namaka's trip report; Paris, Lisbon and England with no undergarments,acrobats and what's that rash on your body?
Jul 25th, 2006, 05:28 PM
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namaka's trip report; Paris, Lisbon and England with no undergarments,acrobats and what's that rash on your body?
30 years ago I stepped on a plane in Lisbon, Portugal and headed back to California. I was 11 yrs old and had lived in Lisbon for the last 4 yrs. I wanted to be back in the good ole' USA with McDonalds, Pop-tarts, Coca-Cola and the Brady Bunch;at least that's what I thought. When the time came to board our flight, I cried my eyes out. I've never forgotton about Lisbon for it had made a permanent impression on me. I swore that I'd be back and finally I wasl
My dream trip started with going back to Lisbon, but also to England where my husband had lived as a child. We were both military brats who were fortunate enough to experience different cultures by living abroad. Now we were going to share it with our children. We decided that if we were going to fly all the way to both Portugal and England, why not throw in Paris for a couple of days? So we did. Our trip started on June 13th and ended on July 12th.
I started researching my trip by buying just about every book on Portugal. But while I would browse through them, I didn't really get much out of them. Then I found the Fodor's website! For weeks I just read all the posts and before I knew it, I was logging on. Now I find that I am addicted; I can't stop- not that I really want to. Anyways, pretty soon I was asking and receiving answers to any question imaginable; from entrance fees, to opening/closing times, to the best bus routes and restaurants. I can't thank everyone enough! I didn't bring any of my travel books on the trip with me, but I did bring all the notes that I cut and pasted from this site.
We flew with Virgin Atlantic Airways. We purchased our multi-city tickets for $1134.00 ( a little less for DS). We flew out of San Francisco to Heathrow, with a connecting flight on British Airways to Paris. We arrived 4 hours early for our flight and were able to check-in. I might add that each airline we flew on stuck to their luggage requirements; especially with carry-ons. I will note that after our reservations were made, I found out that we would be hard pressed to make our connecting flight with only one hour and 25 minutes . I tried in vain to get Virgin to change us to a later flight but they would not. They assured me that we would make our connection. I also got conflicting reports on whether or not our bags would be checked-through to Paris. Upon check-in, we were told that they would be. This was good news!, or so I thought. Our flight was uneventful,with exception to the kicking child sitting behind me.But the seat back TV's were like heaven! The children were completely entertained the entire time;not a peek out of them. I can't remember the food that was served, but do remember that we had dinner and breakfast. Oh, and although we had requested seat assignments, it didn't matter. Upon check-in, seats are reassigned on the spot leaving our DD sitting in the row behind us. Thankfully, she was okay with that.Our flight arrived at Heathrow on time, but after sitting on the tarmac for over an hour, we missed our connecting flight. Virgin was a little curt as to why we missed our flight, but then finally went ahead and booked us on the next flight to Paris; 3 hours later. That flight was still on British Airways and it too left about an hour late. Once we arrived in Paris,we found out that we did so without any of our checked baggage. I wasn't surprised after reading numerous posts on the subject, so we were prepared with a days worth of extra clothes in our carry-ons.
1st stop- PARIS
Our apartment: 39 Rue de Grenelle.Booked through Private-paris.
I booked the apt on-line. After much research, I decided that the 7eme was good for us as I am a light sleeper, but also one who needs her sleep,as do the kids. However, right before we left for the trip, someone posted a negative thread about another of the private paris apts. It seems that theirs was dirty and not what they had expected. I was a little worried about this until I emailed a referral off of the website and got a really positive response back. Upon arrival at the apt, the owner Henri Delmas was waiting. He did/or could not know that we had missed our flight so went over to the apt just to wait for us. He showed us around and he was off- a very nice man. The apt was small, but we expected that. However, the bedroom was much larger than it appeared in the photos giving us plenty of space to spread out. Near the window was a desk and chair which was perfect for setting up our lap-top (the apt had wifi). The kitchen was small, but since we were only staying for 5 nights, we knew we wouldn't be cooking- just having sandwiches, oatmeal, yogurt and such. I will say that we did go to a grocery store for water, juice and soda. Carrying drinks with us saved a lot of money. Try buying Cokes all day at about 3euros; it adds up! The only shortfalls to the apt are that it doesn't have any A/C or a lift. Mind you that the apt is on the 4 floor (Parisian), 5th floor (American) and it is a circular staircase. We did get a lot of exercise though. We managed to do okay w/o A/C as the weather wasn't too hot at the time. If it had been any later in the month, it probably would've been uncomfortable. And although our legs were sometimes burning by the time we got to the top of the stairs, it was worth it.
Although we were only going to be in Paris for a short time, I had planned a pretty full schedule. Once our luggage got delayed, it changed everything. The day after our arrival, 3 of our 4 bags turned up and the 4th one arrived 2 days later. We ended up losing 2 mornings waiting for delivery, and we also had to go shopping as the 4th bag contained all my undergarments, all our shoes and all of DD shirts. Not that we minded that we were "forced" to shop in Paris! But even with that, here's what we managed to see;
Notre Dame; We climbed the 400+ stairs to the top. Incredible panaramic views!
St. Chapelle; Although a little hazy, still got a couple of good shots of the sun shining through the stained glass windows.
Le Arc de Triomple;Again, climbed to the top for some great views.
Le Eiffel Tower; Unbelievable!! Don't let anyone ever say that it's not worth going to the top; I will never forget just how beautiful it was with the sun setting over Paris. The lines were long, but the wait was worth it. Just as we exited at the bottom, not only did the lights come on, but the blinking, sparkling lights came on; just beautiful!
St. Sulpice; Very nice. There was a small mass on the Sunday evening that DD and I went. We felt a little like intruders so we didn't stay long. Did enjoy seeing the Rose Line and would've love to have seen it during the equinox/solstice.
Le Lourve; Overwhelming. Went right to the Denon Wing and saw the masterpieces- The Mona Lisa and Venus De Milo. Definitely enjoyed everything else we saw along the way.
Opera Garnier- Stopped in but couldn't tour the inside as an opera? was getting ready to start. I was really bummed out.
Sacre Coeur-Really magnificent! The views stunning, even though I could see how they would be even better at dawn or dusk. Got caught by the very aggressive African students making friendship bracelets and taken for a 20 euro ride. Got the heck out of there and walked right by the Moulin Rouge.
Galleries Lafeyette-Went for the Free Friday afternoon fashion show. Wow, did DD love that! And the models are soooooo tall!
Pont Neuf Boats; Boat ride on the Seine. Went at night when it was nice and cool and got our first sight of the Eiffel Tower. Brought a coupon that I had downloaded for 2euros off the price;good deal!
Advice that we took;
We opted for the carte orange pass for transportation. This was so easy to get and to use. Got DS a booklet of carnets. We used these to ride the buses and could basically have hop on/off privleges. Our only problem was that while we were getting on the right bus, we kept getting on going in the wrong direction. Oops! We also found that there aren't many busses running on Sundays; we learned that the hard way.
We took a taxi from the airport and like everyone said, it ran about 50 euros. Since our luggage was delayed, we could've taken the train but were just too tired to deal with it. On our way back to the airport, I had pre-booked with Bluvan for about the same amount as the taxi. They were right on time and were great; I would recommend them.
FOOD-
We lived on take-away baguette sandwiches. Totally loved them! They were not only delicious but so conveinent. Tried them just about everywhere we went. We also tried crepes but found that they just didn't fill us up enough. We ate lots and lots of ice cream; everyday. And we managed to eat our fair share of pastries. Everytime we passed a bakery, we stopped. This included the famous Lauradee (sp?). We waited in line for a good 20 min and got pastries and macaroons, then proceeded to eat them all out front. A little disappointing! We had much better pastries in the 6 eme and less expensive as well. Found Bertillon on the Ile de la Cite and got some yummy choc/strawberry ice cream. That was worth waiting for!
SHOPPING-
For food and even some inexpensive clothing; Monoprix. Loved this store. Loved the all in one shopping, especially since we had to purchase some items until our luggage caught up to us.
NOTES; Although I had mapped out a pretty intense intinerary, we still have to be flexible once you arrive. Our schedule changed dramatically but we still had full days and still didn't see close to everything I had hoped. So plan, plan and plan some more and then once there, be easy and flexible.
I loved Paris; it was clean and beautiful. The people were all pleasant and everyone pretty much spoke English. Just remember to at least know the basics; that will get you far. Did I mention that I just loved it! I will be back!
Next stop-Lisbon.
My dream trip started with going back to Lisbon, but also to England where my husband had lived as a child. We were both military brats who were fortunate enough to experience different cultures by living abroad. Now we were going to share it with our children. We decided that if we were going to fly all the way to both Portugal and England, why not throw in Paris for a couple of days? So we did. Our trip started on June 13th and ended on July 12th.
I started researching my trip by buying just about every book on Portugal. But while I would browse through them, I didn't really get much out of them. Then I found the Fodor's website! For weeks I just read all the posts and before I knew it, I was logging on. Now I find that I am addicted; I can't stop- not that I really want to. Anyways, pretty soon I was asking and receiving answers to any question imaginable; from entrance fees, to opening/closing times, to the best bus routes and restaurants. I can't thank everyone enough! I didn't bring any of my travel books on the trip with me, but I did bring all the notes that I cut and pasted from this site.
