After a great flight into Lisbon, I had a transfer waiting for us – which is not something I do often but this one I had scored for free!
It’s wonderful to walk along a bunch of people holding names, see your own name and know you just have to follow from then onwards. He put us in the back of a black van and we drove through the dark streets of Lisbon…
Sounds dodgy I know but it was a great experience, brand new van with a lovely friendly driver – I was very tired so it’s just what this Mum needed! 

Our first day nobody had any energy for anything!
We did walk round our area mid afternoon, and that, was all that got achieved.

The next day it was time to go into the city centre. I’d booked us another walking tour!  We found a direct bus that stopped outside our door! We were staying in the suburbs so it was a bit of a trip in. Once we navigated ourselves to the starting point we plonked ourselves on some concrete steps in the shade, it was already getting warm and was only 10am. I am not missing my hoody, jacket or beanie!
A lovely Canadian couple asked us if we were there for a tour and we worked out we were on the same one. They were lovely to talk to, a teacher and an accountant from London, Ontario. 3 daughters in their 20’s. She’d taught in Auckland back in the 80’s. We stuck together as we found our guide and started walking. Our guide was funny, entertaining and thee most wonderful story teller! We followed him round Lisbon for 3 hours as we went from monument to monument, street to street, neighbourhood to neighbourhood.
I could write an entire blog post on this walking tour. I’ve done loads and loads of them and never have we ever had such an engaging guide as him. Loved it. Two special stops stood out. On the Main Street he disappeared into a bakery and came back out with a Portuguese tart (just out of the oven) for everyone. Yum!
 (They’re hard to find at home but if you want to try one the Malaysian place upstairs at the crossing does them, not cheap but very nice!)

Then the second to last stop we paused at a grandmother’s house – STOP READING RIGHT NOW MUM 🙈🙉🙊– she made homemade Ginjinha. A cherry liqueur. So our whole tour group lined up at her front door, paid our €1 for a shot in an edible chocolate cup. (It’s not technically legal but the authorities don’t seem to mind.) It was the sweetest and yummest liqueur… so we went back for seconds and bought a mini bottle…not entirely sure how I’m going to get that non labelled, could be anything, bottle back into NZ! 🤔 Actually might not even last that long! Ha!
The tour ended soon after by finishing the story of Lisbon and then he announced “class dismissed!”
If you’re ever in Lisbon please contact me, I’ve got his full name and number. I’d love for you to go on the same tour we did. 

After that I browsed a few souvenir stores to find a magnet for my collection, then it was on the bus towards Belém Tower. Belém is always on those Facebook ‘where have you visited in the world?’ things so I was determined to see it!
(Delwyn – if you’re reading this I’m secretly, or not so secretly, in competition with you on those things! Ha!)
BK needed to hop off the bus early which left me on the bus with both kids. He text to say he’d catch up with us so we carried on our way. We made it to the tower – go me and my trusty stead, Google maps!
A lovely violinist was busking while we sat in the shade and ate a bag of chips, we moved closer to enjoy the music. If you’d like to sit with us a couple of minutes to listen too, I took video for you which is scheduled to post to Facebook in the coming days. Which Disney movie is the song from? 🧞‍♂️
BK did not manage to catch up with us, he ran short on time and had to join a work call from somewhere. It was up to me to navigate getting us 3 back on a bus packed so tight like sardines, fortunately it’s the bus that stops right outside our apartment so once we offloaded the tourists at stops closer to town the bus emptied enough to get seats and off we went, very thankful for air conditioning! If we don’t get sick from being that close to so many people it will be an utter miracle!!We tumbled in the door gasping for liquid, I’d taken some but it hadn’t been enough for the exercise we’d done and or the heat we experienced. We’d bought some extra too but still not enough! Brendan came in a wee while later and it was bed time for everyone! 

I woke up just after midnight to an absolute racket out on the street below us, which is interesting because we’re on the third floor, doubled glazed and it STILL woke me up. A 20+ person drumming and trumpet procession were at full noise walking down our road! Having the time of their lives! Escorted by what appeared to be a police car, not at full noise thankfully! We’d been warned on our walking tour It was freedom day coming the following day and obviously they’d started celebrating at midnight! I grabbed my phone to take video from our balcony, unfortunately in my sleepiness I’ve taken it in portrait rather than landscape but I’ll post it to Facebook for you too see….or hear!!!!

The following day was a work day for BK and an absolutely nothing day for me and the kids. I did manage to find a laundry mat and get a big load of clothes washed. I also managed to schedule a weeks worth of posts to Facebook. Love that scheduling tool, so helpful! Oh we did have an evening walk to see the water and the massive bridge to the other side of Lisbon. If you’ve been to Denmark or seen my photos or other photos of their never ending bridges, it looks like that.

There was really only 2 touristy things I wanted to do in Europe while we are over here and one is 45 minutes by train from Lisbon. It’s a town in the middle of nowhere called Sintra. Many palaces and castles all stuck on a hill. So out we missioned, fortunate to get a direct train from our suburbs train station (€1.65 each) I expected an over full train but due to avoiding the main Lisbon city train station I think we managed to side step the bulk of the tourists, we also went really early! We arrived and the options were : a bus for €11.50 each or very steep walk uphill for 45 minutes or an Uber for €6 – guess which one we choose!
Once I’d secured tickets and a time slot to enter Pena palace, we wandered the gardens. They were well kept and beautiful. We saw horses and a cute cottage. Mini lakes and water features. Soon it was our turn for the palace, it’s a circuit which is really helpful for tourist flow! At the end we sat on the balcony and I fed the fam chips and popcorn that I’d packed in, cause I’m cheap like that! Ha!
An Uber for €4 back down the hill, it was back to the train station….after a couple of no show trains we jumped on one going to Lisbon city. BK bailed out early – spotting a theme here? 😂 – to catch a work call and I managed to navigate me and the kids back into the city, onto the metro, several changes to get onto the line that went to our suburb and back to our apartment! Let’s just say, my brain isn’t going to mush on this trip, it’s not idle in any way! It’s exercising the problem solving gland extensively!
Sintra and the palace we saw were stunning, the architecture so unique! It was most definitely worth the day trip.

Our last day BK packed his stuff and ubered with it to a co working space. This left me to pack up the apartment then get us three and a pile of gear down the road – via a mini mart for Fanta, CK and I have a new addiction! – and onto the metro to the airport. Let’s just say I was dripping with sweat by the time that was over!!! I love my pack, this is its third trip to Europe. It’s wonderful to have everything on my back and my hands free to manage extra luggage or children…or food!If you haven’t seen me recently I lost 17kgs last year, my pack is 19-20 ish kgs, so today the realisation came that I used to carry almost all that weight round, all the time. It was quite a realisation actually.

After a few hours BK joined us, we processed through the airport, getting stamped out of Europe, and onto a plane to our next destination- which is where I write this blog, and like my last one I watched the sunset again. I took video of our take off so keep an eye out on Facebook if you’d like to see Lisbon by sunset! I’ll probably mute the noise as we are on quite the party plane! At least 2 brides on here and the excitement to go with it!

We managed to be almost last off the plane, then after a pause for the toilets almost last through customs, then almost last to the baggage carousel to find our bags just going round and round!
One last hurdle before entering the new country, getting our bags scanned….but before that even happened I was escorted by police to a small office…

Till next time,

Claire