A dismal breakfast burrito was served shortly before we landed in London, but I wouldn't have enjoyed even the nicest meal after all that bouncing around. We landed safely, of course, much to my amazement. It was noon when we landed, and after a short layover in London, we took off for Lisbon where we arrived about 5:00 p.m.
Our host at Oriente DNA Studios, Andre, picked us up at the airport, for a small fee. He gave us a little tour of what we were passing as we drove from the airport. Our place is in a quiet neighborhood, where our host grew up. The family home is now the family business. Nancy had arrived earlier, and greeted us at the apartment, which consisted of 3 bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. Andre pointed out places where we'd find restaurants nearby and said that walking through the neighborhood after dark was very safe.
We had arrived in Lisbon on Gail's 80th birthday. We found Butchers Restaurant, within walking distance of our apartment, on TripAdvisor, and dinner there was fabulous. Our waiter, probably the manager, was very helpful and friendly. We arrived at the restaurant about 8, and were seated promptly. Nancy and I ordered some wine, and the manager brought us a few samples to taste, describing the qualities and relative complexity of each. We both enjoyed our choices and paid about 4 euros for each glass, an amazing deal in a big city. Along with the wine, we were served two small plates of olives, bread, cheese and salami, at no extra charge.
Dinner choices were very tasty - steak or steak sandwiches, and a hamburger (with a poached egg on top). All were served with regular or sweet potato fries. The manager, wanting to help with a birthday celebration, brought Gail some lovely lime cheesecake to share. It arrived with a candle on the top, and we all sang Happy Birthday. He then served us each a little glass of port, which we loved.
Gail with her birthday cheesecake
Our dinner had been delicious and fun. It was a great start to our trip. The bill was a surprising deal at 58 euros for the whole thing. Nancy insisted on paying and left a nice tip on top of it. We're not sure about the tipping protocol here, so probably will err on the side of over-tipping, rather than being too cheap.
Back at the apartment, we all collapsed into our comfy beds, and had varied amounts of sleep through the night. We need to be up early to catch our bus to Fatima at 9:00. We're staying close to the train/bus station, which Nancy had already scoped out, and which would make our departure easy in the morning. She had also already purchased our bus tickets to Fatima, and on to Porto. Our research had suggested the bus as the preferred way to get to Fatima, since the train station was farther away from the shrine.
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