We flew with Virgin Atlantic Airways. We purchased our multi-city tickets for $1134.00 ( a little less for DS). We flew out of San Francisco to Heathrow, with a connecting flight on British Airways to Paris. We arrived 4 hours early for our flight and were able to check-in. I might add that each airline we flew on stuck to their luggage requirements; especially with carry-ons. I will note that after our reservations were made, I found out that we would be hard pressed to make our connecting flight with only one hour and 25 minutes . I tried in vain to get Virgin to change us to a later flight but they would not. They assured me that we would make our connection. I also got conflicting reports on whether or not our bags would be checked-through to Paris. Upon check-in, we were told that they would be. This was good news!, or so I thought. Our flight was uneventful,with exception to the kicking child sitting behind me.But the seat back TV's were like heaven! The children were completely entertained the entire time;not a peek out of them. I can't remember the food that was served, but do remember that we had dinner and breakfast. Oh, and although we had requested seat assignments, it didn't matter. Upon check-in, seats are reassigned on the spot leaving our DD sitting in the row behind us. Thankfully, she was okay with that.Our flight arrived at Heathrow on time, but after sitting on the tarmac for over an hour, we missed our connecting flight. Virgin was a little curt as to why we missed our flight, but then finally went ahead and booked us on the next flight to Paris; 3 hours later. That flight was still on British Airways and it too left about an hour late. Once we arrived in Paris,we found out that we did so without any of our checked baggage. I wasn't surprised after reading numerous posts on the subject, so we were prepared with a days worth of extra clothes in our carry-ons.
1st stop- PARIS
Our apartment: 39 Rue de Grenelle.Booked through Private-paris.
I booked the apt on-line. After much research, I decided that the 7eme was good for us as I am a light sleeper, but also one who needs her sleep,as do the kids. However, right before we left for the trip, someone posted a negative thread about another of the private paris apts. It seems that theirs was dirty and not what they had expected. I was a little worried about this until I emailed a referral off of the website and got a really positive response back. Upon arrival at the apt, the owner Henri Delmas was waiting. He did/or could not know that we had missed our flight so went over to the apt just to wait for us. He showed us around and he was off- a very nice man. The apt was small, but we expected that. However, the bedroom was much larger than it appeared in the photos giving us plenty of space to spread out. Near the window was a desk and chair which was perfect for setting up our lap-top (the apt had wifi). The kitchen was small, but since we were only staying for 5 nights, we knew we wouldn't be cooking- just having sandwiches, oatmeal, yogurt and such. I will say that we did go to a grocery store for water, juice and soda. Carrying drinks with us saved a lot of money. Try buying Cokes all day at about 3euros; it adds up! The only shortfalls to the apt are that it doesn't have any A/C or a lift. Mind you that the apt is on the 4 floor (Parisian), 5th floor (American) and it is a circular staircase. We did get a lot of exercise though. We managed to do okay w/o A/C as the weather wasn't too hot at the time. If it had been any later in the month, it probably would've been uncomfortable. And although our legs were sometimes burning by the time we got to the top of the stairs, it was worth it.
Although we were only going to be in Paris for a short time, I had planned a pretty full schedule. Once our luggage got delayed, it changed everything. The day after our arrival, 3 of our 4 bags turned up and the 4th one arrived 2 days later. We ended up losing 2 mornings waiting for delivery, and we also had to go shopping as the 4th bag contained all my undergarments, all our shoes and all of DD shirts. Not that we minded that we were "forced" to shop in Paris! But even with that, here's what we managed to see;
Notre Dame; We climbed the 400+ stairs to the top. Incredible panaramic views!
St. Chapelle; Although a little hazy, still got a couple of good shots of the sun shining through the stained glass windows.
Le Arc de Triomple;Again, climbed to the top for some great views.
Le Eiffel Tower; Unbelievable!! Don't let anyone ever say that it's not worth going to the top; I will never forget just how beautiful it was with the sun setting over Paris. The lines were long, but the wait was worth it. Just as we exited at the bottom, not only did the lights come on, but the blinking, sparkling lights came on; just beautiful!
St. Sulpice; Very nice. There was a small mass on the Sunday evening that DD and I went. We felt a little like intruders so we didn't stay long. Did enjoy seeing the Rose Line and would've love to have seen it during the equinox/solstice.
Le Lourve; Overwhelming. Went right to the Denon Wing and saw the masterpieces- The Mona Lisa and Venus De Milo. Definitely enjoyed everything else we saw along the way.
Opera Garnier- Stopped in but couldn't tour the inside as an opera? was getting ready to start. I was really bummed out.
Sacre Coeur-Really magnificent! The views stunning, even though I could see how they would be even better at dawn or dusk. Got caught by the very aggressive African students making friendship bracelets and taken for a 20 euro ride. Got the heck out of there and walked right by the Moulin Rouge.
Galleries Lafeyette-Went for the Free Friday afternoon fashion show. Wow, did DD love that! And the models are soooooo tall!
Pont Neuf Boats; Boat ride on the Seine. Went at night when it was nice and cool and got our first sight of the Eiffel Tower. Brought a coupon that I had downloaded for 2euros off the price;good deal!
Advice that we took;
We opted for the carte orange pass for transportation. This was so easy to get and to use. Got DS a booklet of carnets. We used these to ride the buses and could basically have hop on/off privleges. Our only problem was that while we were getting on the right bus, we kept getting on going in the wrong direction. Oops! We also found that there aren't many busses running on Sundays; we learned that the hard way.
We took a taxi from the airport and like everyone said, it ran about 50 euros. Since our luggage was delayed, we could've taken the train but were just too tired to deal with it. On our way back to the airport, I had pre-booked with Bluvan for about the same amount as the taxi. They were right on time and were great; I would recommend them.
FOOD-
We lived on take-away baguette sandwiches. Totally loved them! They were not only delicious but so conveinent. Tried them just about everywhere we went. We also tried crepes but found that they just didn't fill us up enough. We ate lots and lots of ice cream; everyday. And we managed to eat our fair share of pastries. Everytime we passed a bakery, we stopped. This included the famous Lauradee (sp?). We waited in line for a good 20 min and got pastries and macaroons, then proceeded to eat them all out front. A little disappointing! We had much better pastries in the 6 eme and less expensive as well. Found Bertillon on the Ile de la Cite and got some yummy choc/strawberry ice cream. That was worth waiting for!
SHOPPING-
For food and even some inexpensive clothing; Monoprix. Loved this store. Loved the all in one shopping, especially since we had to purchase some items until our luggage caught up to us.
NOTES; Although I had mapped out a pretty intense intinerary, we still have to be flexible once you arrive. Our schedule changed dramatically but we still had full days and still didn't see close to everything I had hoped. So plan, plan and plan some more and then once there, be easy and flexible.
I loved Paris; it was clean and beautiful. The people were all pleasant and everyone pretty much spoke English. Just remember to at least know the basics; that will get you far. Did I mention that I just loved it! I will be back!
Next stop-Lisbon.
Jul 26th, 2006, 03:36 AM
#7
I'm glad your experience with Private Paris worked out well. I rented an apartment from them in February and was very pleased with it, but I also read the trip report describing problems with one of their apartments so I have been hesitant about recommending the agency here.
Looking forward to your account of Lisbon, as I am working on my own report right now (speaking of too long and detailed...)
Looking forward to your account of Lisbon, as I am working on my own report right now (speaking of too long and detailed...)
Jul 26th, 2006, 04:17 PM
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okay, this will now be the 3rd time I've tried to add to my post. Maybe it is just tooo long. I guess I'll try to break it up a bit.
This portion is from my original trip report so you are fore-warned that it is long! Try to stay awake!
We flew into Lisbon with a view of the city and guess what? I missed it! I had taken a cat nap and missed the whole thing;next
thing I knew we were touching down. Bummer! Everything went well with the luggage this time and once we collected that, we
found a Vodaphone store where we were able to get a SIM card for our mobile cell phone; Except this time, it worked! Next, we
tried to get some cash from 2 different ATM's with no luck. They seemed to all be down. This was worrisome as we were supposed
to give Paulo (the apt owner) the remainder of the money due for the apt once we arrived. Without any other options, we got a taxi.
The driver did not speak English, so we just showed him a piece of paper with the address. After speeding through the city, we arrived
at the apt. The taxi ride costs less than 10e;not bad.Just as we were unloading the bags from the taxi, Paulo appeared.
He had been waiting for us. He brought us up to the apt and once we exited the elevator, I just knew I would love his place.
I was right! As soon as the front door opened, I could see the light spilling in from all the windows. The pale, buttery yellow
walls just made the room all the more bright and alive. The apt was so fresh and clean and everything must be brand new, as it
is in perfect condition. It really was much more than I expected and the price was just so right. The entire apt is much bigger
than it looks in any of the photos; they just don't do it justice. In the kitchen, Paulo had some fruit and cookies laid out for us.
