A day of the dismals...

I wish I could say I enjoyed the last day of March, but sadly, I can't. The weather, so gorgeous and Spring-like yesterday, was dull and horrible today. We had heavy grey skies and a chilly wind, which was depressing. I'm sure I would have felt differently if the sun had been shining!

I did housework in the morning and mooched about in the early afternoon, visiting my parents later for a chat. My Dad barely said a word, but lit up like a Christmas tree when one of the regular carers came in to say hello. Enough said!

Keith and I were supposed to have had a beef casserole for dinner, but neither of us felt like it, so we had tinned soup instead... really, we should have gone out for an Easter Sunday lunch this afternoon rather than venture out yesterday, so that put the topping on a dismal day!

I poured myself a glass of wine and watched Jimmy Doherty's cooking programme in Florida, which did cheer me up, though!

Chasing cats!

We had a relaxed morning pootling about (I coloured my hair) and at lunchtime, said goodbye to Sophie who was going to spend the weekend with Vikesh. Keith and I drove into town and visited The Malt Shovel again, but this time we were dismayed to find the pub wasn't doing food other than Cornish pasties and bar snacks (peanuts, crisps, etc). I think this will be the last time we visit this particular pub! I used to love the food they did, and we were both disappointed that we had to go and find somewhere else for lunch.

We had one drink and headed for The Lamplighter. We parked in the nearby multi-storey as all the parking around the pub is for permit holders. It's been a gorgeous Spring day today, with plentiful sunshine and blue skies dotted with white fluffy clouds. I don't think it's going to last, though!

The Lamplighter was quiet, and we took a seat at the back of the pub overlooking the little outdoor area.

I chose a hamburger for lunch, while Keith opted for the steak and ale pie. The food was very good, as it always is, but the place was so quiet for a Saturday lunchtime. They were advertising live music in the evening and most of the tables were reserved for later.

It was great to sit and chat and we left at about 3pm and headed home. Sophie and Vikesh had left for their Airbnb so we arrived home to an empty house. Mooney rushed in but there was no sign of Gomez who was obviously loving being outside in the sunshine!

I watched the Boat Race and was disappointed to see Cambridge win. For some reason, I've always supported Oxford but Cambridge took the lead and never gave it up. While Keith watched the Newcastle-West Ham game from earlier in the day, I went upstairs and finally saw a couple more episodes of Too Good To Be True. 

Throughout the evening, we tried to get both cats in but they were reluctant to give up their freedom. I looked out of the front window at one point to see what looked like a large rolled-up hedgehog which, on closer inspection, was actually a cat. As I went over, Mooney appeared and ran off towards the houses at the front of the estate and then I saw Gomez. Neither of them would come near us so we gave up, knowing they weren't far away! Even Keith kneeling on the road and offering treats didn't work! Little monkeys!

A Good Friday!

I had managed to get Good Friday off work, but I'm working on Easter Monday. Today I kept thinking it was Saturday! I was up at about 7am so had a relaxed start to the Easter weekend with plenty of coffee. 

Sophie and I cleaned downstairs and tidied up and Vikesh came over at about 11am to wish the cats a happy birthday. We think it's today as the 29th of March was listed on their veterinary records as the day they were most likely born. Vikesh brought some goodies with him - an Easter egg, lovely food, and cat toys. He can come again!

He stayed for about an hour and, at midday, Sophie and I set out for Woburn. In the distance, I could see heavy black clouds and within minutes, the heavens opened and we had a torrential downpour of rain! We took the M1 and I marvelled, yet again, at how poor the driving was on the motorway. There are four lanes now and most drivers seem reluctant to drive in the left-hand lane. OK, lorries tend to drive in this lane, but in the gaps, cars are allowed in! It's almost as if motorists think they can't drive in it! Lane hogging on the motorway is alive and well! I shudder to think what would happen if these drivers were on the Autobahns in Germany!

We arrived in Woburn, parked, and walked to Woburn Mosaic for a light lunch. We chose a glass of Portuguese white, and the Mosaic platter of cheese, ham, crackers, apple, pear, grapes and dried fruits to share.

