar to a Greek Bouzouki. She was only one of about five performers, including two men. Although I couldn’t understand the lyrics, the music did convey a sadness and melancholy (as it’s supposed to) .

When my chicken arrived, and found that the meal included French fries and also Clams. It will be a frosty day in August before I eat Clams so they got pushed to the side! The fries were a bit of annoyance, but that seems to be common with many restaurants here, along with the full colour posters outside the restaurants that show all the menu choices in multiple languages. Doesn’t anyone make a Rice Pilaf or mashed potatoes anymore? I ordered a mixed salad later which consisted only of sliced tomatoes, lettuce and sliced onions, with an olive oil dressing and a few grains of rock salt.

At about 22:30 I headed back to the hotel. I stopped to compliment one of the singers as I was leaving, but found that he didn’t speak any English. Fortunately there was a younger waiter with him that could translate. I remembered the way back to the hotel, and being downhill it was a slightly faster trip. One thing that surprised me was that even though it was getting close to midnight, there were still thousands of people in the streets, along with street performers and vendors selling cheap lighted “whirly-birds” . Some restaurants were still open, and I passed one that had a queue waiting to get in.

I was happy to get back to the hotel and looking forward to a good sleep, and hopefully I’ll have more energy tomorrow. It usually doesn’t take me as long to get over jet lag on the way to Europe.

I’m starting to pick up more of the language and try to use Portugese whenever I can, for simple things like “please”, “thank you” and “the bill please”.

2016 August 27 – Saturday

I couldn’t sleep much past 05:45 so got up then. After breakfast I spent a few minutes checking E-mail and getting organized. I also wanted to spend some time enjoying the air conditioned comfort, as I knew it would be hot and muggy outside.

I again used the Yellow Bus for the trip to the Gulbenkian Museum. I had told the driver where I wanted to disembark and he suggested just listening on the headphones to find the correct stop . I tried to do that but ended up overshooting so had tot walk back some distance in the hot sun. I was a bit annoyed at the driver, as I was sitting right behind him and he could have easily let me know which stop to use.

When I reached the ticket booth, I was very pleased to find out that I’d be able to get the 50% senior’s discount so my ticket was only € 5, a bonus! I spent about 1.5 hours going through the museum, and they had some interesting displays and wonderful art. It’s a smaller museum, but very well done.

Calouste Gulbenkian was a British businessman and philanthropist of Armenian heritage. He was apparently the first person to exploit Iraqi oil and make it available to the west. He established the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon to promote arts, charity, education and science throughout the world.

After seeing the main part of the museum, I stopped for lunch in the cafeteria . They had a good selection of hot foods but not too much in sandwiches or other items of that type.

After lunch I had a look at one of the temporary displays, which was only in one room so didn’t take long to see. I had planned to also see the adjacent Museum of Modern Art, but at this point I was just about exhausted so decided to return to the hotel. I started to walk up the street to the point where I thought the Yellow Bus stop was, but before I got there I noticed the San Sebastaio metro stop which would be an easier and quicker option.

Within a few minutes I was on the way, and I had one transfer to another line to reach Rossio station. I was sure relieved to exit the station and find the familiar square close to the hotel. I’ve been finding that the hot weather depletes my energy very quickly, and so far I’ve only been able to tour one major site each day. I’m much more lively in the evenings, which is probably why I didn’t get back to the hotel until almost midnight last night .

I had a short rest and A/C break, and then got ready for supper. I again went to Vicenzo’s as the food was good. I ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese this time and was quite pleased with the portion size and the quality. I spent some time after dinner chatting with two of the servers while I was enjoying my coffee. One of them had lived in Texas for 14 years, so his English was excellent.

After dinner I stopped at the ATM around the corner (same one I used previously). I wasn’t too surprised to see the increasingly common DCC menu choices on the ATM (as shown in the photo). It would be very easy if one were in a hurry, to push the wrong button and incur extra charges. I went out to get some night photos and stopped just past the McDonalds to watch some street entertainers. Near that spot was a small “hole-in-the-wall” shop selling the famous Ginjinha (Ginja) cherry brandy and I ordered one without cherries and cold . It was very distinctive and good!

After that I wandered up towards the Hard Rock Cafe and found that a large crowd had gathered in the small park across the street, as there was a live band playing. There’s a small booth there selling drinks, and they may be associated with the Hard Rock Cafe? I stopped to watch for awhile and the band was excellent. They played a variety, from Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin to some of the more modern music. It was the first time I’ve been able to watch a drummer up close, and I was fascinated by how he was able to function without sheet music. I’ve often wanted to try that, but it sure looks difficult.

On the way back to the hotel, I took a slightly different route and discovered a bunch of new restaurants that I hadn’t seen before, including some Italian. This is a very vibrant area especially at night and there’s a lot going on, lots of people in the streets and cafes, and some very talented street entertainers .

I took a few night photos on the way back to the hotel and that’s enough for one day – I’ve had it! Tomorrow will be my last day here as I leave for Porto on Monday. The time has sure passed quickly, and I’m only now getting up to touring speed.

2016 August 28 – Sunday

I couldn’t sleep past about 05:45 this morning, so it looks like I’ll be getting an early start. My plan for today is to do some light touring, tour the Jeronimos Monastery, and also spend some time getting my Blog up-to-date.

I discovered last night that the sound doesn’t work on the videos I took (they work fine in-camera?), so I decided to delete the original pictures folder and then reload it. Unfortunately that didn’t work and I found that the computer won’t load the photos again as it says there are no new files on that card. I’m not skilled enough on PC’s to know how to force it to transfer the photos, so it looks like I’ll have to wait until I have access to my MAC at home to get the problems sorted. I eventually created a new Folder and got the photos and videos back into my pictures folder, but still no sound. At least I’ll be able to use the stills. The Netbook works fine for the most part, but there are times I really wish I had a MAC!