In addition, we had a large bottle of water, 2 bottles of juice and coffee in the coffee press ready to go. Paulo was so understanding when we told him about
our dilema with the ATM's. He just told us to call him when we could pay or that we would work something out; he was very
trusting and that it so admirable. After we got settled in, we went to the nearby grocery store for things like milk,bread
and cereal. We also stocked up on soda and water as carrying those with us saved us quite a bit of money compared with a tourist
site snack-bar.We also found a small mall that has a number of shops and restaurants inside. We became especially fond of the
ice cream there and made our way there almost every night. We walked around Chiado and down to Praca De Comerico just to get our
bearings. DH bought DS a Portugal futebal jersey for 10e, though we saw them later for 5e. We called it a night early as it was a long day.
Tuesday-June 20th
Again we slept in but I figured we needed it. Finally we got up and by the time we were ready to go, it was around noon. Since
the stop for Tram 28 is literally right in front of our apt, we stepped outside and boarded the bus. Just in case, we were
turned around,(like in Paris), I asked a very nice woman next to me if we were going in the right direction. We were and in
addition, she felt compelled to warn us of the pick-pockets. We didn't have any problems there and made our way up to the
Castelo de St. Jorge. Because we were a family of four, the cost was 4.5e. Not bad! We roamed around and enjoyed the views and
took a lot of photos. DS especially enjoyed this castle as it was more like a fortress and really appealed to his urge to
explore. After wandering within the castle walls, we found a little snack shop just down the street that overlooks Lisbon and
the water. I believe it is the same spot that I have seen in a couple of my tour books. Nothing fancy but the views. After
lunch, we made our way through the Alfama on our way home. We stopped in a beautiful church along the way and stopped in a
souvenir shop to pick up a few things for family and friends. While I don't remember the name of this shop, it had the best
prices we've seen while here. The soccer jerseys were between 5 and 10e and I got some nice embroidered dish towels for 3e.
Because we were trying to find out where to purchase travel cards good for all transportation, we headed
to Praca de Comerico. We ended up in an "Ask Me Lisboa" office. I was thinking (or maybe I wasn't), that this was more of a
tourism stop. Well, it was more of a tourism rip-off! We ended up purchasing four 3-day Lisboa cards good for all transportation
and some entries to places. Looking back, it just sounded easy! We spent 102e for the 4 cards. Please listen when I tell you,
if you are traveling with children, it's just not worth it. The kids are free most places and so you are only paying for the
transportation. It is not worth it! Of course, as soon as we looked it all over, we immediately regretted it.
more to come-
This portion is from my original trip report so you are fore-warned that it is long! Try to stay awake!
We flew into Lisbon with a view of the city and guess what? I missed it! I had taken a cat nap and missed the whole thing;next
thing I knew we were touching down. Bummer! Everything went well with the luggage this time and once we collected that, we
found a Vodaphone store where we were able to get a SIM card for our mobile cell phone; Except this time, it worked! Next, we
tried to get some cash from 2 different ATM's with no luck. They seemed to all be down. This was worrisome as we were supposed
to give Paulo (the apt owner) the remainder of the money due for the apt once we arrived. Without any other options, we got a taxi.
The driver did not speak English, so we just showed him a piece of paper with the address. After speeding through the city, we arrived
at the apt. The taxi ride costs less than 10e;not bad.Just as we were unloading the bags from the taxi, Paulo appeared.
He had been waiting for us. He brought us up to the apt and once we exited the elevator, I just knew I would love his place.
I was right! As soon as the front door opened, I could see the light spilling in from all the windows. The pale, buttery yellow
walls just made the room all the more bright and alive. The apt was so fresh and clean and everything must be brand new, as it
is in perfect condition. It really was much more than I expected and the price was just so right. The entire apt is much bigger
than it looks in any of the photos; they just don't do it justice. In the kitchen, Paulo had some fruit and cookies laid out for us.
In addition, we had a large bottle of water, 2 bottles of juice and coffee in the coffee press ready to go. Paulo was so understanding when we told him about
our dilema with the ATM's. He just told us to call him when we could pay or that we would work something out; he was very
trusting and that it so admirable. After we got settled in, we went to the nearby grocery store for things like milk,bread
and cereal. We also stocked up on soda and water as carrying those with us saved us quite a bit of money compared with a tourist
site snack-bar.We also found a small mall that has a number of shops and restaurants inside. We became especially fond of the
ice cream there and made our way there almost every night. We walked around Chiado and down to Praca De Comerico just to get our
bearings. DH bought DS a Portugal futebal jersey for 10e, though we saw them later for 5e. We called it a night early as it was a long day.
Tuesday-June 20th
Again we slept in but I figured we needed it. Finally we got up and by the time we were ready to go, it was around noon. Since
the stop for Tram 28 is literally right in front of our apt, we stepped outside and boarded the bus. Just in case, we were
turned around,(like in Paris), I asked a very nice woman next to me if we were going in the right direction. We were and in
addition, she felt compelled to warn us of the pick-pockets. We didn't have any problems there and made our way up to the
Castelo de St. Jorge. Because we were a family of four, the cost was 4.5e. Not bad! We roamed around and enjoyed the views and
took a lot of photos. DS especially enjoyed this castle as it was more like a fortress and really appealed to his urge to
explore. After wandering within the castle walls, we found a little snack shop just down the street that overlooks Lisbon and
the water. I believe it is the same spot that I have seen in a couple of my tour books. Nothing fancy but the views. After
lunch, we made our way through the Alfama on our way home. We stopped in a beautiful church along the way and stopped in a
souvenir shop to pick up a few things for family and friends. While I don't remember the name of this shop, it had the best
prices we've seen while here. The soccer jerseys were between 5 and 10e and I got some nice embroidered dish towels for 3e.
Because we were trying to find out where to purchase travel cards good for all transportation, we headed
to Praca de Comerico. We ended up in an "Ask Me Lisboa" office. I was thinking (or maybe I wasn't), that this was more of a
tourism stop. Well, it was more of a tourism rip-off! We ended up purchasing four 3-day Lisboa cards good for all transportation
and some entries to places. Looking back, it just sounded easy! We spent 102e for the 4 cards. Please listen when I tell you,
if you are traveling with children, it's just not worth it. The kids are free most places and so you are only paying for the
transportation. It is not worth it! Of course, as soon as we looked it all over, we immediately regretted it.
more to come-
Jul 26th, 2006, 06:34 PM
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Namaka. Thank you for the detailed information about getting to the apartment by taxi(cost) and also for the description.
I very much appreciated it and I will be sure to post my impressions when we return.
We purchased a one day Lisboa card when we first were in Lisbon and feel it was rather expensive but all the choices were so confusing. Now I am more prepared and have decided to buy a three day metro pass. I do not want to be bothered with single tickets or change. The cost is a lot less than the card you bought, though.
I very much appreciated it and I will be sure to post my impressions when we return.
We purchased a one day Lisboa card when we first were in Lisbon and feel it was rather expensive but all the choices were so confusing. Now I am more prepared and have decided to buy a three day metro pass. I do not want to be bothered with single tickets or change. The cost is a lot less than the card you bought, though.
Jul 28th, 2006, 04:31 PM
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You haven't put me to sleep namaka, I am really enjoying your trip report!!! Next time, don't put all of the underwear and shoes in one bag, lol. So far I have never had a piece of luggage not arrive, except once on the way home from Florida. But it seems it in happening more and more to travellers. Your apartments sound fabulous.
Jul 31st, 2006, 08:12 AM
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Next installement;
Wednesday-June 21st
We got up and out the door around noon again. I decided to just not worry about it, as we are on vacation and I just can't expect the kids to charge on with the wild schedule that I've tried to set-up. At least if I don't want them to grumble and moan all day! The first thing we did was return to Pracas de Comerico Square and to the "Ask Me Lisboa" counter. We wanted to know if we could
return the cards we had purchased. We were told that they do not do refunds but could try to sell them and then return our money back to us. We hesitantly agreed to leave them and made our way to the Cais de Sodre station. We were taking a ferry to Calchillas (sp?) and to the Cristo Rei. We paid for our fare to Calchillas; It was 70e a piece-one way. Not bad! The ferry ride was easy and fast, and provided a lot of photo opportunities. Once at Calchillas, we boarded bus 101 to the Cristo Rei. The bus costs 1.20e each;one way. The Cristo Rei was quite nice and again afforded outstanding views of Lisbon, the Ponte de 25 Abril bridge (replica of Golden Gate) and afar. We rode to the top and just basked in the glow of the views for a while. We returned by bus to the Calchillas station where we got the ferry back to Cais de Sodre. From the station we walked back to the "Ask Me Lisboa" counter to see if they had any luck selling our tickets. Did I really expect them to try? Heck no, they probably work on commission so we picked them up. We were stuck with them, but we were going to make the best of it. We got back to the apt and just relaxed for a couple of hours. That night DH and myself were meeting fellow fodorites Joao (Lobo) and his wife Gertrude at the famous Chiado coffee shop "Cafe Braselieria". We had scheduled to meet at 9:30 outside. We walked down without even thinking to bring our cell phone. As it was, Joao and Gertrude were running late and had been trying to call. After about 25 min, DH and I decided we should walk up and get the phone; good idea because as soon as we turned it on, Gertrude rang us; they had just arrived! We said our hello's and started getting to know one another. Joao, Gertrude and myself ordered Hot Cocoa and DH ordered a double sized coffee. Big mistake on his part because later on, he was so wide awake that he found himself doing push-ups on the kitchen floor just trying to make himself sleepy. The company was great and the conversation flowed easily. Joao and Gertrude gave us some pointers on things to do, and although a couple of hours had already passed, it had only seemed like 30 min. We really enjoyed our time with them. We arrived home about midnight to sleepy kids who had waited up for us and off to bed we went. I for one, slept like a dream!