Unfortunately, the little bistro/art gallery was quiet and we were the only ones in there. Maybe that was a good thing as we did a lot of crunching and munching! It was a lovely lunch but the owner really needs some heat at this time of year as I was cold, which is unusual for me!

After we paid the bill (it wasn't cheap at £67 including service) we had a look in Zoohaus and I fell in love with loads of furniture, including a gorgeous leather bar stool. Sophie said it was lovely but she just knew the cats would scratch them if we bought two. At £275 each, maybe another time! She spotted a noodle dish with chopsticks that she bought for Vikesh as a gift.

Over the road, we visited the antique shop and I drooled over the Michael Matthews painting again. This time, they had a little card with the artist's name and the price - £1100... Sophie spotted a pair of beautiful earrings and decided to buy them despite them not being designed for pierced ears. They were gorgeous and made of a kind of dark shell so in the light, they looked all different kinds of colours.

We decided to head home but went through Woburn Abbey grounds to see if we could spot any deer. Not one single deer today! How strange that the other week we saw two large herds! We took another route back to the M1, and before going home we popped into Waitrose to get some nibbles for tonight.

After enjoying our nibbles and the first episode of a new drama called Drop Out on BBCiPlayer, we drove to Walgrave to pick up fish and chips. Well, Keith had fish, Sophie and I just enjoyed a portion of chips between us as we were stuffed from our nibbles!

Storm Nelson

Sophie said to me this morning that the wind and rain were scary in the night. At 3.30am, she thought our roof was going to come off! Storm Nelson is a Spanish storm but it's due to affect the UK today. I looked at the weather forecast for Lisbon for this weekend and was just glad we hadn't picked this week to go! It's set to be wet and stormy!

I had a busy shift at work, dealing with emails and had to send one out to 150 people. We are so careful about GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) rules and I had to make very sure I BCC'd the email addresses! I was so glad when it was done!

At 2pm I left, looking forward to having three days off. The weather was wet and windy, and there'd been an accident on the road leading up to the Holcot/Sywell roundabout involving three cars. One car was missing an entire wheel, so I have no idea what had caused that, but it must have just happened as the people were standing about and making calls on their phones. 

My Mum had called while I was at work, so when I arrived home I phoned her. She wasn't keen on going out in the terrible weather and we postponed again, saying I would see her on Easter Sunday and bring over some goodies.

The cats were in the conservatory on the sofa and I closed the door as the rainwater was all over the floor. I pootled about doing some little jobs and the rain stopped, so I let them both out again. However, after about half an hour it started to come down really hard and I tried to get them in again. Mooney was no problem, but I had to shout and shout for Gomez, who suddenly climbed over the gate and came zooming into the house! He was wet through, and I covered him with a towel to dry him, but he freaked out completely! He looked absolutely terrified and I wondered what had happened to him in the past to provoke a reaction like that? There is a large gap between them being born at the end of March and our adoption in October, and I do often wonder where they were.

Keith was keeping an eye on the football fixtures for this evening as Sileby were due to play Moulton. Sileby games have been frequently postponed in the past, and with the weather, I couldn't believe it hadn't been called off!

Sophie and I were looking forward to a Tesco Finest meal with some leftover pasta and garlic bread and a bottle of Rosé for dinner, and we decided to watch Michael Palin's Himalaya. As the evening wore on, the weather became even worse with torrential rain and gusty winds. Outside, the road had started to flood with all the rain coming down. 

Keith kept updating the fixtures page and until about 7.15pm the game, unbelievably, was still on. However, just as he finished donning his coat, hat, scarf and shoes, the game was postponed. He was so annoyed he threw his hat across the room! Why it hadn't been called off earlier in the evening, I'll never know!

A day of pottering

Today has been spent pottering about the house and doing some unexciting jobs! It's been a day of sunshine and showers, and tomorrow is supposed to be stormy with a lot of rain and high winds. 

