A weekend in Lisbon

[Skyring]

Every year my wife attends a medical conference. She gets an allowance for the airfare, accommodation, expenses, but there's only so much in the kitty, and if it's a long way off, she goes economy. I go along to share the room, paying for my own flights. We've had some good holidays this way - she attends the conference during the day, I explore the town, find a nice restaurant for dinner.

This time, Lisbon.

 

[Skyring]

I've done this all many times before, so I got in early, checked the flights, grabbed ones that were more or less convenient, checked seats on seatguru, grabbed the best I could find, snaffled a guidebook or two, researched the conference, nearby hotels, AirBnBs and so on.

Sometimes I can find a really nice old hotel nearby, maybe an AirBnB with laundry and kitchen. Not this time. It's good to be close to the conference to minimise time spent hassling with the public transport system, duck back to the room for a break or to get something forgotten, etc.

So we got a room in the conference hotel, a big modern thing a couple of kilometres from the old town, not a lot of romance in its soul, but convenient, and hey, we weren't paying for it.

As usual, my Booking.com rate worked out better than the official conference rate. I think they actually jack up the prices, given that most attendees are subsidised by governments and drug companies.

My wife manages to look a million bucks with just carryon, I look like a baggy dag with a big rolling duffle and matching carryon full of electronics. I'm pretty much Apple all the way from watch to laptop, and I left the iMac at home.

Went into town in the morning of our departure, and grabbed this little beauty. I've had my eye on it for a while, and it's probably one of the best cameras for street photography right now.

 

[Skyring]

I am sadly diminished in status, but Qantas has graced me with Gold, and if the truth be told, I prefer the normal lounge in Canberra for the view of the tarmac, runway and green hills, over the restricted and graceless carpark vista from the Business lounge. We checked in in good time, settled down with coffee - I may have had a drink of something else, I forget now, and I observed the proceedings of the airport.

Some high minister of Iran was in town, along with his A340 magic carpet, and I hauled out the heavy artillery for a shot. My Olympus OMD EM1 with the 40-150mm ƒ2.8 zoom, extracted from my carry on and assembled for the shot.



I gazed at the thing with some interest; in a few days I am off to Iran for a week.

But the lesser bird in the foreground is my current ride to Sydney, so I shall be thankful for that.

 

[Skyring]

Not too long ago, I would have been beside myself with excitement to be off on a long trip, and even a Dash-8 would have filled me with joy. But not today. They gave us a snack, I expect, and there were clouds outside, concealing the view until just before landing. Some breaks over North Sydney, and I hoped for a glimpse of Mahratta on the Pacific Highway. Sometimes it seems as if our calm meditation room is full of jets on their sunrise arrivals, and I looked for the reverse view of that stately mansion in its serene grounds. But in vain.

Alas, this time no leisurely First lunch, just a glass in the regular lounge after our cross-tarmac bus trip. I glimpsed some atrocity of language along the way:



QF1 to Dubai. The upper Y cabin was all but full when I booked, so I went for a row of three, with one at the window, one on the aisle, and an empty in the middle. Luckily it staid empty for us, and our flight was comfortable enough. I gave Kerri the window, and indulged myself in various drinks, with the freedom to stride up and down the aisle whenever I chose.

There was a young mother travelling alone with an infant and a preschooler in the bassinet row beside us, and she absolutely nailed it. Barely a peep out of her kids the whole way. In fact I am sure they slept sounder than I did.

I enjoyed the selection of movies and music. Qantas does their inflight entertainment very well nowadays, and I have to do several longhaul flights in a month to exhaust their stock of movies. In fact, their back catalogue classics are always worthwhile. I may have seen some of these golden oldies many times, but I can always watch Up in the Air again.

There was an uninspiring meal, a breakfast as we came in to Dubai - followed by the usual interminable loops over the desert - and in the night the usual array of fizzy drinks and horrid snacks were available. I knew I'd do better in the Emirates lounge, so I restrained from wolfing down the offerings onboard.

 

[Skyring]

I'm in two minds about the Emirates thing. I liked Singapore and the whole oneWorld thing. Even if I never get out of the terminal - and, to be honest, I never have - Changi is a destination all to itself. Day or night, it's buzzing. The airside hotel is convenient, the shopping is awesome, the cinema, swimming pool, garden and so on are amenities unheard of other places, and there's always the lounge when flight time gets close.

oneWorld flights out go everywhere. Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong is my usual next leg on a DONE4, but I can always jump on British Airways to Heathrow if I feel depressed, and sometimes travel takes me that way. You know how it is.