Thursday-June 22nd
Once up, we walked across the street to the taxi stand and hopped in a taxi to get our rental car. The rental car agency, Budget was pretty close by, although not close enough to walk to. We arrived around noon and filled out the necessary paperwork and got our car. It was a small car, much like a Citroen, but had room for four, with four doors. Very cute and exactly what we were looking for. We had reserved it online for 3 days. It was 115e. Not bad, not great but it always seems to costs more the less time you rent it. We really only needed it for 2 days but the price was the same, so 3 days it was. Prior to leaving the apt, I got on Mappy.com and planned out our drive. First, we headed for Carnaxide, then to Oeiras,Carcavelos, Parede and if time aloud, to the Estoril- Cascais area. So off to Carnaxide, in search of my primary school that was now abandoned. I didn't care, I just had to see it and if I could, I was going to climb the gate and go inside the school grounds. We actually found it quite easy; I didn't even have a address; just went on memory. From the outside, it still looked the same, except smaller. But I was smaller then. We walked the perimeter of the school trying to find a place to get in; none. I would've climbed over the entry gate, but unfortunately, there was a dog keeping watch. I don't know how many times,in my head I've went back to the school and walked around. Now here I was, actually at the school and I couldn't get in. I was really bummed! DH took a couple of photos of me outside the gates, and we hopped in the car to our next destination. Back on the freeway, everything was going great, until we missed a much needed exit that would've taken us to our next 3 stops; Oeiras,Carcavelos and Parede. No big deal! We still had plenty of time. Instead we headed towards Cascais. We ended up at Guincho Beach. It is a beautiful beach with lots of big waves and I spent many summer days there. Funny thing though, it seems to be a beach mainly for surfers and windsurfers alike. I guess maybe with global warming, the waves have gotten bigger, because I couldn't see myself swimming in those waters now; but we used to all the time. DH,DS and myself wanted to go down to the beach while DD decided to stay in the car. As soon as we
exited the car, the wind hit us with such force and we were instantly pelted with sand. Ouch! Needless to say, we were back in the car within seconds. We drove along the water on our way into Cascais, but first wanted to stop at "Boca do Inferno", which means "The mouth of Hell". DH passed the turn-off to it, so we decided to make the next left in order to turn around when BAM"!!! Next thing we see is a guy flying through the air and doing head-over-heel somersaults. We watch in horror as we see him crash to the ground head-first. It was so surreal; like in a dream or a movie. Was he some sort of acrobat doing some fun stunt moves for us? Heck, no! This was for real, AND WE WERE REALLY SCARED! DH immediately pulled over and I ran over to see how the "young" boy was. I was spouting off in english, asking him if he was alright? and to sit down!, and where does it hurt?, all the while not even knowing if he could understand a word I was saying. He did and said he was fine, except for his foot or leg, so I asked him to sit down. By now, there were a few spectators and most were just speaking with the boy "Joao" in Portuguese, so I had no idea what they were saying. A very kind man pulled over and called the local police for us. They came quickly and Joao also called home to have his mother come. In fact, she really needed to, as he was driving w/o any of his necessary paperwork. The local police were very nice and did a informal investigation, but said the formal one would have to be done by special investigators who were on their way. Joao's mother and sister came and were also very nice. They tried to calm us, and told us how it was his fault,and not to worry because he was okay. They even offered to take us to the Airport so that we could pick up another rental car, as ours was not drivable. Joao was looked over by the paramedics and released. He was one lucky boy! Not only was he driving w/o his papers, and not only did he try to pass us on the left, when we were making a left turn, but it was in a posted "no passing" zone. What a day! I just couldn't believe that after having the car for only about 3 hours, it was wrecked! Budget sent a taxi for us and a tow truck for the car. The driver took us back to the airport to pick up another car but we were so emotionally drained that we declined and decided to stick with public transportation. We went back to the apt and just chilled for a while before dinner.
For dinner we decided to go to the Avenue de Restauradores. We were in search of roasted chicken. I was really looking forward to eating the chicken as it was one of my favorite meals as a kid. On our way to the more known chicken spot "Bonjardim", we were stopped and talked into a much cheaper chicken meal at a nearby spot. We were offered the same meal at almost half the price. Sounded okay and how wrong could you go with roasted chicken? We ate the bread and butter and even the pate knowing it would add to the price- we just didn't know how much it would add! The the children split a plate while DH and myself had our own. The kids had Pepsi and DH and I had a beer. For dessert, DH had rice pudding and the kids and I had chocolate mousse. The meal was just okay;not great! DS and I only got a wing and thigh while DH and DD got breast. Nothing was worth noting and undoubtedly, I forgot to take photos of the food. Now when the bill came, it was around 70e. I know, I know, that's not that much for a meal for 4! But remember that we were given a "good deal" of 6.50e for each plate and we only got 3 plates. That's only 19.50e for the main meals, which leaves 50.50e for the rest. We felt pretty taken but with the way our day was, we didn't feel like debating the bill, so off to the apt. we went and called it a night.
Friday-June 23
Well since we had given up the car and we had planned the day to visit some more of my old haunts, we figured we would do the best we could, but by train, bus or taxi. We got off to our usual vacation start of around noon-ish, and walked down the hill to the Cais do Sodre train station. We got on the train and headed for Parede. Parede is what I would call a suburb of Lisbon and is the town I lived in as a child. We were in search of my old home. I did have the address this time, but considering that I was 11 yrs old when I left, I wasn't sure if my memory would help me find the street. But once we got off the train, my memory went into auto-pilot. I started walking and everything just came back. I showed DH and the kids shops I remembered along the way. In fact, I took them into what used to be the fish market. Of course, I didn't tell them where we were going, I just lead the way hoping that they get to see and smell all the fish. Unfortunately, it is no longer a fish market, but a market with a variety of things. The kids did see a pigs head and got kind of grossed out, but that was it. Once back on the road, it was just a hop/skip and a jump to the old house. While it pretty much looked the same, sans the white paint, the area surrounding it looked a bit different. It almost made me question whether it was the right place or not;but it was! The road just seemed smaller and of course, there was a lot more buildings around, but the dead give away was an old boarded up house that looked exactly the same as it did 30 yrs ago. The only difference was that 30 yrs ago, an elderly couple still lived in it. After standing around reminiscing and taking photos and video, we decided we should probably leave in case the occupants were wondering who we were and what were we doing? On our way back to the train station, I found the supermarket we used to shop at. I used to always make my mom buy the salami; it was so good. I don't remember what the store was called before, but it was now a Pingo Doce. It had the salami and so we got that and bread and some other snacks. We headed back to the train station and while waiting for the train, made the salami sandwiches. Just like I remember! It was just salami and bread; and even DH said it was one of the best sandwiches. We got on the train headed to Cascais. Again, once there, it looked pretty much the same and it took no time for me to find my bearings and some places that were on my lists to see. As we headed towards the beach and through the streets, I was able to find and old bar that my parents used to hang out in, and across the way was a restaurant that our family used to frequent. The restaurant was called "Reijos" and our entire family of 7 used to eat filet migon and whatever else we liked for around $25.00. Of course, that was in the 70's and the dollar was much stronger than it is now. After a few photos, we headed towards the beach and had an ice-cream. We walked along the coast in search of the "Boca do Inferno". Remember, this was where we were headed when our accident occured. Now we were on foot, and boy was it hot! By the time we got there, we were so hot and sweaty that we found it less than interesting. The main reason for that was that it was low tide and calm waters. The "Boca do Inferno" is most exciting during high tide with stormy, rough waters, but alas, it was not. It was however, still lovely and I of course took lots of photos. Right where it is situated was a bunch of vendors under a long covered tent. I couldn't resist walking back towards Cascais under the shade and decided to head under there. Of course, it also meant shopping and with it came my first chance to barter for some souvenirs. During the trip, I had priced the Barcelo Cocks to take back home but they all seemed so expensive. Here, they were cheaper but no quite enough. The gentleman wanted 1e each for about a 1", but I offered him 10e for 12 of them. He took it. I know, still not a great deal, but worth something right? Next, I found a beautiful lace tablecloth. This gentleman wanted 35e, and when I offered 30e, he went for it. I suppose I could have done better but this was my first experience with bartering. Now, had my mother been there, it would've been a different story. Nevertheless, I felt that I had gotten some deals and we had also had a chance to cool down. We headed back to Cascais in search of bus #403, to take to the "Cabo do Roca". After waiting for about 30 min for the bus, we realized that there were only 2 buses left and that once we got up there, we would have to wait for over 1 1/2 hrs to come back. We thought it be better to save it for another day and instead headed back into Lisbon to get ready for our dinner with the LDC.