Keith had a haircut at 10am, and I made bacon sandwiches when he returned. I also had a great time cleaning the top oven and the detergent drawer of the washing machine... who knew that being an adult would be so much fun!

I was planning to take my Mum over to Tesco again this afternoon, but she said she didn't realise what day it was, so we postponed until tomorrow. I made use of the extra time by cleaning the garage door - it was covered in muddy pawprints - and the surround which needs a lick of paint. Maybe when this rain stops and we have sunshine! I'm so glad I managed to cut the grass last Sunday!

Keith decided to go shopping this afternoon, which will free up his day tomorrow. We have a sparse weekend for meals coming up as Sophie is going away with Vikesh on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and Keith and I plan to visit The Malt Shovel on Saturday and have lunch there. It's always fish on Good Friday (I can't believe it's Easter this weekend!) so doing the list was easy this week! I hate trying to think up what we're having for dinner every night, but it helps Keith when he shops!

I also spent a little time planning Sophie's birthday and ordered her a card from Moonpig, as I always do. I looked at going to France for the day on the Saturday after her birthday, but the ferry and train prices were sky-high, probably because it's the Easter holidays. I didn't plan her birth very well, did I! Her birthday normally falls at Easter, in the holidays! I looked at the Hotel Atlantique in Wimeruex for lunch, but the restaurant are charging 95 euros per person... gulp! Maybe we'll look at something later in the month!

When Sophie returned from work, the house was looking lovely and cosy and the cats were both in, which is always good. Gomez has spent one night out now, but we leave the conservatory open for him if he refuses to come in!

Feeling the heat!

After a mainly uneventful shift at work, I was looking forward to a day off! I dashed home at 4pm and pootled about until Sophie returned. Dinner tonight was one of the family favourites - jerk chicken pasta, and I'd asked Keith to marinate the chicken breasts for me this morning. I told him not to use too much paste as I could adjust the heat later!

Keith was going to see Slieby play (hence our choice of dinner) so he bundled himself up against the chilly evening air while we prepared dinner. He likes to watch us cook as I'm sure he thinks we're going to have a catastrophe but, although it gets a little frantic towards the end of the cooking time when it all comes together, it all went smoothly!

We drank a bottle of French wine with the meal, but it was spicy! I'd finished up the paste jar when I made the sauce so I knew there'd be heat! It wasn't quite as fiery as last week's Thai meal, but it was delicious!

After we'd eaten, we chose to watch a Netflix documentary about the Boston Marathon terrorist attack and we both found it riveting. The footage was awful to watch and the aftermath was unbelievable!

Keith came home as chilled as always and sat down to a plate of oven chips I'd prepared for him. It seems ages since he's done this!

All by myself

I was blissfully alone for an hour this morning at work, as both Sheila and Sara were on holiday. At 10am, when the phone lines opened, it all went a bit mad as people were ringing in to book their children onto the swim camps that start on the 2nd of April. I helped out, but when it calmed down I came off. The rest of the day was busy so the time flew by. I now only have a day and a half to work this week! 

At 4pm, I sped home and indulged in an episode of a new drama called Love Rat. I thought the first episode was excellent but then it all went a bit silly. I am fascinated by how people can part with their hard-earned money just because they "fall in love". In the drama, the woman was swept off her feet by a man she had actually met, but you hear so many sad stories of people losing their life savings because they are won over by someone they've never met! Money should never come into a love affair when it's only just started! I find it sad that so many people are lonely or desperate for love and will do anything.

I watched another episode before dinner and it became even sillier, but I will stick with it! There's only four episodes, thank goodness!

The first cut

We all had a relaxing start to the day, and Sophie made mammoth preparations for tonight's chicken and pasta soup. It sounds simple, but it wasn't, as she had to poach a whole chicken with vegetables and do a lot of chopping and blending!