Emirates changed all that. Out of the oneWorld "family", so there's new rules, new lounges, new problems. They don't see that little green oval in quite the same way, not unless it's on a Qantas card.

Dubai changes the dynamics of a flight to Europe. The big leg is upfront out of Sydney or Melbourne instead of west from Singapore. Instead of taking a BA A320 out of Heathrow to an onward destination in Europe, I now have to grab Emirates and leave that oneWorld. It feels foreign.

But then again, I don't have to go to Heathrow - bonus! - and backtrack. I can fly direct. That's a saving in time and hassle right there.

Dubai is another place I've never left the terminal. A half-dozen times now, the shopping is equally amazing, the amenities may not be so free as at Changi, but those amazing Emirates lounges make up for that.

We arrived somewhere around one in the morning, flight to Lisbon a little after seven. We both got a little sleep on Qantas, but, you know, could use a bit more in the six hours here.



Love my Apple Watch, by the way. My previous watch was a Citizen Eco-Drive Skyhawk, which had a tonne of dials and displays, and never needed recharging (had a solar cell in the watch face), but the Apple Watch does more, even if Siri doesn't understand me when I'm drunk or in a hurry. I might not have my phone within easy reach, but I can still do phone calls like Dick Tracy. Mind you, the time zone doesn't update until I'm on the ground and take my phone out of flight mode. With my Skyhawk I used to just tab ahead to the destination time zone as soon as we were airborne. And I have to recharge the Apple watch every night, which can be a little fiddly when travelling.

We looked around the shops. Kerri bought some fancy-dancy noise cancelling headphones. Not as fancy as some, and I've got to say that prices can get pretty stratospheric for these things, but these came out somewhere north of $500 and not only had all the good features, but looked great.

There's a couple of places to buy Scotch. I could spend a few hours in one of these joints, inspecting some of the more interesting brands not stocked by the Murphy Brothers in Canberra, but maybe on the way back…

Next stop, loungeland.

 

[Skyring]

I used to think that the Qantas First lounge at Sydney was the best in the world. Certainly it trounced the flagship lounges of BA and AA, and was a step ahead of Cathay Pacific's Wing.

But that opinion didn't survive my first encounter with the Emirates First Class lounge. Huge. Top quality. Staff in their hundreds. Multiple dining options. Lots of amenities.

My son and I were delayed a couple of hours there, and honestly, we had two excellent breakfasts with steak, champagne and coughtails. The first a little rushed, the second more leisurely when we realised our onward flight had been delayed.

There's even shops inside the lounge for those who don't want to mix it with the common herd downstairs.

The only drawback is that they could have more showers. Flying longhaul, a shower, shave and so on really sets me up between flights, and I usually don't have too much time to hang around. Emirates could usefully double their capacity here.

This time around, it's only the regular lounge, but that's still pretty awesome. As huge as the First lounge above, and if you have to serve yourself instead of having a waiter, that's okay. The food is pretty good, and the bubbly not bad.

We had a midnight brekky, I had a shower, we took in some news via CNN and newspaper, and then hit the quiet room for a bit of a snooze.

 

[Skyring]

At one end of the lounge there's a quiet room. It's about as big as any other lounge in the world, sprawls over two levels and includes a coffee bar, but it's just the quiet room here.

There are rows of curvaceous couches, each with some sleeping gear - blanket, eyemask, socks - set out. Each has a little cabinet beside to store your stuff, and there are powerpoints for recharging. Pretty handy.

Trouble is that flat couches would probably be better. These are fine for snoozing, but fully asleep, you sort of slide down and wake up.

About half of the couches had their occupants stretched out on the carpet beside.

Some didn't bother with the couches at all, just grabbed the blanket etc., pushed two of the squarish armchairs together to make a double-size nest, and curled up on their sides.

I got a little sleep, but I also spent a bit of time playing with my new camera. It has a few features that needed learning, and given Olympus hides a lot of stuff away in their labyrinthine menu system, I had to hunt around a bit. I guess the coffee and bubbly didn't help with the sleep, but then again, I'm a bit of a lounge junkie, and I like to test and taste what's available.

 

[casanovawa]

Nice start, will read this as I am off to Lisbon in August, although I will be flying MH's A380 in first to London and then BA down to Lisbon...

I've been to Porto before but not Lisbon so keen to get a few tips...

