Hello again.
We made it! And without any mishap, if you don't count discomfort and all the good stuff associated with lengthy travel. Our first flight left Detroit at seven PM (thank you Mom and Dad Bacon for driving us!). It was eight hours long, and dropped us in Frankfurt at about nine AM their time. Neither of us had been able to sleep. Especially thanks to the two old men behind us (who, we now speculate, surely must have been from Portugal). Not only were they the only ones talking, even through lights out, they could still apparently not hear one another as we continuted to hear them through the movie playing loudly in our earphones. We couldn't stop thinking about how much easier it would have been to land directly in Lisbon.
The three+ hour layover in Frankfurt was equally as uncomfortable. We were both tired, although Rebecca was able to catch a few minutes of sleep, but there was not much success with rest. At least we got some good exercise, as our terminal was on the other side of the airport, and it was huge enough for the employees to require bikes. Our flight to Lisbon was delayed by almost an hour, but understandably so as Frankfurt was receiving some heavy snows. We watched the planes be de-iced and longed for our own.
Neither one of us remembers take-off much on the second flight. We were both hard core passed out, and with ample room. We pretty much slept the entire two hours and forty-five minutes. We landed in Lisbon at five PM their time (five hours ahead of everyone back home). Customs was so noncommittal that when we were asked where we had come from before Frankfurt it felt more like a friendly inquiry. We didn't even get stamps in our passport. Go figure. Our baggage arrive with no problems (thank God- since we had to check them after all. FYI: there is an eighteen pound limit for a carry-on, and ours exceeded that by ten pounds each).
Our trusty guidebook told us where to turn when we got out of the airport, and which bus to take to the tourist information center. Easy as pie. We had exchanged for euros in Detroit and they worked! (Crappy exchange rate by a lot!) We decided to become concerned when we realized that while we knew where we needed to get off at, we were unfamiliar with the labeling of the bus stops. Our time in Lisbon has taught us that most people know a smattering of English, and are even helpful. Michael commented on how put-out he will be if we return to America and are misundersood on our own home turf.
The tourist information center hooked us up with the Tulim Suisso Atlantico. It was right around the corner, "past the lift"- which were apparently installed to help combat the practically impossible steepness of the walkways. The Tulim Suisso Atlantico greeted us with all the charm expected of a four star hotel. Granite floors and stantions, concierge in a three piece suit, the whole nine. We asked to see a room before we committed, and it greeted us with all the charm of a two star hotel. After climbing the three sets of stairs we didn't want to descend again with our bags and try another search. The price was right, and we weren't after luxury. The arrival had been painless, and we were hungry and tired.
It took so long to get our invoice at the front desk that we almost did go to another place. We were originally rung up for two nights, and it took nearly a half an hour to fix the change. We were paying in cash, so when they suggested we come back later for our receipt we thankfully declined. As we waited we chuckled together at the business card displayed on the counter, which had four stars printed in the corner with two crossed out in pen. In the nick of time we were handed the change, and took two steps to the hotel restaurante.
We were about to choose our meal by pointing at the menu and saying "I want that" when the host saved us by giving us an English version. Michael had his first Portuguese beer, and we savored our meals and olives and bread and butter.
We were aghast to find out that our room did not have WiFi, nor the entire place. We tried hacking into a few, but with no luck, and at last we gave up in hopes that no news would be interpreted as good news by our loved ones.
Our room was furnished with some skeletal twin beds pushed together, barely a foot off the floor it seemed. Showering proved difficult in an ultra-deep tub with water pressure so high the showerhead kept rocketing off its hook. We took the liberty of cracking the window, which consisted of opening the shutters that held the glass and raising what looked like mini garage doors. We noticed the next morning that all of the residences are decked out the same way. It appears to be standard issue, with not a screen in sight. The heat was cranked up to an insane temperature, and we slept under no blankets other than the sheets we had packed for cleanliness purposes. Thank goodness for those things. It was nine PM when lights went out and we slept soundly and gratefully until eleven hours later. We owe that to the sound machine app. Michael down-loaded on his iPhone with foresight. Silly tourists. There is only so much one can sacrifice. A comfortable mattress. A comfortable shower. A washing machine. Even every other soul not speaking your language. But never, never the masking of empty noise at night.
