LISBON. TOUCHES... Part 1. Almost a love story
This text contains a mix of emotions and impressions, funny incidents and little usefulness, without historical references, routes and clear recommendations : ))
How it all began
I don't even remember when I had a dream about Portugal. But I did not dream of her for a very long time - probably two years. At first I dreamed just like that - looking at pictures, reading articles and stories - because getting to Portugal was like flying into space. Then, when a long Schengen appeared and a certain freedom in maneuvers was formed, I began to dream more purposefully - to look at air tickets to Lisbon first, well, no, it’s still expensive... And then my anniversary loomed on the horizon, and even falling on the long February weekend (on it’s less work to beg for days and it’s easier to attach children to relatives), and tickets from Slippers (TAP Portugal) are lifting tickets at a cost (37 thousand rubles for two back and forth) for the dates I need... Well, that's it, I decided where I will exchange my fifth decade life!! ! It remains only for the husband to understand that he also needs to go there : )) The husband, of course, knew that we would definitely trample somewhere on the Birthday, but why Lisbon? Why not Paris or Prague, where we have not been yet, or something else closer? On a fig to fly to the end of the world? - But I don’t know, probably because the End of the World... I want to! - well, if you want, then, of course, you need to... So the problem with the gift is solved)). In general, the husband does not care where to go, the main thing is that it is cheap, comfortable and not hungry. In fact, about two months passed between my “I want” and my husband’s “must”, but I finished it off!
The tickets were bought, there were about five months left before the trip, I decided to leave the preparation for later, so as not to burn out. And so, as luck would have it, leafing through the tapes of tourist sites (you have to start dreaming about something else), as materials about Lisbon poured out of a cornucopia, that's how they climbed out of all the cracks. I steadfastly held on, turned on complete indifference, just read, without delving into it, without making any notes, all so impregnable, and quietly fell in love with a city completely unknown to me)).
Love love, but the hotel, in the meantime, booked - Empire Lisbon Hotel 3 *, located next to the metro station Arroios (Arroios). You can read more about the hotel in a separate review - here. After the New Year holidays, I began to delve into it and in a couple of days made up a plan of Portuguese events for three and a half days, plump like that, but without fanaticism. The route is not particularly original: a little bit of Lisbon, a look at Belem, a drink to yourself at the End of the World (Cape Roca), a visit to the mysterious fairy-tale Sintra and, maybe, a visit to the Park of Nations before flying home. Of course, we wanted everything at once, but our lazy forces are not unlimited. That's it, I'm sitting - waiting...
But, as it should be in any decent novel, there was an obstacle to a date, love is not given just like that... Accurately, a month and a week before my dream trip, my friend, comrade and, concurrently, husband, thundered into the hospital. And in an adult way... In general, my birthday at the End of the World began to be covered with a copper basin... I will not dissemble, the tickets are non-refundable - it's a pity, however. Of course, certificates and extracts were prepared to try to return money for tickets, in extreme cases, it was possible to fly alone, but somehow it so happened historically that I am not a warrior alone in the field. But the husband's body realized that it was easier for him to recover, well, at least to come into a digestible form, than to be pecked by his wife's body for the rest of his life. But seriously, some doctors recommended to refuse the trip, while others, on the contrary, did not refuse in any case, new impressions and positive emotions are needed, just try not to physically overload and not forget about the three kilograms of prescribed medicines. Of course, we only accept what we want to accept. So it seemed to us easier, after all, to go for new impressions physically without being overloaded than to morally rot ourselves later for unfulfilled dreams. One benefit from all these unpleasant events is that the husband protected himself from all kinds of climbing towers, such as our "Tower Run" in Italy, or mountain climbing, like in Montenegro : ))
Airline TAP Portugal
I bought air tickets Moscow - Lisbon-Moscow on the TAP Portugal website (https://www.flytap.com/ru-ru/ ). The cheapest DISCOUNT fare was chosen - non-refundable, with hand luggage up to 8 kg, standard meals. On the way back, one ticket was taken at the BASIC fare, where luggage of 23 kg is added, this is for gifts and souvenirs.
We do not have a great need to sit next to each other during the flight, we can separate for five hours, so we decided to check in directly at the airport. And the kind girl at the reception took us and seated us side by side, and we didn’t even ask or mention it, for which many thanks to her! And on the return flight from Lisbon, they also sat next to me, though then my husband asked about this possibility, but the young man at the check-in replied that, unfortunately, there were no more free seats next to him, well, okay, and immediately gave us boarding passes indicating neighboring places. And again, thank you so much!
When flying from Lisbon to Moscow, we witnessed overbooking. Since the flight is late, we practically slept near the boarding gate. But then a resounding voice: "Who is ready to fly tomorrow. Two people. Payment for the hotel and transfer. 600 euros in compensation. " While we woke up and realized, one person agreed, and there were two of us (indivisible), the second one was quickly found. Uh, we figured it out too late, otherwise we would have almost completely compensated for the cost of our trip. . .
We had a good meal on the plane (I don't even remember what was hot), they offered us some delicious wine.