I went out into the back garden and managed to cut the grass. It was long and damp, but I felt very pleased when I'd finished, as it looked a lot neater. Once it gets a bit warmer I'll sprinkle grass seed over the whole lawn to fill in any gaps. We don't have any birds coming into the garden now, mainly because of the little predators we've introduced but also because we daren't put any food out to attract them. Keith and I now have to go to the tip with the dismantled garden benches, and then we can look to replace them in time for the summer. Let's hope we can sit out and enjoy the garden this year!

Sophie was kept busy today and insisted on hoovering the house after she'd finished preparing dinner. The sun has shone all day but the wind has been cold. Winter has not released its grip yet!

In the evening we played cards with our new Lisbon pack and I thrashed Sophie, much to her annoyance. I begged her to make me a "Vegroni" again tonight. We had two last night and they were delicious. She'd used vodka instead of gin and added pineapple to the Campari and sweet vermouth. We each enjoyed one while we played cards, and then opened a bottle of our Marque de Caceres Rosé which was beautifully fruity and drinkable.

Sophie put the finishing touches to our hearty soup and it was lovely served with garlic bread. Bravo!

An extra shift

Sophie dropped me off at work this morning and I had a very pleasant shift with Sue. The time flew by, and I managed to get a lot of things done, much to my delight. It wasn't busy at all and the phone calls we answered were mainly easy queries.

Sophie had been to the gym and had collected the lovely, clean duvet on her way home. Keith picked me up at 2pm as Sophie was out seeing Vikesh again and having lunch with him. Keith drove me home and then disappeared to see Sileby play, so I had the afternoon to myself. Bliss! I watched a good film - Hotel du Lac which was originally a novel by Anita Brookner (I'd read it years ago) and starred some British greats such as Anna Massey, Denholm Elliott, Patricia Hodge (so beautiful) and Julia McKenzie.

In the evening, after Sophie returned home, we talked about her birthday. I offered to drive to London and park in the O2 again but Sophie said she wanted us to enjoy cocktails in the Booking Office of the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel after having lunch at Decimo, so we agreed to postpone the day until she goes down to see Dr Bawa again, probably in May. For her birthday, we talked about going to Oxford and having lunch there after visiting the Ashmolean. It's such a shame that the trains are on strike yet again!

We had a very enjoyable and relaxing evening watching Gone Fishing with Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse (guaranteed to lower your blood pressure) and enjoying a Chinese takeaway. The cats were in early this evening and Gomez was extra loving, almost as if he was saying sorry for weeing in the spare bed!

Shock news...

I had another pleasant shift at work, doing the cash-ups as Sheila is away, and putting on another load of films, which takes us into May.

At 4pm I drove into town through heavy traffic to collect the duvet. The launderette was closed. I was not happy! I'd wasted time and petrol driving into the middle of town for nothing!

Sophie was home before me tonight, as she finished at 4pm. She was going out with Vikesh this evening and going for a meal with him and his cousins in Wellingborough. I'd expected her to be going out early, but she wanted me to drive her over at 6.30pm, so we had a few words... I was looking forward to a couple of hours by myself, with a glass of wine and something good on television, so she made sure she was ready a little earlier!

While she was upstairs getting ready, and Keith had gone to the pub with John, I watched the news and was shocked to hear the news about the Princess of Wales' cancer diagnosis. I wonder how all those vile people who were going on about conspiracy theories feel now? But knowing how nasty they are, they're probably unrepentant. Let's just hope everyone now leaves them alone to get on with the treatment she needs.

 

I drove Sophie over to Wellingborough, and it was a beautiful evening. It was cold, though, with a chilly wind blowing so I put the heating on when I came home! I only had about fifteen minutes to relax with a glass of wine before I started preparing the dinner (which was an easy one tonight!).

Keith and I had a quiet night and I missed my wine buddy. However, it wasn't a proper Friday night as I'm working a shift tomorrow to cover for Tracie who is on holiday. Tomorrow night, Sophie has offered to make cocktails!

Naughty cat!

