Postcards from Portugal

Picturesque Harbors

When and Where: 04/2023 – Lisbon, Sintra

76^th Country Visited; 33^rd European Country Visited

Interesting Facts:

- There are 250 million Portuguese speakers around the world; most live in Brazil.

- Mainland Europe’s westernmost point is located in Portugal.

- Portugal is a popular place to live for retirees due to the low cost of living.

Some days don’t go as planned. My visit to Portugal was a case in point. The cruise was scheduled to arrive in Lisbon at 10am on April 10. The night before arrival, Guest Services contacted me and asked me to surrender my passport for inspection in Lisbon. I was one of a handful of passengers who were offboarding in Lisbon. My plan was to take an evening flight to Madrid where I would stay for two days, then fly to London where I would meet up with my Irish cousin Alison for three days. Since I hadn’t cleared immigration in the European Union and I was traveling to a non-EU country (UK) before reboarding the ship, Guest Services had an immigration officer meeting us at the ship to inspect my passport and the passports of others disembarking.

Early in the morning, the cruise ship navigated toward the port, we passed by Belem Tower, a castle which sits in the waters near the port. We also passed the spectacular Monument To The Discoveries, a statue depicting Portuguese explorers who cruised from Lisbon to far away lands. The view from the port shows a very clean and striking city. The Church of Santa Engracia is noteworthy as it sits atop a hill which overlooks the city.

Just prior to 10am, Guest Services assured me that I would be among the first group to offboard the ship. I had a day planned with two of my ship friends ElDonna (aka El) and Nancy. At 10am, I was informed that immigration officials had not shown up at the port. After some chaotic moments with Guest Services, my passport was returned to me and I was told I would have to clear immigration at the airport prior to my evening flight. El and Nancy were kind enough to rent a car from the airport so they could drop me back off at the airport before returning to the ship… or at least that was the plan. We took an Uber to the airport, and after some confusion, found the rental car company. El forgot her passport so she was unable to get the car she had already paid for and reserved. I asked that the reservation be transferred to me. The rental car company would not accommodate us. They wanted roughly another $100 for a new reservation. We exited the rental car agency and I secured an Uber ride to Sintra, a nearby mountainous seaside resort. Because we didn’t have a rental car, I had to haul around my two bags with me. The Uber was reasonable and the fee was only $25 Euros. We were dropped off in the center of town near city hall known as Camara Municipal de Sintra. The grand city hall had what looked like German or Dutch architecture. Sintra is a very mountainous town which extends from the Atlantic Ocean, high up into the mountains. Sintra is located on what is referred to as the Portuguese Riviera. Our first stop was for lunch at an outdoor café. We ordered a light meal. My nacho order literally had about 20 chips on the plate. So I had to order a second portion. After lunch we walked around the center of town. Carrying two pieces of luggage proved challenging and frustrating. However, it didn’t change our plans. We stopped for photos around the city. Around 3:30, we decided to take a bus to the castle above the city. The bus navigated sharp turns and made it’s way up a steep series of roads to the top. By 4:00, we still weren’t at the top, and I was beginning to get worried about making my flight. We finally made it to the top of the mountain at 4:15, but we didn’t leave the bus out of fear I would miss my flight. The trip back down the mountain was shorter. By 4:35, we were back in the center of Sintra. I tried unsuccessfully to find an Uber. El finally hailed a cab and got us back to the airport. The ride back was tumultuous. The cab driver was driving wildly, switching lanes frequently, flooring the gas, and hitting the break hard. Both El and I felt nauseous by the end and I don’t get motion sickness. We made it to the airport on time for me to catch my flight. I said my goodbyes to El and Nancy and proceeded to my gate with my bags. I then realized I couldn’t clear immigration at the airport as I was flying between two EU countries. Long story short, after questions from Spanish immigration authorities, I had my passport stamped two days later in Madrid as I departed for London.