ACROSS THE POND WE GO

 British Air left Phoenix on time and with that a on time arrival in London. With a 5 1/2 hour layover before catching our flight to Lisbon, we were lucky enough to score seats in the Plaza Premium Lounge with great views of airplane landings.   

The second leg was also on time arriving in Lisbon 23 hours after leaving Phoenix.  I was not at the top of my game and got taken advantage of (think ripped off) by the taxi driver.  I am pretty good at my research before traveling anywhere.  Before this trip I had looked into cab fares in Lisbon.  Who does that you ask?  Well I do.  Anyway I learned that the average fair from the airport to downtown was around 15 to 20 Euros, with an additional nominal charge for each bag.  We got in the cab, I didn’t see a meter so I said something to the cabbie.  He showed me a hand held device that he said was the meter.  He placed it back on the seat next to him.  The guy drove like a madman scaring us to the point where I told him to slow down.  He didn’t.  We got to our hotel and he showed me the amount on his hand held device. 48 euros!  I told him he was a thief, but at that point what could you do.  I tried to pay him with my credit card but he insisted on cash.  I wonder why. So I gave him 50 euros and didn’t think about to 2 euro change he owed me.  The long and short of it I got scammed.  What are you going to do at one in the morning on a dark street in an unfamiliar city.  It’s Uber from now on.

We had just two days in Lisbon, the first was just trying to recover from the trip over.  We really had no specific plans for Lisbon as originally we were just in transit to start our now cancelled Camino.  I did manage to find a great little restaurant with traditional Portuguese food.  We being the only foreigners in the place made it all the better.  Tables close together to maximize the space and so close you become friendly with your neighbor.

The next day we took the train to Porto, where originally we were to start the Camino.  Now just a stop on the way to Spain. We stayed across the river from Porto in Vila Nova de Gaia, the area where all the Port Wine tastings occur.  We did have some Port, but passed on the tourist spots and just drank it after dinner.  We had another great dinner in a local bar, again being the only foreigners.  Just by chance we found this neighborhood spot.  I asked the waiter if the cook would make me a special sandwich consisting of cheese, sausage and a fried egg.  No Problem and delivered to our table by the cook herself.

After a quick two nights in Porto we hopped the bus for Spain, where we picked up our rental car in Santiago.  Spain begins in the next episode, so stay turned.