We were going to meet up with Matt and Lizzy at the Baixa-Chiado underground station. When Joao had decided that, it had sounded so easy. The station is only about 3 min from our door, so it seemed like the best option, except that we hadn't been down to it yet. Once we took the first set of stairs, we came upon an escalator. Well, actually it was four sets of escalators! We couldn't believe just how far underground we were going. Then once at the bottom, the station was huge! It wasn't anything like the Cais de Sodre station. We had absolutely no idea how we were going to find Matt and Lizzy. After about 10 min of searching, it was Matt who reconized us! We boarded our train on our way to meet up with Joao and Gertrude. Meeting up with them was not a problem as they were waiting for us at the station. We walked from the station just up the street to the
restaurant. Adega Da Gravatas! Dinner was sooo good and the company was excellent! I must admit that it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Here we were eating dinner with people that I've been communicating with on the internet. How crazy it that? But once we met them, we were fast friends and I hope to meet up with them again someday. For more about our dinner, read Matt's report. As we were heading back to the train station, we walked through a festa with people dancing and having a great time. There was even a booth with freshly made fartudas. These are like donuts, but better. I knew I would eat as many as these as I could find. Even though I was filled to the brim, I just had to buy some. They were still warm but I was too full to eat them and thought I would just save them for breakfast. We said our good-byes to Joao and Gertrude and the rest of us boarded our train back home. Matt and Lizzy had to switch to another train at our station, so we said our good-byes there. We had really wanted to meet up with all of them again before we left, but unfortunately we just ran out of time. By the time we got back to the apt, it was after midnight. The kids were pretty tired; but not too tired or full to eat the fartudas (which we all did). Not as warm, but still as delicious!
Saturday, June 24th
I was hoping that we would be up and at it early, but that just wasn't going to happen. Once out and about we headed to the Santa Justa Elevadore. It was nice, but after going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, we were a little less than impressed. We exited the Elevadore to go to the Convento do Carmo. It was very pretty and we took lots of photos of it. The kids spent most of the time staring at the skeleton of a child in the musuem. That was so fascinating to them! Next stop was the Museum of water. Matt had suggested this on the "Things to do in Lisbon" thread and it sounded really neat to walk along the aqueduct. So we took a taxi and headed to it. Once we arrived, the employees seemed to look at us a little funny and as I looked around, I didn't notice any aqueduct, but surely Matt's information wasn't incorrect. We walked around for a short while and saw some interesting pieces before we realized that there were 5 different locations and we were definitely at the wrong one. Bummer! We walked through the streets of the Alfama back towards Chiado and came across another Fartudas booth. They had just fired up the pots and I just couldn't resist, so we stopped. DH had a prego sandwich (steak) and the kids and I had the freshly made fartudas. I probably could've eaten 10, but I refrained.
Sunday, June 25th
DH and the kids went on strike. They wanted a day to do "nothing"! We had been going non-stop since we had left California June 13th, and since I was out-numbered, I had to concede. We laid around, did laundry and I read an entire book. Later on, DH and I walked the streets of Chiado in search of pizza for the kids. We finally gave up and had sandwiches.
Monday, June 26th
Our first day using our Lisboa Cards. We were going on a tour with "Inside Lisbon" to Obidos,Nazare, Batalha and finally Fatima. We were going to pay cash and left our apt early to get it from the ATM. Well, that wasn't an easy task because every one we came upon was not working. It appears that by late Sunday, early Mondays, the ATM's run out of cash. We tried at least 10 different ones before arriving at the Hard Rock Cafe where Pedro would be picking us up. Again, we explained our dilema about getting the cash to pay him and he too wasn't concerned. He said that we would probably be able to find a working ATM throughout the day and to just pay him later. He was right and we did. The tour ran us roughly 176 euros.
The drive to Obidos took about an hour and we talked with the only other couple on our tour. They were from New York on their honeymoon. The van was very roomy and Pedro was a great tour guide. He pointed out things all along the way. Once at Obidos, he gave us an hour and a 1/2 to explore on our own. Frankly, it wasn't enough time, but we were on a pretty tight schedule. We managed to find a working ATM and bought some Ginjiha. It was much better than the Ginjiha we tried in Lisbon; a lot smoother. The shop owner had some small, decorative bottles of it that we purchased for gifts. We took lots of pictures and walked around looking in the shops, but before we knew it, it was time to go.
Next, we went into Nazare. Such a beautiful coastline and the beaches are so clean. Here we stopped for lunch and decided to eat at a restaurant that Pedro recommended. We ate outside while people watching, but I honestly think it was everyone else watching us instead of us watching them. DH got some kind of fish dish, the kids steak and I had tried to get something similar to the bread stew that I had eaten Friday night at the LDC. It wasn't even close, but was still good anyways. After hooking back up with Pedro and the other couple, we went up to the top of the cliffs overlooking the beach. Up on the cliffs were a church and a memorial. I can't recall who it was for, but it was nice nevertheless. I did enjoy that the women still dressed in the traditional outfits of years past. I don't know if they are just being traditional, or if they do it for "us" the tourists?
After leaving Nazare, we headed to Batalha and the famous Monastery. It was very large and really pretty inside, even though we declined to see the cloisters and some of the other areas that you had to pay to get into. From there we headed to the famous site of Fatima. I'm not sure if I had ever been as a child and felt compelled to go. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but here it was. People come here from miles around just to pray. We even watched an elderly women walked the length of the grounds on her knees as a show of faith. There is even a piece of the Berlin Wall here as evidence of the power of peace; which is what the kids were told to spread the word of.
From Fatima, we headed back to Lisbon and said our good-byes.
Tuesday, June 27th
Today we started our day by heading to the rental car company (Budget) to fill out a accident report for them. We took a taxi and took care of the report. As we were leaving, I inquired if they knew where we could catch a bus to Belem. None of the employees had any idea, so the man helping us fill out our accident report offered to give us a ride. Wow; how nice and so much easier! He dropped us off at the Monastery of Geronimos. We headed inside and looked around. I remember driving by this every day on my way to school but I don't ever remember seeing the inside. It was beautiful and the courtyard nice. As we were leaving, I wondered if we had even seen everything, but just figured most of it wasn't opened to the public. Next we walked to the famous bakery to get our Pasteis de Belem. They were still warm and I had wished I had bought more than just one each. Yummy!
We walked to the Coach Musuem which I had went to on a school field trip years ago. It hadn't changed much except that they kept in rather dark so that the fabrics and such don't deteriorate in the light. Still, the coaches were magnificent! Today was a beautiful day;warm with a nice breeze. We took our time walking and headed for the Discoveries Monument. And again, went to the top for some great views of the surrounding areas. Next stop was Belem castle. DS liked getting up close to the cannons and climbing the stairs for each floor, but what he really wanted to see was the dungeons. Unfortunately, they were closed for renovations so we were out of luck. Well, we decided to head into Cascais,but first we had to get to the train station. It took about 25 min. to walk to the nearest train station and we were on our way.
Once in Cascais, we decided to stop for lunch at "Reijos". I just had to eat here, just as I had as a child. Everything was delicious, just as I remembered. We walked around Cascais picking up some souvenirs and then stopped in the mall to do a little girl shopping. By this time it was late afternoon, and although we had planned to take the bus to Cabo Do Roca, we realized that once again, it was too late to go, so we nixed that idea. Maybe on our way back from Sintra, we thought. So from Cascais, we headed home, but not before stopping in Pingo Doce for some more groceries.
Wednesday, June 28th
We managed to get a fairly early start and headed towards Sintra. Because renovations are being done at the Rossio Station, we had to get the train to Trecihlhas (sp?) and then change onto another line. We had to ask a couple of people for directions to which line, but we managed and found the right train. The ride wasn't long at all and before we knew it, we were there. I followed the instructions that I had downloaded off the fodors threads and turned right out of the station in search of the bus. Just like my instructions stated, it was right outside Pizza Hut. The sightseeing bus cost 4?euros each and took us to all the castles and sights. It was a hop on/hop off ticket for one day.The ride up the mountain was interesting as the roads are very narrow and the turns tight. The bus driver did it easily though and we were soon at the Moorish Castle on the top of a mountain. DD wasn't too keen on being so high up and decided to park herself on a bench while DH,DS and myself went to the top of the castle. It was super windy and at times, a little frightening to look down and see just how high up we were. But again, the views were out of this world. You could see for miles and miles! DS and myself went exploring every area of this castle while DH went to hang with DD. We had such fun and it made me feel like a kid again. Oh and I should mention, that while our entrance was covered on our Lisboa Card, we were supposed to carry with us the guide books that had our tickets inside. We had been carrying those books around for 2 days with so much as one person asking for them, that on this day we had decided to leave them at home. Big mistake! We needed them for each place we visited today. So, we ended up eating some 20 euros. After finishing at the castle, we headed back to catch the bus to Pena Palace, but not before we purchased some pastries queijos (SP?) de natas. They are similar to the pateis de belem but are made with a cream cheese type filling. Delicious! So we get the bus to Pena Palace and sure enough, without the Lisboa card booklet we have to pay full price to enter. Pena Palace is the last tourist site I remember visiting before I moved from Lisbon back to California. I still, after 30 years, have the entrance ticket. The kids really loved this palace as it was one of the only castle/palaces that had any furniture in it. This really brought it to life for them. Again, the views were incredible and we enjoyed ourselves. I have to mention that once you pay the entrance for Pena, a lot of people assumed that the tram ride up to the castle was included in the price. Please note that it is not and although there were some people walking up the hill; I would just pay the 1.5e fee for the ride. The hill is straight up and narrow and if you're walking up, you really must be on the look out for the trams in order to get out of there way. We did a lot of walking on this trip but even I wouldn't try these hills. After seeing Pena, we again boarded the hop on/hop off bus. We decided against seeing Sintra Palace and headed back to the train station for lunch and to the ATM for some much needed cash. From here we were going to try to take the bus to Cabo Da Roca but again decided against it and called it a day. We definitely had time to fit more into our schedule, but the kids were getting tired, so we headed home. That wasn't going to be as easy as it sounded. The train was having problems and every time we pulled into a station, we seemed to lose power and by the time we made it back to our connecting station, we had been on the train for a good 1 & 1/2 hrs as opposed to 30/40 min. But once we got to our connecting station and boarded the next train,we were home within minutes.