Work was very pleasant today and I caught up with the emails from the last couple of days. At 2pm, I sped home and Keith and I had to go to the launderette in town to take the duvet from the spare bed. When I went upstairs to go to bed last night, I caught Gomez sneaking out of the spare room and, as I feared, he'd urinated in the bed again. He'd climbed into the bed under the quilt and weed on the sheet. This was the second time and I was furious. We blamed the first time on him being trapped upstairs but this time the door to the living room was open, so there was no excuse. I am now thinking this has something to do with Mooney and maybe sharing a litter tray at night.

So, before I went to bed I had to strip the sheets and duvet cover off the spare bed, which I was not happy about! Keith and I took the duvet to the launderette this afternoon for it to be laundered and dried, and I said I would pick it up tomorrow after work.

Back home I pottered about and relaxed. I spent some time looking at train journeys for Sophie's birthday in a couple of weeks and was dismayed to discover that all three train companies that operate services from Northampton to London are on strike on the 5th of April! I couldn't believe it!

Pootling about

Yesterday felt like Wednesday so it was a bonus to realise I was off work today as well! Both Sophie and I were up and about at 8am. Sophie was working from home today so she had a little lie-in, much needed after our late night!

I pootled about in the morning, writing and getting jobs done and went to see my Mum in the afternoon. We popped over to Tesco and after a coffee, she bought some new clothes and toiletries. I picked out a bottle of Portuguese wine, a white Porta 6 Vinho Verde to have later in the week. It had a lovely label with the Lisbon tram on the front, bringing back some very fond memories!

After dropping Mum off I returned home just before Sophie finished for the day. I felt a bit weary today as my late night was catching up with me! Sophie finished working and hoovered downstairs, and then it was time to relax, thank goodness!

From Lisbon to London!

Sophie and I were looking forward to our day in London, having lunch at a Thai restaurant in Borough Market and then seeing John Mayer in concert at the O2.

We left home at 10am and had a good journey into London, arriving at the Greenwich Peninsula at midday. After some confusion with the parking barrier (I'd pre-booked for the whole day, and we thought the barrier would lift automatically) we found a good space near the exit and popped into Costa Coffee to have a hot drink, a small snack, and use the loos.

From the O2, we took the Jubilee line to London Bridge, and it felt like we were back in Lisbon again. However, we didn't see any crazies today! Once back outside, we made our way to a quirky cocktail bar and restaurant called Boro Bistro, a little slice of France in the busy capital!

We chose cocktails - a spicy Margarita for Sophie and a Negroni for me. I wouldn't be driving for another eleven hours so I could have one indulgence!

We sat and chatted and took in all the garlicky and fishy aromas of the people having lunch near us. The tables were very close together so we could eavesdrop on the conversations, something I love to do!

After we'd finished our drinks and paid the bill, we explored the busy and bustling Borough Market, a food-lovers paradise! We even spotted a stall selling tinned fish, and the cans were similar to the ones we'd seen in Lisbon. Sophie bought a tin of smoked mussels.

Stalls sold bread, cheeses, fruit and vegetables, olive oil, wine and beer. It was lovely to wander around and have a good look! I treated us to a beautiful olive wood nibbles bowl to remember the day.

At 2pm, we walked across the road to Kolae, a restaurant specialising in southern Thai food. It's a beautiful restaurant and exudes an air of calm and serenity.

Our friendly waitress came over with the menus and talked us through the very spicy dishes so we were aware! We chose a couple of small plates, two larger portions (curry) and a side dish. The wine was on the expensive side so we stuck to a small bottle of beer each.

We chose biryani rice crackers with pickled ginger and green nahm jim and Kolae grilled mussel skewers to start, followed by a pepper curry of grilled chicken, a stir-fried dry curry of crispy pork, and a side of kale and herb fritters with fermented chilli and cashew nuts. We also ordered a bowl of rice to accompany the curries.

We both loved the biryani rice crackers but I wasn't so sure about the mussel skewers. They looked like chicken so my taste buds weren't expecting the fish! I ate two and gave two to Sophie! The curries were very hot and spicy and I was glad we hadn't ordered an expensive bottle of wine, as our taste buds were on fire! Sophie's eyes were watering, something I hadn't seen since I made a fiery Jerk chicken pasta!