 

[clifford]

Been to Lisbon a few times. I'm having a day/night there in October. Flying in and out J class on TK.

Better to go for a short while than not to go at all. Worth having a look at Estoril, Cascais and Sintra while you're there.

 

[Skyring]

This shot is just a random one from my exploration of the PEN F. Not a particularly good lens, but the 5-axis internal stabilisation makes up for a lot of deficiencies. I can shoot hand-held in low light at insanely slow speeds and the sensor will wobble the opposite way to my hands, leaving it effectively rock-solid and the image sharp.

There are a few marvels in human civilisation. The first is the city itself. No cities, no civilisation. The modern city is a wonder of organisation and systems. It is truly amazing how we, a species of hunter-gatherers, can live in populations of millions. The systems needed for food, water, transport, and latterly power and communications are robust and stable. And yet we rarely even consider these everyday glories.

The second, to my mind, is the university. As Newton put it, he stood on the shoulders of giants in making his discoveries. Universities take education out of the family, beyond the local school, and expose students to global thinking spanning millennia. Granted, the availability of books on the internet has given the ordinary person a huge knowledge base, but learning and thought best develops when the student discusses and considers new concepts with others. Education isn't really about pouring information into students, it is about "drawing out" the awareness already held within. Plato gives an excellent demonstration of this in Finding Meno.

And the third is the modern airport. Dubai is a superb example of the way in which complex systems can be developed to move vast numbers of people around the globe efficiently, safely, comfortably. These great airliners, moving rapidly and full of explosive fuel, could easily destroy thousands in a few seconds. Systems for processing people, along with all their baggage, food, money, and diverse objectives, could easily bottleneck and choke, creating immense discomfort. There have been spectacular failures in the past.

And yet, this vast and busy machinery functions smoothly. People follow signs, move from one place to another, use various internal transport systems, and it all happens. There's been a lot of thought put into this place. Standing on the shoulders of others, to be sure, and building on previous mistakes, but here in the desert, millions of people are protected from the elements, provided with air, food, and drink, and sent safely on their planet-spanning journeys.

This particular chimpanzee stands in wonder.

 

[hossein_au]

Enjoying the story so far and looking forward to the rest.

just be mindful of pickpockets in Lisbon. My then-brand new iPhone 6 was stollen right in front of my eyes from the table at a restaurant we were at!

let's catch up when you're back in Canberra, we have a small and friendly group together.

 

[Skyring]

We left just after dawn, boarding more or less directly from the lounge after morning ablutions and cuppa. There was a call to prayer sounding out as the sun rose, a beautiful thing to hear, but perhaps not so welcome for those drowsing between flights.



We had a B773 to Lisbon, and as ever I marvelled out the window at the impressive display of wealth as we taxied for takeoff. The huge airliners parked like so many shopping trolleys.

And, as ever, pointless taking photographs once airborne. The haze all but ruins any panoramic shots. The world's tallest building is a dim shape in the gloom.

We picked at our economy breakfasts. There were okay, but let's face it, fresh coffee, smoked salmon and sweet pastries with a glass of Moet to smooth the journey trump anything in foil and plastic served at the back of the bus.

We had the first row of three doubles right at the back. Ten abreast seating in economy, but as the fuselage narrows, the outer seating drops from three across to two, perfect for couples. The first of these rows are the pick, because the seats face slightly outboard, giving a modest increase in legroom for the window seat. There's also a jog in the aisle, making getting in and out a little easier, because there is room for people to stand out of the flow along the aisle.

Granted, there's hundreds of passengers ahead on arrival, but unless you're in a screaming hurry, that doesn't matter. The first passengers out still have to wait for their luggage.

A pleasant daytime flight. For a change, there were no fascists insisting that window shades be lowered. Cathay Pacific is really good at this, and longhaul flights are pretty much solid darkness, despite the scenery outside. I like looking out at the Middle East, the Mediterranean, the various lands beneath. Even a cloudscape is worth contemplating.

The inflight entertainment was good. Not quite as well arranged as Qantas, but plenty of choice. Kerri tried out her new headphones, and let me have a go. They did their job well, and I resolved to get some of my own when I could.

We flew into Lisbon from the south, over the broad estuary of the Tagus, almost directly over our hotel. Some excellent views before landing.

Once on the ground, we had to walk and walk and walk for immigration. We passed glassed-in stations, where people stood looking out at the passing traffic. They puzzled me until I realised that everyone inside was puffing on cigarettes.