Thursday, June 29th
Today was our last full day in Lisbon. DS had really wanted to spend some time at the beach, so this was his day. We headed from the Cais De Sodre station to Cascais. Once in Cascais, we stopped at the mall across from the train station to use the bathroom and decided to eat in the food court. This sounded like a good compromise, since I knew the kids would go for burgers and fries, and I would want something less fast food-like. I was right and the kids went for the burgers, while DH had chinese. I opted for spaghetti bolognese. After lunch we went to the beach between Cascais and Monte Estoril. The beach wasn't too crowded, but boy was it warm out. DH was sure he would get burned. The kids played around and only barely got into the ice cold water, but still enjoyed themselves. And later DH and DS rented a paddle boat and zoomed around the water
for a while. DS really liked that. The wind started picking up and we decided to head home to pack. Once we got on the train, we realized that the only person who did get sun- burned was "me"! Go figure since I am the most naturally darkest of all of us. After we got back to the apt, DD and myself went out shopping as she had fallen in love with the clothes. We each picked up
a few things and went home to pack.
Friday, June 30th
We got up early and headed out. There was a taxi stand just down the street, so we rolled our bags over to it and waited for a taxi. Once one arrived, the driver tried in vain to load up all our bags. I guess he just wasn't very good with little spaces because upon arrival, our driver had no problem fitting everything into the taxi. After a few minutes, we just decided to get 2 cabs. We arrived at the airport but had a heck of a time trying to locate the Easy-Jet counter. After inquiring from a few people, we found it. Next, we just had to double check our luggage weights to make sure we were within our limits. After some switching, we were well within our requirements. I was very impressed with Easy-Jet because once the check-in line formed, and before the agents opened up, they brought all families with children to the front of the line. We were also given pre-boarding status to ensure that we would have extra time if needed. While this was very nice, there were many people that somehow got on board early anyhow. But oh well! Our flight was again uneventful, and this time I made sure to pack plently of food to keep us all happy.
Next stop-Luton Airport, England.
Let me also add that while Budget was really nice and helpful, we have yet to see any refund due to us. They had ensured us that it would only be a matter of days before we would be credited, but its now been a month.And while it is not a huge amount, it still is about 80 euros. I have the CC company working it on now.
Wednesday-June 21st
We got up and out the door around noon again. I decided to just not worry about it, as we are on vacation and I just can't expect the kids to charge on with the wild schedule that I've tried to set-up. At least if I don't want them to grumble and moan all day! The first thing we did was return to Pracas de Comerico Square and to the "Ask Me Lisboa" counter. We wanted to know if we could
return the cards we had purchased. We were told that they do not do refunds but could try to sell them and then return our money back to us. We hesitantly agreed to leave them and made our way to the Cais de Sodre station. We were taking a ferry to Calchillas (sp?) and to the Cristo Rei. We paid for our fare to Calchillas; It was 70e a piece-one way. Not bad! The ferry ride was easy and fast, and provided a lot of photo opportunities. Once at Calchillas, we boarded bus 101 to the Cristo Rei. The bus costs 1.20e each;one way. The Cristo Rei was quite nice and again afforded outstanding views of Lisbon, the Ponte de 25 Abril bridge (replica of Golden Gate) and afar. We rode to the top and just basked in the glow of the views for a while. We returned by bus to the Calchillas station where we got the ferry back to Cais de Sodre. From the station we walked back to the "Ask Me Lisboa" counter to see if they had any luck selling our tickets. Did I really expect them to try? Heck no, they probably work on commission so we picked them up. We were stuck with them, but we were going to make the best of it. We got back to the apt and just relaxed for a couple of hours. That night DH and myself were meeting fellow fodorites Joao (Lobo) and his wife Gertrude at the famous Chiado coffee shop "Cafe Braselieria". We had scheduled to meet at 9:30 outside. We walked down without even thinking to bring our cell phone. As it was, Joao and Gertrude were running late and had been trying to call. After about 25 min, DH and I decided we should walk up and get the phone; good idea because as soon as we turned it on, Gertrude rang us; they had just arrived! We said our hello's and started getting to know one another. Joao, Gertrude and myself ordered Hot Cocoa and DH ordered a double sized coffee. Big mistake on his part because later on, he was so wide awake that he found himself doing push-ups on the kitchen floor just trying to make himself sleepy. The company was great and the conversation flowed easily. Joao and Gertrude gave us some pointers on things to do, and although a couple of hours had already passed, it had only seemed like 30 min. We really enjoyed our time with them. We arrived home about midnight to sleepy kids who had waited up for us and off to bed we went. I for one, slept like a dream!
Thursday-June 22nd
Once up, we walked across the street to the taxi stand and hopped in a taxi to get our rental car. The rental car agency, Budget was pretty close by, although not close enough to walk to. We arrived around noon and filled out the necessary paperwork and got our car. It was a small car, much like a Citroen, but had room for four, with four doors. Very cute and exactly what we were looking for. We had reserved it online for 3 days. It was 115e. Not bad, not great but it always seems to costs more the less time you rent it. We really only needed it for 2 days but the price was the same, so 3 days it was. Prior to leaving the apt, I got on Mappy.com and planned out our drive. First, we headed for Carnaxide, then to Oeiras,Carcavelos, Parede and if time aloud, to the Estoril- Cascais area. So off to Carnaxide, in search of my primary school that was now abandoned. I didn't care, I just had to see it and if I could, I was going to climb the gate and go inside the school grounds. We actually found it quite easy; I didn't even have a address; just went on memory. From the outside, it still looked the same, except smaller. But I was smaller then. We walked the perimeter of the school trying to find a place to get in; none. I would've climbed over the entry gate, but unfortunately, there was a dog keeping watch. I don't know how many times,in my head I've went back to the school and walked around. Now here I was, actually at the school and I couldn't get in. I was really bummed! DH took a couple of photos of me outside the gates, and we hopped in the car to our next destination. Back on the freeway, everything was going great, until we missed a much needed exit that would've taken us to our next 3 stops; Oeiras,Carcavelos and Parede. No big deal! We still had plenty of time. Instead we headed towards Cascais. We ended up at Guincho Beach. It is a beautiful beach with lots of big waves and I spent many summer days there. Funny thing though, it seems to be a beach mainly for surfers and windsurfers alike. I guess maybe with global warming, the waves have gotten bigger, because I couldn't see myself swimming in those waters now; but we used to all the time. DH,DS and myself wanted to go down to the beach while DD decided to stay in the car. As soon as we
exited the car, the wind hit us with such force and we were instantly pelted with sand. Ouch! Needless to say, we were back in the car within seconds. We drove along the water on our way into Cascais, but first wanted to stop at "Boca do Inferno", which means "The mouth of Hell". DH passed the turn-off to it, so we decided to make the next left in order to turn around when BAM"!!! Next thing we see is a guy flying through the air and doing head-over-heel somersaults. We watch in horror as we see him crash to the ground head-first. It was so surreal; like in a dream or a movie. Was he some sort of acrobat doing some fun stunt moves for us? Heck, no! This was for real, AND WE WERE REALLY SCARED! DH immediately pulled over and I ran over to see how the "young" boy was. I was spouting off in english, asking him if he was alright? and to sit down!, and where does it hurt?, all the while not even knowing if he could understand a word I was saying. He did and said he was fine, except for his foot or leg, so I asked him to sit down. By now, there were a few spectators and most were just speaking with the boy "Joao" in Portuguese, so I had no idea what they were saying. A very kind man pulled over and called the local police for us. They came quickly and Joao also called home to have his mother come. In fact, she really needed to, as he was driving w/o any of his necessary paperwork. The local police were very nice and did a informal investigation, but said the formal one would have to be done by special investigators who were on their way. Joao's mother and sister came and were also very nice. They tried to calm us, and told us how it was his fault,and not to worry because he was okay. They even offered to take us to the Airport so that we could pick up another rental car, as ours was not drivable. Joao was looked over by the paramedics and released. He was one lucky boy! Not only was he driving w/o his papers, and not only did he try to pass us on the left, when we were making a left turn, but it was in a posted "no passing" zone. What a day! I just couldn't believe that after having the car for only about 3 hours, it was wrecked! Budget sent a taxi for us and a tow truck for the car. The driver took us back to the airport to pick up another car but we were so emotionally drained that we declined and decided to stick with public transportation. We went back to the apt and just chilled for a while before dinner.
