To Lisbon! - Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Thanks to Bill and Pat Caldwell for giving us a ride to the Portland Airport. Our flight was scheduled for 6:25 but was delayed to 6:50, which is when we took off. The plane was only half full, a 787. They served dinner, after which I found three seats in the center section about 8 rows back and stretched out to sleep. The flight was about 9 hours, of which I slept maybe one and dozed three. Nice plane. Totally uneventful flight. No breakfast served. Plane taxied to a spot on the field at Heathrow where we filed onto a bus and we’re driven to terminal five. Had our passports stamped, then through Englands version of TSA. Everything made it including my Shoe Goo and a tupperware half full of “Sweet Baby Rays” bar-b-cue sauce. 

I’ve hung out, waiting for a flight, at Heathrow, Terminal Five before. Always kind of bleary eyed due to the lack of sleep. We left Portland at 7:00pm and arrived in London at 11:45am. But 11:45am is 3:45am Portland time. The sun may be shining, but my body knows it is 4 in the morning with minimal sleep. 

We boarded our flight to Lisbon at 2:45pm, landing in Lisbon about 5:45pm. After climbing out of the London fog I slept for 45 minutes and was awake to watch us glide over the Tejo River in a long 180° turn as we came in to land in Lisbon. The sky was clear, the sun setting and the city glowed. It was a great way to overview the city before we landed. 

 We tried to get an Uber ride to our apartment, but we were at the wrong place for pickup and our first ride cancelled on us as we figured out where we were supposed to be. We got smarter and waited to request a ride until we knew where the pickup point was.. Nelson, our driver, picked us up and gave us a ride to within 100 meters or so of our place. 

We entered, following the instructions the owner had given, dropped our stuff and walked 10 meters across the square to a hole in the wall restaurant for a dinner of sea bass. We were back in our room by 9:30pm, Sally crawled into bed to read the guide book and promptly fell asleep. I Shoe Gooed the soles of my shoes, got our electronics charging and then slept the whole night through. Amazing, as it was from 2:00pm to 11:30pm, Toledo time. This time when I woke up my body believed the early morning sun to be actual morning and we off to explore Lisbon. Sorry, no photos.