I was a bit late with breakfast this morning, and headed down about 08:00. I had a chat with a lady from New York and a couple of ladies from Hanover. Breakfast was much the same, and I’m going to enjoy the wider choices here as long as possible as I doubt that my next hotel will have such an elaborate selection.

After breakfast I gathered my camera gear and then took a short walk to the nearest Casa da Sorte (combination Lotto shop and ticket office) to add money to my electronic Via Viagem card to pay for the Tram ride. After that I took the 15E Tram to Belem and the Jeronimos Monastery. The Tram stop is about a one minute walk from the front door of the hotel, which is most convenient.

As this was Sunday, I knew this was not going to be a pleasant experience and I was absolutely correct on that. Unfortunately this is may last day and many local sights are closed on Mondays so there is no other choice. There was a long queue to buy tickets, and although they can also be purchased at the adjacent Archeological Museum, there was also a queue there. Waiting in the broiling sun was definitely not a good travel experience, even with sunscreen, a hat and water! It took 30-45 minutes to get to the ticket booth, and finally buy a ticket.

The Jeronimos Monastery is attached to the Order of Saint Jerome and is located in the Belem district of Lisbon. It's constructed in the ornate Gothic "Manueline style" of architecture, and has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Construction of the Monastery began in 1495 and was completed in 1601. During the middle ages, the cost of construction was paid for my a 5% tax on commerce from the Orient and Africa. Remodeling has been carried out regularly since then.

King Manuel I chose the Hieronymite Monks to occupy the new facility and it was their function to pray for the King's eternal soul and also to offer comfort for mariners who were embarking to discover new lands throughout the world. The Monks continued this tradition until 1833, when the order was disbanded and the Monastery was abandoned. In late 1833 the Monastery was taken over by the Royal House of Lisbon to serve as a Church for the Belem parish.

There are two main entrances to the Monastery, the ornately decorated south portal which faces the river, and the smaller axial portal which is considered more important as it faces the altar. I entered through the axial and exited via the south entrance. As with many grand Churches in Europe, the interior was magnificent and it was difficult to know where to look first.

I entered first part of the Monastery, expecting to find some respite in the cool interior of the Church. That wasn't to be as the first section (the Cloisters?) consisted only of a square interior garden which had virtually no greenery at all and really not much to see.

As it turned out, the washrooms were also in that section, so took advantage of that. There must have have also been a queue for the women’s WC, as there were some women waiting inside the men’s washroom. I don’t find that too unusual in Europe and have encountered that many times before. It certainly doesn’t stop me from using the facilities.

After visiting the "gardens", I wanted to get inside the actual Monastery as that was the main focus of my visit. I had thought there would be access from the gardens, but I was in for a rude awakening. The only way to get inside the Monastery was (you guessed it), going back outside and waiting in another queue in the broiling sun for another 20-30 minutes. As this was Sunday, there was a Mass in progress so they were only admitting a few people at a time.

When I finally did get inside, I enjoyed seeing the magnificent architecture. Although many European churches share common designs, each one is unique in its own way in terms of design and history. They did allow photos with no flash, so I was able to get some (hopefully) good photos.

After my visit to the Monastery, I headed across the street to the Belem McDonald's as it was after 13:00 and I was getting hungry. I was greeted to an extremely chaotic and crowded zoo inside with more queues. I used the electronic board to order my meal, with payment at the cash register (it’s also possible to pay at the machine, and then just collect the order). Ordering via the machine is faster as the queues to retrieve the orders are not as long.

It was difficult to find a seat but I located one in a quiet corner near the door. While some veteran travellers might think it's sacrilege to eat at McDonald’s in Europe, for me it's a matter of pragmatism. I was hungry, hot and tired and there were no other restaurants nearby that I could see and I REALLY don't care if I'm breaking any "rules". Also, it was conveniently right at the Tram stop for the trip back to the hotel so I didn’t have to go far after lunch.

The Tram schedule seemed to be very erratic today. There was an electronic board at the stop showing the time until the next Tram would arrive. The display kept showing various times from 5 / 15 / 7 / 2 / 1 / 12 minutes etc. Trams and Buses arrived and departed, but none of them were the right ones to get me back to the hotel. Waiting in the heat was beginning to take its toll, and I was getting considering just flagging down a Taxi, as they were driving by at regular intervals. Finally after about 30 minutes, the 15E Tram arrived and thankfully there was some air conditioning.

I was sure relieved to get back to a familiar neighborhood and my comfy hotel room, and it was wonderful to cool off with some good A/C and have a rest.

I went for dinner at about 18:30 and decided to try one of the restaurants in the other direction from the hotel. I found one that specialized in Italian and Portugese food and ordered my usual, Spaghetti al Ragu, along with wine, water and coffee. I was seated just inside the front door and had a leisurely dinner while watching the pedestrians pass by outside. The staff at every restaurant were trying to snare customers as usual, some more aggressively than others.

After dinner I walked back to the hotel and decided that would be it for today. The small Ginja shop in the plaza near the hotel was open and I considered buying a bottle but wasn't sure about trying to find a spot for it in my already fully loaded backpack.

And so ends my visit to Lisbon.

Comments

Les
2016-08-29

Great first couple days, have fun

eagle10
2016-08-29

Thanks! It has been fun but a bit tiring in the heat.

2025-02-11

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