For dinner we decided to go to the Avenue de Restauradores. We were in search of roasted chicken. I was really looking forward to eating the chicken as it was one of my favorite meals as a kid. On our way to the more known chicken spot "Bonjardim", we were stopped and talked into a much cheaper chicken meal at a nearby spot. We were offered the same meal at almost half the price. Sounded okay and how wrong could you go with roasted chicken? We ate the bread and butter and even the pate knowing it would add to the price- we just didn't know how much it would add! The the children split a plate while DH and myself had our own. The kids had Pepsi and DH and I had a beer. For dessert, DH had rice pudding and the kids and I had chocolate mousse. The meal was just okay;not great! DS and I only got a wing and thigh while DH and DD got breast. Nothing was worth noting and undoubtedly, I forgot to take photos of the food. Now when the bill came, it was around 70e. I know, I know, that's not that much for a meal for 4! But remember that we were given a "good deal" of 6.50e for each plate and we only got 3 plates. That's only 19.50e for the main meals, which leaves 50.50e for the rest. We felt pretty taken but with the way our day was, we didn't feel like debating the bill, so off to the apt. we went and called it a night.
Friday-June 23
Well since we had given up the car and we had planned the day to visit some more of my old haunts, we figured we would do the best we could, but by train, bus or taxi. We got off to our usual vacation start of around noon-ish, and walked down the hill to the Cais do Sodre train station. We got on the train and headed for Parede. Parede is what I would call a suburb of Lisbon and is the town I lived in as a child. We were in search of my old home. I did have the address this time, but considering that I was 11 yrs old when I left, I wasn't sure if my memory would help me find the street. But once we got off the train, my memory went into auto-pilot. I started walking and everything just came back. I showed DH and the kids shops I remembered along the way. In fact, I took them into what used to be the fish market. Of course, I didn't tell them where we were going, I just lead the way hoping that they get to see and smell all the fish. Unfortunately, it is no longer a fish market, but a market with a variety of things. The kids did see a pigs head and got kind of grossed out, but that was it. Once back on the road, it was just a hop/skip and a jump to the old house. While it pretty much looked the same, sans the white paint, the area surrounding it looked a bit different. It almost made me question whether it was the right place or not;but it was! The road just seemed smaller and of course, there was a lot more buildings around, but the dead give away was an old boarded up house that looked exactly the same as it did 30 yrs ago. The only difference was that 30 yrs ago, an elderly couple still lived in it. After standing around reminiscing and taking photos and video, we decided we should probably leave in case the occupants were wondering who we were and what were we doing? On our way back to the train station, I found the supermarket we used to shop at. I used to always make my mom buy the salami; it was so good. I don't remember what the store was called before, but it was now a Pingo Doce. It had the salami and so we got that and bread and some other snacks. We headed back to the train station and while waiting for the train, made the salami sandwiches. Just like I remember! It was just salami and bread; and even DH said it was one of the best sandwiches. We got on the train headed to Cascais. Again, once there, it looked pretty much the same and it took no time for me to find my bearings and some places that were on my lists to see. As we headed towards the beach and through the streets, I was able to find and old bar that my parents used to hang out in, and across the way was a restaurant that our family used to frequent. The restaurant was called "Reijos" and our entire family of 7 used to eat filet migon and whatever else we liked for around $25.00. Of course, that was in the 70's and the dollar was much stronger than it is now. After a few photos, we headed towards the beach and had an ice-cream. We walked along the coast in search of the "Boca do Inferno". Remember, this was where we were headed when our accident occured. Now we were on foot, and boy was it hot! By the time we got there, we were so hot and sweaty that we found it less than interesting. The main reason for that was that it was low tide and calm waters. The "Boca do Inferno" is most exciting during high tide with stormy, rough waters, but alas, it was not. It was however, still lovely and I of course took lots of photos. Right where it is situated was a bunch of vendors under a long covered tent. I couldn't resist walking back towards Cascais under the shade and decided to head under there. Of course, it also meant shopping and with it came my first chance to barter for some souvenirs. During the trip, I had priced the Barcelo Cocks to take back home but they all seemed so expensive. Here, they were cheaper but no quite enough. The gentleman wanted 1e each for about a 1", but I offered him 10e for 12 of them. He took it. I know, still not a great deal, but worth something right? Next, I found a beautiful lace tablecloth. This gentleman wanted 35e, and when I offered 30e, he went for it. I suppose I could have done better but this was my first experience with bartering. Now, had my mother been there, it would've been a different story. Nevertheless, I felt that I had gotten some deals and we had also had a chance to cool down. We headed back to Cascais in search of bus #403, to take to the "Cabo do Roca". After waiting for about 30 min for the bus, we realized that there were only 2 buses left and that once we got up there, we would have to wait for over 1 1/2 hrs to come back. We thought it be better to save it for another day and instead headed back into Lisbon to get ready for our dinner with the LDC.
We were going to meet up with Matt and Lizzy at the Baixa-Chiado underground station. When Joao had decided that, it had sounded so easy. The station is only about 3 min from our door, so it seemed like the best option, except that we hadn't been down to it yet. Once we took the first set of stairs, we came upon an escalator. Well, actually it was four sets of escalators! We couldn't believe just how far underground we were going. Then once at the bottom, the station was huge! It wasn't anything like the Cais de Sodre station. We had absolutely no idea how we were going to find Matt and Lizzy. After about 10 min of searching, it was Matt who reconized us! We boarded our train on our way to meet up with Joao and Gertrude. Meeting up with them was not a problem as they were waiting for us at the station. We walked from the station just up the street to the
restaurant. Adega Da Gravatas! Dinner was sooo good and the company was excellent! I must admit that it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Here we were eating dinner with people that I've been communicating with on the internet. How crazy it that? But once we met them, we were fast friends and I hope to meet up with them again someday. For more about our dinner, read Matt's report. As we were heading back to the train station, we walked through a festa with people dancing and having a great time. There was even a booth with freshly made fartudas. These are like donuts, but better. I knew I would eat as many as these as I could find. Even though I was filled to the brim, I just had to buy some. They were still warm but I was too full to eat them and thought I would just save them for breakfast. We said our good-byes to Joao and Gertrude and the rest of us boarded our train back home. Matt and Lizzy had to switch to another train at our station, so we said our good-byes there. We had really wanted to meet up with all of them again before we left, but unfortunately we just ran out of time. By the time we got back to the apt, it was after midnight. The kids were pretty tired; but not too tired or full to eat the fartudas (which we all did). Not as warm, but still as delicious!
Saturday, June 24th
I was hoping that we would be up and at it early, but that just wasn't going to happen. Once out and about we headed to the Santa Justa Elevadore. It was nice, but after going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, we were a little less than impressed. We exited the Elevadore to go to the Convento do Carmo. It was very pretty and we took lots of photos of it. The kids spent most of the time staring at the skeleton of a child in the musuem. That was so fascinating to them! Next stop was the Museum of water. Matt had suggested this on the "Things to do in Lisbon" thread and it sounded really neat to walk along the aqueduct. So we took a taxi and headed to it. Once we arrived, the employees seemed to look at us a little funny and as I looked around, I didn't notice any aqueduct, but surely Matt's information wasn't incorrect. We walked around for a short while and saw some interesting pieces before we realized that there were 5 different locations and we were definitely at the wrong one. Bummer! We walked through the streets of the Alfama back towards Chiado and came across another Fartudas booth. They had just fired up the pots and I just couldn't resist, so we stopped. DH had a prego sandwich (steak) and the kids and I had the freshly made fartudas. I probably could've eaten 10, but I refrained.
Sunday, June 25th
DH and the kids went on strike. They wanted a day to do "nothing"! We had been going non-stop since we had left California June 13th, and since I was out-numbered, I had to concede. We laid around, did laundry and I read an entire book. Later on, DH and I walked the streets of Chiado in search of pizza for the kids. We finally gave up and had sandwiches.
Monday, June 26th
Our first day using our Lisboa Cards. We were going on a tour with "Inside Lisbon" to Obidos,Nazare, Batalha and finally Fatima. We were going to pay cash and left our apt early to get it from the ATM. Well, that wasn't an easy task because every one we came upon was not working. It appears that by late Sunday, early Mondays, the ATM's run out of cash. We tried at least 10 different ones before arriving at the Hard Rock Cafe where Pedro would be picking us up. Again, we explained our dilema about getting the cash to pay him and he too wasn't concerned. He said that we would probably be able to find a working ATM throughout the day and to just pay him later. He was right and we did. The tour ran us roughly 176 euros.
The drive to Obidos took about an hour and we talked with the only other couple on our tour. They were from New York on their honeymoon. The van was very roomy and Pedro was a great tour guide. He pointed out things all along the way. Once at Obidos, he gave us an hour and a 1/2 to explore on our own. Frankly, it wasn't enough time, but we were on a pretty tight schedule. We managed to find a working ATM and bought some Ginjiha. It was much better than the Ginjiha we tried in Lisbon; a lot smoother. The shop owner had some small, decorative bottles of it that we purchased for gifts. We took lots of pictures and walked around looking in the shops, but before we knew it, it was time to go.
