Our last vacation by plane was 2 years ago!!!  Right after we came home COVID changed the world of travel. That means we spend the last winter on the island – dreaming what we would like to do.

Originally the plan was: once Gine can retire, we leave for warmer weather in the winter – but times were still not clear and we were reluctant to plan – we changed our immediate retirement travel plans – not South America, Not Australia – not Morocco but Europe, as everything else is to complicated and we can then also visit our family.

We finally settled on Portugal with a side trip to Andalusia: having an early spring after an exceptionally long and cold winter and then continue on visiting our family in Germany.

 Air Canada made the offer if you book before Dec 31 then you can change your flight up until 2 hours before boarding – sounds good. What we didn’t know at that time that Air Canada will constantly change the flights for us: first we got an extra flight in: Comox – Vancouver – Calgary – London – Lisbon. Then 2 weeks later it got changed to Comox – Vancouver – Calgary – Toronto – New York – Lisbon (now this gets a bit more stressful) and a few hours later we got a notice that Toronto to New York is cancelled. Gine went on the phone and after letting the lady know that we really don’t want to go to New York and no we also don’t want to go to Toronto – Gine told her we would move the flight to the next day and leave a day later and fly Comox – Vancouver – London – Lisbon: and see there 1.5 hrs later all is set it done – that means again choosing the seats.

It’s Feb 9: until now Canada was on the allowed into Portugal Travel list – but it got removed and it is only allowed for essential travellers from Canada (by the way all other countries are still allowed) – Gine checked now people fly into Spain and then drive to Portugal – some waiting, daily internet checking and see there on Feb 13: Canada is back on the fly in list.

Now we check regularly about requirements – and still on Feb 28 it says you need a neg PCR test. After 2 years with COVID and no test we both get the first time that swab stuck up the nose – ok it was really not my favourite, especially when you think we paid 183 $ per person, shouldn’t that be a bit more enjoyable?. As money savers Gine choose the 48 hour wait time – now hopefully all goes well. Mar 2: at 9 am Gine gets an email: Paul is negative – but no email for Gine… ok we are only 24 hours in – finally at 4 pm (after Paul did the online check in) we get the next email and Gine is ready to go to – Anxiety levels decrease fast.

Monday Feb 28 was Gine’s last day at work – and as a good bye she got a super nice backpack to go with us on our adventures in the future: perfect to start a new chapter of Adventure and what an amazing reminder to my co-workers. Big question will be: will Gine miss work or is she too busy exploring the world?

After a lot of cold weather, a very long  winter and a lot of rain: today the sun shines - perfect. Sue was super and brought us to the airport. Ok – so the Check in for seats to Lisbon did not work, you have to do it in London. So we took the time outside in the sunshine so Gine could fill out our Portugal Passenger locator form: yes – this trip needs a lot of paper work!!!!

Sunny to Vancouver – then once there it was kind of weird, as the international terminal was not as busy as we were used to: I mean half the stores/restaurants are closed – everywhere seats – only a few flights on the board. They did start very early with the boarding, that is when we discovered in COVID times everything lasts longer: you have a boarding pass, but we still need to do a check – sorry you can’t board you need a check first: ok proof of vaccination done, PCR test done, any symptoms – none, ok, you are ready to board and we even got an email that we are approved for flying. On the plane next surprise: we booked the last seats which are 2-seaters – but once inside the plane we discovered that they used a different plane and see there we sit in another spot (nice enough we got the same the money for seat reservation refunded), it was not a big deal as the plane was only a quarter full. Arriving in London: we knew it from before: here you walk and walk and walk some more, then you have to go to another security check – and once inside we went to the service desk because you need to have your boarding pass checked right: Vaccinated? Proof of neg COVID? Proof of filled out Passenger location form? – and sorry no window seats, as the plane is full. And no, we don’t know which gate, it will be determined in the next half hour. We are tired and need a coffee: so we get one of the most expensive coffees we ever had – Welcome to the UK!!! And on the last leg: no we are not getting spoiled only water is free – otherwise you pay - so it’s water!!

Jose our Airbnb host picked us up – so once arrived, Gine locked into wifi and let him know that we are here, he was already at the airport waiting for us. Custom first: and see there no questions asked. Ok where too – He send a picture from a car – Gine is at the meeting point and text back and forth – until we discover that he is at the Metro exit.

What was really super, once we were in Alfalma, he drove by the Metro station and big supermarket which is close to our place, then the Military museum, pointed out a real local little restaurant, showed the steps to the apartment and then drove up towards it. This is when we discovered that you actually can’t drive to the apartment because it is a narrow little walkway to the front door – no wonder there is no close parking!!!

The front door is super cute: it is very narrow – I mean you nearly have to go in sidewise – but you can open the double door making it easier to bring in the suitcase: then up 2 floors narrow straight stairs and then a super funky old-fashioned key into the cute little apartment. A little cute place – in the middle of the old town.

Ok first things first: supermarket to get milk, then supper – only we were early: as the kitchen only opens at 7 am, so we sit a bit around in front of the military museum and get the first impression of the old town: did I mention we went to a typical Portuguese place and had the typical everyone eat them here sardines: ok Gine said last time – to many little bones, to complicated – I mean we each got 4 sardines and were trying to pull away the meat and not eat the bones. Back to the supermarket as we forgot cereal and banana for breakfast.

Maybe early to bed is a good idea today: after being up for over 24 hours!!!

And we start in the Capital: Lisbon