Adios Barcelona, Ola Lisboa

24 September 2018

We leave for Lisbon this morning with a noon flight.  Packing and tidying up was super efficient, we were ready an hour before the taxi van was due.  The 8 seater taxi took us and all luggage with room to spare.  All the taxis in Barcelona looked new and tidy.  The van was no different and the driver very professional.  I booked the taxi by mytaxi mobile app, and approved payment by the same app when the driver keyed in the 48 euros fare.

We enjoyed Barcelona so I will say bye with a couple of final images.

Our last metro into town and walking the Gothic quarter.

Barcelona El Prat airport was a busy place but we were early.  We cleared security with plenty of time to spare.  Being a domestic EU flight, there was no immigration but the airline  staff checked our passports every step of the way.  

We flew TAP Air Portugal.  We queued by those with carry on bags and those without (hand-bags, small back packs).  Those without boarded first.

It was a 90 minute flight and we arrived 30 mins later Lisbon time.  Lisbon is an hour behind Barcelona.  Disembarking was via the rear, so TC was off first onto the tarmac bus.

The rest of us took some time to check out tax refunds at Lisbon airport and toilet stops.  By the time we got to baggage claim, TC had removed our bags plus someone else's from the carousel.

There was no queue at all at the taxi stand, and I asked what looked like a taxi concierge where the taxis are.  He said taxis are on strike and recommended I should take the Aerobus.  I of course hadn't to read Rita's (our AirBnB host) email from a couple nights ago recommending that the best transport option was Uber.

So I went ahead and bought 5 Aerobus tickets.  The agent recommended that I upgraded to the 10 euro ticket which includes trams, hop on bus and the Santa Justa elevator.  6 to 10 euros wasn't that much, so I did.

THEN I rang Rita who said Uber was the best option because the Aerobus and the connecting bus don't quite get us there.  And then there is the luggage.  Uber only takes 4 passengers without luggage.  We needed 2 cars.  

I called the first Uber, and saw on the map he was waiting somewhere else.  A place called KissnFly at the departure gate.  We were at arrivals.  After some mis-steps we got there. 

By which time, I'd lost the driver and paid the 2.5 euro fine.

For new visitors to Lisbon, the Uber stand and KissnFly is across the road from departure gate 3 at the car park.  The price was reasonable at 11 euros to get to our AirBnB, getting 2 was not a cost hassle.  

I was the only one with an Uber account, so we could not call our rides simultaneously.  Michelle and I stayed behind and waited for the first ride to complete before we called the second.  It was a 20 min wait, a soft drink and beer was consumed in that time (or in less time).  We observed many people getting dropped off and kissed at the car park during the wait.

So our Uber arrived and we were on our way.  I amused myself by telling the Uber driver about the time Marcus and I watched The Dictator movie in Prague.  It was in English with Czech sub titles and we embarrassingly laughed 30 secs before the general laughter.   

We arrived and being unobservant, walked up the street past the Hospital and rang Rita for the location. 

She leant out the window and waved us down to the apartment.

We wanted to do a recce of the area after settling in, but I hadn't orientated myself to the Alcantara area and we got nowhere nice.   It was then decided we would do groceries, and a detour was made to the appt to secure the hand-drawn map to supermarket.  It was a long walk to the supermarket and a shorter walk back after short cuts were figured out.

Being Portugal it was a sea food dinner.

25 September 2018

I was up early this morning and went out for a walk at 5.30 am.  I decided to walk to Belem (Ber Lame) where we would be taking our hop on bus this morning.  It took 45 mins to get there, and the Jeronimos Monestary was still dark.

I crossed under the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge twice.  It looks like the Golden Gate. 

The sun was just rising.  When I got home the others were busy getting breakfast.  Still not familiar with public transport, we resorted to the old 2 Uber move to Belem for the tour.  And soon we found each other at the Jeronimos Monastery.  A quick trip to the water-front for some photos and we were ready for the Belem hop on bus.

Saw this cute VW ice cream van being towed.  And iconic sea faring monuments.

We got on the Belem hop on bus and did the 45 min loop.  After seeing all the sights, we awaited the tram to the city centre Baixa and Chiado.

But about 2 minutes before the tram arrived, after waiting 15 mins, Michelle and WT decided to go across the road to buy the famous Belem egg tarts.  There is always a queue at the shop, even to buy takeaways.  

These egg tarts were invented by monks centuries ago in Portugal when they used the egg whites for starching (before starching was invented) their robes or collars, and had to figure out what to do with the yolk.  Now that there is no need to starch robes, they are trying to figure out what to do with the egg whites.  I think we might have to introduce them to the pavlova shop in Karori.  We missed the next tram and waited for next one while we enjoyed the egg tarts.

The first thing in town was to take the Santa Justa elevator but the queue was too long.  So we walked up to the elevator platform.

The view of Lisbon from the elevator platform was pretty good.

This is the Santa Justa elevator platform.  Although we didn't take the elevator, we still had to show our 24 hour pass to get to the platform above.

These egg tarts are everywhere.

We finished up at Plaza Comercial where the World Cup Socca was happening.

The cruise ships moored on the water front walk to Alfama district.

Alfama is Lisbon's most emblematic quarter thanks to its medieval alleys and outstanding views. 

Alfama involves a lot of climbing so Michelle, mum and I took Uber home, leaving TC and WT to meet their friend Kai Chooi there.