Immigration was painless, though even more painless for EU passport holders, who simply scanned their passports at automatic stands, while I was forced to smile at a bored guard. Another stamp in the passport; Portugal is a new one for me.

I bless my big yellow LL Bean rolling duffle at every carousel. I can spot it the instant it drops onto the belt, and nobody is ever going to run away with it. Everyone should follow my lead on this. Life would be so much easier if we didn't all have nondescript black or brown baggage.

Taxi into town. I'm sure there's public transport and Ubers are available, but Kerri gets her expenses repaid, and she needs a receipt for the trip. Besides, where do the Ubers pick up?

Lisbon has good roads, the airport isn't too far from the city, we were at our hotel quick enough. I loved the way the cabbie just jumped up onto the footpath at the front entrance.



We were only a hundred metres from Marchese de Pombal, standing high on a pillar in the middle of a great roundabout, looking down Liberation Avenue to the old city, his pet lion standing improbably at his knee. This is the chap who rebuilt Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake. There are two Metro stations beneath the roundabout, buses leave from stops along the edge, and avenues radiate out. There's a park for walking, restaurants abound, and even an impressive Burger King for those desiring foreign food.

We had withdrawn some Euro at the airport, which made for an uncomfortably (for me, at any rate) large tip to the doorrman who brought our bags up. Ten Euro is probably too much, and next time around I'll buy a stick of gum or something so as to get some change.

The room - in the SANA Lisboa - was ten floors up, had a Nespresso machine, and a great view.

 

[RooFlyer]

<snip>
I gazed at the thing with some interest; in a few days I am off to Iran for a week.
<snip>

Lucky you! I was planning to include Iran in a trip to Turkey I have coming up, but nixed it when I remembered that travelling to Iran means you can't get the US Visa waiver, and I value that more than a visit to Iran.

<snip>
The room - in the SANA Lisboa - was ten floors up, had a Nespresso machine, and a great view.
<snip>

Yes, but does it have decanters of Port in your room and at the breakfast buffet, like the Britannia, there ?

Liking the TR.

 

[Skyring]

Sometimes we arrive at the hotel and collapse into bed after the rigours of the journey. Thirty-three hours on the road, but Kerri was up for a look around. Well, fair enough.

I did some research. We were a kilometre or two from the old town, the conference had an outlying day out near Belem, another few kilometres along the coast, and we needed some transport. The Viva Viagem rechargeable card allows travel on the Metro, buses, ferries and stuff, and there apparently was a booth near MdP.

We unpacked our kit, I made up my camera backpack with cameras, raincoat, guidebook etc. and off we went.

Turns out that although MdP is a transport hub, the only booths I could find weren't selling Viagem cards. Later on I discovered the Metro stations beneath the roundabout, where cards could be purchased from machines with English instructions, but hey, we needed transport, we got sold tickets on the ho-on-hop-off buses. Two different companies, both using similar logos and vehicles. What could possibly go wrong?

After we were shepherded onto the correct bus, we went downtown, or at least to the old town. Passed a big Starbucks on the way, and I made a mental note to drop in for a mug later on. I collect these things, and I began before I went wild with round the world travel and US roadtrips, so I have a few. Every now and then my wife tries to dispose of one. Guess I'll have to return to Heidelberg for a replacement…

The downtown route is along Liberation Avenue and then into the grid that replaced the earthquake ruins. Prada and other high-end shops line the street. The old town itself is rather seedy, befitting the faded capital of a lost empire that has to import codfish from Norway and relies on tourism.



This view is kind of tytpical. Some buildings actually had vegetation growing out of the roof. Tiled facings gave a certain amount of charm and I'm hoping to live out the rest of my life without discovering what the "Testes Gratis" offered in an upstairs window is all about.

 

[Skyring]

Lucky you! I was planning to include Iran in a trip to Turkey I have coming up, but nixed it when I remembered that travelling to Iran means you can't get the US Visa waiver, and I value that more than a visit to Iran.

Yes, but does it have decanters of Port in your room and at the breakfast buffet, like the Britannia, there ?

Liking the TR.

Thanks. The US changed their visa rules after we'd booked and paid for the trip. I guess I'll have to get a visa for my next US trip.

There was grog in the minibar. Never bother with this stuff, so there may well have been port. They brought us goodies every afternoon - fruit, pastries, once a half-bottle of red.

And there was always bubbly at brekky.

Western civilisation!