We felt all the delights of cheapness (were ready): non-reclining seat backs and tightness. But funny blankets and pillows and a couple of glasses of wine somewhat smoothed out the discomfort)). Since the husband at that time was temporarily assigned to teetotalers, I had to taste the wine for him too, friends need to help in everything))
CardLisboa Card
To pay for travel in Lisbon, I chose the Lisboa Card for 72 hours for 40 euros. You can buy it in advance on the Internet, then it will cost only 39 euros)). Of course, there is no super benefit when using this card. But it gives freedom of movement, you don’t think about whether there is money on the card, you jump into any tram or bus, funicular or metro, even if you need to drive a couple of stops. Well, free or discounted visits to museums are also nice. For example, the Jeronimos Monastery - the ticket price is 10 euros, with the Lisboa Card it's free. Or the castle of St. George - a ticket 8.5 euros, on the card 6.5, a trifle, as they say, but you can spend it on other needs. Yes, and travel to Cascais and Sintra by train is included in this price. In general, in our case, the Lisboa Card fully paid for itself and even saved 5 euros each)). And this is not counting the small pleasantness in the form of the continuation of the work of the husband's card after the time when it should have stopped working, mine was blocked about two hours after the estimated time of its expiration (it should have been somewhere around 13.30, and stopped working somewhere after 15). Using my husband’s card, we returned to the hotel in the evening, and my husband went to the airport by metro at eight o’clock in the evening, although I had to buy a one-time trip. For some fig, I attached my non-working card to the validator, and it squeaked, and the metro employee drew attention to me, lit up. In the Santa Justa elevator, there was only a slight squeak, which did not make any impression on the elevator operator))
And one more thing, all of a sudden someone is going to also use the Lisboa Card, you definitely need to validate it when leaving the metro, otherwise it won’t work at the entrance later, I think, and vice versa, we haven’t experimented. And no brainer, someone will say, the turnstiles will not open. This, of course, is true, but it happens that someone is too lazy to get a card out of his pocket and he attaches himself to his companion : )). And then he laments that he was deceived, slipped a marriage for 40 euros, then untranslatable Russian folklore... In short, the husband, in anger, began to apply validators to everyone in a row, including at the exit, the card worked, after that it worked at the entrance.
Well hello Lishboa!
The long-awaited moment of the meeting has come. I have never looked forward to a single trip, I have never been so afraid of a single meeting. I’m all kidding, but it’s true, like in love : ))
I think that many, especially beginners, have a certain fear, or something, when you get off the plane, then from the airport - what is there, and how is it, and will they eat it, will they stumble... With this feeling, I left from the plane. But no, everything, like everywhere else, follow the arrows, follow the arrows and exit. And people who look like us. And the sun is shining, and not a cloud in the sky! February is in the yard...
We bought a Lisboa Card (a kiosk in the arrivals area, you can’t pass by) and headed to the metro, and here we see that our Arroios station, where the booked hotel is located, is crossed out on all the diagrams. Damn, we hit... The first reaction is a slight panic, we are the first time in this city, with a minimum of English (let alone Portuguese), little idea of the distance, etc. Of course, nothing terrible and fatal happened, we got to the next station Anjos (Anjos) and a little longer walked to the hotel in the opposite direction. It’s just that when they were walking, I calmly listened to a monologue on the topic: “Well, why do we (read “wife’s”) always have everything through one place. ” Already with WI-FI in the hotel, I read that the Arroios metro station was closed for reconstruction in July 2017, because this is the only station that had a short platform, and it received so many trains with three cars. And the needs are growing, there are already six everywhere. Frankly, for those three and a half days spent in Lisbon, and we used the metro often, we never saw 6-car trains. No, I'm lying, from the airport and to him on such a ride along the red line. Knowledgeable people immediately go to the head of the train, and those who do not know (used to walk along the long platforms of the Moscow metro) then run into the last (third) carriage : ))
We didn't have any special plans for Lisbon, just walking and looking.
And we walked, strayed, in some incomprehensible way constantly went out to Figueira Square. Probably because this is one big eatery, and we love to eat : ))
Lisbon is different. These are the crooked streets of Alfama
And the shabby streets of Bairro Alto
And the exemplary streets of Chiado
And solemn Avenida da Liberdade Avenue and Marques de Pompbal Square
These are elegant houses of tourist streets and filthy buildings of unknown alleys
It's a bright carefree sun
and night contrasts
These are modern buses, rushing at breakneck speed, as it seemed to me)), and creaky funiculars, it is not clear where they take the strength to climb from
This is the charm of street food
and the commonness of a restaurant
traditional national dish - bakalyau
These are the famous sardines
and non-famous greengrocers
This is the historic Santa Justa elevator
and a modern metro with original designed stations
We didn't have much time, and that's a good thing. We didn’t see much, to be honest, we didn’t really want to. We just looked at the city, touched it, tasted it a little and left it for later. . . Remember, as a child, the most delicious was left for later : ))
Continued in stories
"LISBON. TOUCHES. . . Part 2. A little about the sights and not only))"
"LISBON. TOUCHES. . . Part 3. Escape to the ends of the earth or "Happy birthday to me! "