Next, we went into Nazare. Such a beautiful coastline and the beaches are so clean. Here we stopped for lunch and decided to eat at a restaurant that Pedro recommended. We ate outside while people watching, but I honestly think it was everyone else watching us instead of us watching them. DH got some kind of fish dish, the kids steak and I had tried to get something similar to the bread stew that I had eaten Friday night at the LDC. It wasn't even close, but was still good anyways. After hooking back up with Pedro and the other couple, we went up to the top of the cliffs overlooking the beach. Up on the cliffs were a church and a memorial. I can't recall who it was for, but it was nice nevertheless. I did enjoy that the women still dressed in the traditional outfits of years past. I don't know if they are just being traditional, or if they do it for "us" the tourists?
After leaving Nazare, we headed to Batalha and the famous Monastery. It was very large and really pretty inside, even though we declined to see the cloisters and some of the other areas that you had to pay to get into. From there we headed to the famous site of Fatima. I'm not sure if I had ever been as a child and felt compelled to go. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but here it was. People come here from miles around just to pray. We even watched an elderly women walked the length of the grounds on her knees as a show of faith. There is even a piece of the Berlin Wall here as evidence of the power of peace; which is what the kids were told to spread the word of.
From Fatima, we headed back to Lisbon and said our good-byes.
Tuesday, June 27th
Today we started our day by heading to the rental car company (Budget) to fill out a accident report for them. We took a taxi and took care of the report. As we were leaving, I inquired if they knew where we could catch a bus to Belem. None of the employees had any idea, so the man helping us fill out our accident report offered to give us a ride. Wow; how nice and so much easier! He dropped us off at the Monastery of Geronimos. We headed inside and looked around. I remember driving by this every day on my way to school but I don't ever remember seeing the inside. It was beautiful and the courtyard nice. As we were leaving, I wondered if we had even seen everything, but just figured most of it wasn't opened to the public. Next we walked to the famous bakery to get our Pasteis de Belem. They were still warm and I had wished I had bought more than just one each. Yummy!
We walked to the Coach Musuem which I had went to on a school field trip years ago. It hadn't changed much except that they kept in rather dark so that the fabrics and such don't deteriorate in the light. Still, the coaches were magnificent! Today was a beautiful day;warm with a nice breeze. We took our time walking and headed for the Discoveries Monument. And again, went to the top for some great views of the surrounding areas. Next stop was Belem castle. DS liked getting up close to the cannons and climbing the stairs for each floor, but what he really wanted to see was the dungeons. Unfortunately, they were closed for renovations so we were out of luck. Well, we decided to head into Cascais,but first we had to get to the train station. It took about 25 min. to walk to the nearest train station and we were on our way.
Once in Cascais, we decided to stop for lunch at "Reijos". I just had to eat here, just as I had as a child. Everything was delicious, just as I remembered. We walked around Cascais picking up some souvenirs and then stopped in the mall to do a little girl shopping. By this time it was late afternoon, and although we had planned to take the bus to Cabo Do Roca, we realized that once again, it was too late to go, so we nixed that idea. Maybe on our way back from Sintra, we thought. So from Cascais, we headed home, but not before stopping in Pingo Doce for some more groceries.
Wednesday, June 28th
We managed to get a fairly early start and headed towards Sintra. Because renovations are being done at the Rossio Station, we had to get the train to Trecihlhas (sp?) and then change onto another line. We had to ask a couple of people for directions to which line, but we managed and found the right train. The ride wasn't long at all and before we knew it, we were there. I followed the instructions that I had downloaded off the fodors threads and turned right out of the station in search of the bus. Just like my instructions stated, it was right outside Pizza Hut. The sightseeing bus cost 4?euros each and took us to all the castles and sights. It was a hop on/hop off ticket for one day.The ride up the mountain was interesting as the roads are very narrow and the turns tight. The bus driver did it easily though and we were soon at the Moorish Castle on the top of a mountain. DD wasn't too keen on being so high up and decided to park herself on a bench while DH,DS and myself went to the top of the castle. It was super windy and at times, a little frightening to look down and see just how high up we were. But again, the views were out of this world. You could see for miles and miles! DS and myself went exploring every area of this castle while DH went to hang with DD. We had such fun and it made me feel like a kid again. Oh and I should mention, that while our entrance was covered on our Lisboa Card, we were supposed to carry with us the guide books that had our tickets inside. We had been carrying those books around for 2 days with so much as one person asking for them, that on this day we had decided to leave them at home. Big mistake! We needed them for each place we visited today. So, we ended up eating some 20 euros. After finishing at the castle, we headed back to catch the bus to Pena Palace, but not before we purchased some pastries queijos (SP?) de natas. They are similar to the pateis de belem but are made with a cream cheese type filling. Delicious! So we get the bus to Pena Palace and sure enough, without the Lisboa card booklet we have to pay full price to enter. Pena Palace is the last tourist site I remember visiting before I moved from Lisbon back to California. I still, after 30 years, have the entrance ticket. The kids really loved this palace as it was one of the only castle/palaces that had any furniture in it. This really brought it to life for them. Again, the views were incredible and we enjoyed ourselves. I have to mention that once you pay the entrance for Pena, a lot of people assumed that the tram ride up to the castle was included in the price. Please note that it is not and although there were some people walking up the hill; I would just pay the 1.5e fee for the ride. The hill is straight up and narrow and if you're walking up, you really must be on the look out for the trams in order to get out of there way. We did a lot of walking on this trip but even I wouldn't try these hills. After seeing Pena, we again boarded the hop on/hop off bus. We decided against seeing Sintra Palace and headed back to the train station for lunch and to the ATM for some much needed cash. From here we were going to try to take the bus to Cabo Da Roca but again decided against it and called it a day. We definitely had time to fit more into our schedule, but the kids were getting tired, so we headed home. That wasn't going to be as easy as it sounded. The train was having problems and every time we pulled into a station, we seemed to lose power and by the time we made it back to our connecting station, we had been on the train for a good 1 & 1/2 hrs as opposed to 30/40 min. But once we got to our connecting station and boarded the next train,we were home within minutes.
Thursday, June 29th
Today was our last full day in Lisbon. DS had really wanted to spend some time at the beach, so this was his day. We headed from the Cais De Sodre station to Cascais. Once in Cascais, we stopped at the mall across from the train station to use the bathroom and decided to eat in the food court. This sounded like a good compromise, since I knew the kids would go for burgers and fries, and I would want something less fast food-like. I was right and the kids went for the burgers, while DH had chinese. I opted for spaghetti bolognese. After lunch we went to the beach between Cascais and Monte Estoril. The beach wasn't too crowded, but boy was it warm out. DH was sure he would get burned. The kids played around and only barely got into the ice cold water, but still enjoyed themselves. And later DH and DS rented a paddle boat and zoomed around the water
for a while. DS really liked that. The wind started picking up and we decided to head home to pack. Once we got on the train, we realized that the only person who did get sun- burned was "me"! Go figure since I am the most naturally darkest of all of us. After we got back to the apt, DD and myself went out shopping as she had fallen in love with the clothes. We each picked up
a few things and went home to pack.
Friday, June 30th
We got up early and headed out. There was a taxi stand just down the street, so we rolled our bags over to it and waited for a taxi. Once one arrived, the driver tried in vain to load up all our bags. I guess he just wasn't very good with little spaces because upon arrival, our driver had no problem fitting everything into the taxi. After a few minutes, we just decided to get 2 cabs. We arrived at the airport but had a heck of a time trying to locate the Easy-Jet counter. After inquiring from a few people, we found it. Next, we just had to double check our luggage weights to make sure we were within our limits. After some switching, we were well within our requirements. I was very impressed with Easy-Jet because once the check-in line formed, and before the agents opened up, they brought all families with children to the front of the line. We were also given pre-boarding status to ensure that we would have extra time if needed. While this was very nice, there were many people that somehow got on board early anyhow. But oh well! Our flight was again uneventful, and this time I made sure to pack plently of food to keep us all happy.
Next stop-Luton Airport, England.
Let me also add that while Budget was really nice and helpful, we have yet to see any refund due to us. They had ensured us that it would only be a matter of days before we would be credited, but its now been a month.And while it is not a huge amount, it still is about 80 euros. I have the CC company working it on now.
Jul 31st, 2006, 08:58 AM
#18
I am glad you posted the Lisbon segment of your trip, I had been looking forward to it. Sounds like quite a dramatic journey, and the auto collision must have been heart-stopping. It's good that everybody was all right.
Jul 31st, 2006, 10:42 AM
#19
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Nikki; yes, it was a bit heart- stopping. It did make for quite the conversation at the LDC though. We really can't believe the young Joao had no injuries at all. Someone was up there watching for sure!
Lisbon still does, and always will have my heart. We spent 12 days in Lisbon and I easily could've spent many more. I will be back for sure.
Lisbon still does, and always will have my heart. We spent 12 days in Lisbon and I easily could've spent many more. I will be back for sure.
