August 23, 2023: Arriving to Lisbon

August 23, 2023

Or should I say, to a blast furnace of a day

Accommodations: Al Fonte Luminosa (7)

THE Atlantic crossing was scheduled a bit shorter than the YYZ to LIS flight so the flight was just a bit over six hours. I fell right asleep despite trying to watch a movie on the screen and before I dozed off, I could see that Alexio was out like a light.

A certain someone getting his first glimpse of the coast of Europe. He exclaimed how mountainous it looked. -- North Atlantic

Though everything was fast we were pretty worn out when we got to our hotel. There are nice views from our 7th floor room to the adjacent Alameda Park. -- Lisbon, Portugal

I have seen the door to this place a number of times but this is the first time I have stayed here. I was impressed with the staff and the place. Very nice for the price and location. -- Lisbon, Portugal

Alex was really anxious to have real Portuguese food so we went in search of something that had the right look. There were loads of restaurants around but this is the one that filled the bill. Whipped potatoes, bacalhao (cod), Sumol and a dish of amazing olives. There was a pretty park across the street with many familiues enjoying the cooler evening, and the family beside us were pleasant and chatted with us. -- Lisbon, Portugal

After waking I ate (again) but I just let Alex sleep. Soon enough it was time to wake him up as we were starting our descent into LIS. Over the Atlantic there was dense fog but over land it was clear so we could soon see the coast and the regions just south of Lisbon.

Once we landed the plane taxied to a spot on the tarmac so everyone was taken to the terminal by bus. Customs - stamp the passport and go. The bags all arrived and then it was down to the Metro on the Red line to the Alameda stop and our hotel. Though we emerged from the Metro right by the front door of our accommodations, we were immediately hit by a wall of stifling heat and were drenched. Up to the sixth floor we came to check in and within fifteen minutes we had our room, even though we were almost three hours early to arrive. Thank goodness.

Though we kind of rested all night, we didn't rest all that much. Alex dropped onto the bed and fell sound asleep, so I took this opportunity to assemble both bikes. Let's just say that quickly pulling bikes apart and popping them into a suitcase does not mean they will necessarily be quickly popped back into usable bikes. It took two or three hours to get things back together after figuring out how to do it. Let's hope they don't fall into a pile of bits and parts as soon as we hop on in the morning!

Sleep was the order of the afternoon, and then we headed out to satisfy Alex's excitement of having genuine Portuguese food. We wandered around the back streets until we found the right place where tables were set up on the sidewalk. As we ate, workers set up more and more tables further along the sidewalk to accommodate more diners. The tables and chairs were loaded into a nearby delivery van. What a clever idea. When we first got there, there might have been ten people, but when we left around 8 pm there were maybe thirty people and more tables were being set up.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped in a mini market (which was brimming with fresh produce, and more being delivered) where we found a white chocolate Milka. Alex's request.

We have an early and busy day tomorrow so we wandered back toward and through the Alameda park and to our accommodations. We both organized our gear to be ready to set out to the Oriente train station first thing in the morning.

Today's ride: 7 km (4 miles)
Total: 7 km (4 miles)

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Steve Miller/GrampiesIsn't it amazing how removing bikes from suitcases, or gear from panniers, immediately makes the space look like an explosion has just occured? Even more miraculous is getting it all back together and in place for riding. Hope you and Alex have a marvelous time and that the heat is not too overwhelming. We leave in one week for our own European sojourn. The excitement is building.
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