Portugal Adventure Day 0 & 1

May 18 and May 19 were basically travel days.  We arrived at Dulles airport around 1:20PM for a 5:20 PM flight.  While I pre-paid for parking in the garage so I would have a spot, I didn’t pay for an actual reserved space, so we took about 20 minutes finding an open space that wasn’t labeled reserve.  

The check in process while smooth, was not up to what I would consider British Airway standard.   We were in the business class line, since that was what we were flying, and the ticketing agent for that business class ended up opening up all lines and wrangling economy passengers.  So, we were left hanging until someone noticed.  They also didn’t have our pre-check information because the online form never asked for it, so we went through regular security.  Though the regular security line was way shorter and faster than pre-check, it took us about 5-10 minutes.  From there we went to go hang out in the British Airways lounge, which doesn’t open till 2:30 PM, we arrived at 2:25PM.  At least we were the first to get in.  The food selection in the lounge wasn’t that great.  

Our flight out of Dulles was delayed by 20-minutes due to catering and cleaning.  We made the time up in the air and then had to circle for 20 minutes once arriving at Heathrow.  The flight was basically smooth except for about 30 minutes of mild turbulence about 2 to 2½ hours into the flight.  Right about the time I was trying to fall asleep, even on the meds my doctor gave me for flight anxiety I wasn’t able to fall asleep.  Side note, not happy with the side effects of the medication, it makes my tummy unhappy.   The seats were nice, and it felt like you had your very own cubical to nap in on the plane.  Though if you are traveling with your spouse or significant other it is hard to talk to them because there is a partition in the way.   We kept our little talking window between the seats open, but you really can’t hold hands or anything like that.   The food was good, I opted for just the starter and dessert to get to sleep faster (capres salad and chocolate mousse), while Jim opted for a main and a dessert (panner with masala sauce and caramel pudding).   For breakfast I did the fruit plate and Jim did the bacon sandwich. 

Transferring through the airport wasn’t bad, but I really think it is dumb that they make you get rid of your large liquids during the transfer to the other side of the terminal.  We didn’t even leave the secure area.  We then hung out at the lounge in Heathrow.  I was really glad they had showers at the lounge, it really helped me feel like a person, even though I still had another leg to go.   The showers aren’t anything to write home about, maybe need a little upgrade but they clean, provide clean towels, soap, and do the job.   

Our flight 2½ hour flight to Lisbon was mostly uneventful, though the first/business class bathroom on the plane was broken so everyone had to use the one in the back.  It ended up with a long line, so they ended up opening up the bathroom reserved for the flight crew in the back.  They served a hot lunch on the plane, I skipped but Jim got the rigatoni.  W

Because of the new electronic entrance/exit system they are using in the EU, I was expecting a long border and customs line, based on the article I have been seeing.  But we missed the long line, and since I pre-registered us, we got through the system relatively quickly.  It is very similar to global entry, and no more passport stamps.  I like passport stamps, which is how I know where I have been. 

The driver picked us up from the airport and took us to our hotel. We got to the hotel around 2:00PM on May 19^th.    We checked in and got our welcome gift from the tour company we booked through, which included tea from Medera (island owned by Portugal), soap from a Portuguese company, and a can of sardines which is a national dish here.  We then headed up to our room to unpacked, brushed our teeth, changed shoes, and then did a tiny bit of exploring.  We just walked down one of the main avenues and grabbed something lite to eat at one of the kiosk that dot the avenue.  We at “Hot Dog Lovers”, I figure we will eat something that is more Portuguese tomorrow.

That basically concludes our travel days.  We will be starting tomorrow off with a three hour private walking tour of Lisbon and then a Fado performance in the evening.