I was just telling Joe that each time we go on a trip I find it hard to believe there’s anything left to write about. We’ve already been to Portugal several times… what could be unique? People. That’s what’s always unique. People are so interesting. But circumstances are interesting too because things change all the time. We’re always doing something just a little differently.
For example, my Christmas present to Joe this year was KTNs (Known Traveler Numbers). When you purchase a plane ticket, you input your KTN (theoretically) and then you’re a TSA pre-check and you get to go in that super short line at the security check-point at the airport. First glitch in the plan was TapAir doesn’t have anyplace to input your KTN. I googled the problem and found that I could apply the number when we checked in online. It worked! Phew. So when we got to security at SFO, we strutted up to the lady to show her our tickets and she pointed to a line of 3 people. At that moment an entire flight crew happily cut us off as they went ahead of us. As the last of them straggled by, the next flight crew showed up. Twenty minutes later, we finally went through.
We got to our seats and, miracle of miracles, the seat next to me was empty! Our plane lifted off and hour and a half later. When we went through customs at LIS we knew to go through the short/fast line for e-passports (all American passports are e-passports). Turns out we were once again wrong. The super long line was shorter, so we left the quick line and walked right up to a customs officer. Moral of the story? Pay attention to your surroundings. Things change.
We discovered something new, thanks to our Airbnb host. She told us we could take Uber from the airport. Most airports don’t allow that. At Lisbon airport they have a whole section devoted to mobile-app drivers. Within a minute or two the driver is there! For only three bucks we were driven to our new digs. Admittedly it took our driver several loops around the multi-tower complex to actually figure out which one was ours.
We had a great night stay with Carolina, who is pregnant with her first baby—too cute. The bathroom made me a little nervous because I had to lean hard into the door and turn a key to get it to stay shut. I had visions of that time I blacked out in a Reno hotel and hit the doorframe so hard it knocked me unconscious. To rescue me here, they’d have to break that door down. Thankfully nothing happened, but don’t think I didn’t worry about it.
We walked over to the shopping mall and were blown away by this play structure—so Portuguese! Little kids were strapped to safety harnesses and were working a complex suspension-route while their parents shouted encouragement and advice. I love this country.
Now we’re in beautiful Sao Martinho do Porto. This is such a charming seaside village. It doesn’t have the same multi-cultural population as the other cities we’ve been to here in Portugal. This is a vacation town. The people who live here year-round are Portuguese and British, with a few Scotts and Irish thrown in. It’s famous for it’s calm bay and has earned the title Baby-beach. It’s definitely family friendly.
Our Airbnb exceeded my expectations. It’s a two-story home (2 bedroom and 2 bath) overlooking Sao Martinho. It has the usual quirks and surprises, like no microwave, but it has a stunning deck to write on and watch the sunrise and sunset. Most important of all, it has soft beds. We love soft beds and in Portugal that’s a rare treat.
We went to our favorite Italian restaurant the first night, Pizzaria Portobello. Antonio works there as their one and only waiter. It’s rare to get seated without a reservation, but we lucked out. Yesterday we ate at another favorite, Waves. This is a British restaurant that serves fish and chips on Fridays. Seriously the best fish and chips I’ve ever had. Just perfect.
Today we plan to walk the boardwalk over to Salir for lunch.
