As I said in my last post, I stayed over until Monday in Rotterdam - partly to NOT get involved in Sunday travel craziness and partly to have a little time to do some exploring in Rotterdam.
I had a mid-afternoon flight from Amsterdam to Lisbon - a direct, non-stop flight which is always nice. We arrived on time, and I actually took a taxi to the hotel, which is somewhat of an indulgence. However, I deserve an indulgence! And after all, in a new city, at night, with luggage, I really didn't want to try to walk or to navigate public transportation.
I was staying at the DoubleTree by Hilton Lisbon - Fonatana Park. This was a somewhat surreal experience. The hotel is either quite new or perhaps newly renovated. Apparently the designer has a very restricted palate. Everything was black or glass or mirrors or small touches of gold. Well, in the room, the linens were white. But everything else was black or window or mirrors or small touches of yellow/gold. I didn't take a picture in the room, but here is the hallway leading to my room at the far end on the left. I felt like I was in a noir science fiction setting!
On Tuesday, I went out and wandered the streets of the center of Lisbon. I had a sort of goal of finding a large park that was about a kilometer from the hotel, and I did find it. There were a lot of people around, and it was hot. Not as hot as it had been the day before I arrived, but with the sun beating down and no clouds, it was hot. Many of you know how I feel about hot weather - it's not my favorite. But fortunately, there was a small breeze occasionally, and I had my hat to help protect from sunburn. I then sent back to the hotel (I had to do some actual work for a client!).
On Tuesday, I met up with a friend for the afternoon - someone I met on Zoom almost 2 1/2 years ago. Of course, given Covid, I hadn't had an opportunity to meet her in person until now. She actually lives in the Netherlands, but is spending about 7 weeks in Portugal (outside of Lisbon) this summer. So I said, "Well, then let's meet in Portugal!" She was nice enough to drive in to LIsbon and meet me at the hotel.
We walked a little bit in the center, but eventually making our way down to the Tagus River. This is the longest river in the Iberian peninsula. It originates in the mid-east part of Spain and flows mostly west or southwest for over 1,000 km. It empties into the Atlantic in Lisbon.
I love being by the water, almost as much as being in the woods.
This was the end of my sight-seeing (and walking) in Lisbon. I know there is so much more to see. This trip has its frustrations - it's a lot more difficult to suddenly decide to stay extra time somewhere than when I was driving around the US and Canada. However, it's a great opportunity to discover places I may want to come back to!
Tomorrow on to Prague.
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