Mussel skewers and biryani crackers

Curries, rice and side dish

The food was beautifully presented and delicious and it was wonderful to try new dishes. The food was so different to the meals we'd tried in Lisbon, yet they were also Thai.

We found room for dessert - mango and duck egg custard with black sticky rice, which was gorgeous!

We lingered over the meal and had a couple more drinks before paying the bill. The restaurant had emptied out, but an American couple came in and just had drinks sitting at the bar. There was a lovely, relaxed atmosphere and we'd definitely go again. The bill came to £113 but we had £80 in PayPal so that was a good bit towards the cost.

Reluctantly, we made our way back outside, admiring the beautiful exterior of the restaurant.

Before heading back to the O2 we had another wander around Borough Market and saw lots of stalls selling cheese. Sophie couldn't resist buying some Comté.

We wanted to avoid rush hour on the tube so we set off back to London Bridge station and easily obtained seats for the four-stop ride. Both of us needed the loo so we trekked into the O2 and up the escalator to a new shopping mall that definitely wasn't there the last time we visited. We eventually found the facilities and briefly looked in an outlet of Hotel Chocolat before deciding to head back to the car to relax for an hour. There's nowhere to sit and relax in the O2 unless you visit a bar and we didn't fancy paying about £15 for a glass of wine!

We sat in the car and watched the car park fill up with people. Sophie was trying to work out the demographic of the fans arriving, and most were in their 40s and older! If it hadn't been for Sophie I would never have heard of John Mayer but he must have an avid following to fill an arena like the O2!

At about 6.30pm we headed back in among throngs of people, marvelling at the queues for the restaurants! We walked in easily and up the escalators where Sophie bought a tub of popcorn for us to share. She also invested £9 in a can of beer! The prices!!

We found our seats and we had a great view!

The support act came on at about 7.30pm and she was awful. Her name was Madison Cunningham and she wailed like a banshee! We hated the songs she sang and I wish now we'd stayed away. It was just her on the stage with a guitar and we were mightily glad when she finished and disappeared!

John Mayer came on at 8.30pm and it was great to see him! Up until now, I hadn't known what he looked like, but he is very good-looking, a kind of love child of Roger Federer and Johnny Depp. Gorgeous!

It was just him on stage with a variety of guitars and, at one point, the piano, and he spent two hours with us, doing a lot of talking and showing some old interviews of when he was younger. He was fabulous! He played some of our favourites - Slow Dancing in a Burning Roon, Gravity, Edge of Desire and a great cover of Tom Petty's Free Fallin'.

We stayed for the encore and then left with a huge mass of people. We went out a different way and went along with the crowd, but we had to turn back when we came across a dead end. It was hilarious!

Eventually, we made our way out of the arena and I gasped when I saw the long queues for the tube station! Stewards were trying to keep control of the thick queue of people and I dreaded to see what the car park was like, but it was almost empty and we had no trouble getting back onto the A12.

Googly had recommended we take the M11 but I didn't fancy the dark two-lane highway so we chose the M25 and M1 instead. There were the usual lane closures and the A45 was closed in Northampton, but we were home by 1am. We were shattered! It had been an absolutely fantastic day!

Work problems...

I didn't mind going back to work this morning, but I rapidly changed my mind when I arrived and discovered the problems that had occurred while I was away! Sara was supposed to be on holiday today, but she'd had to cancel and I had to answer the phone as Vicki was off sick. I was not happy! I had been looking forward to answering emails and catching up with my own work!

It was great to escape at 4pm and head home, knowing I had two days off! Sophie came home and we chatted about our trip to London tomorrow to see John Mayer at the O2. This had been booked since last April when Sophie managed to get tickets while we were in Colmar!

Dinner tonight was a lovely paella which Sophie expertly cooked. We agreed on a time to leave in the morning and it was late enough for us to have a little lie-in! Bliss!

A busy Sunday!

We had a lovely lie-in this morning and with our coffee, we re-watched Travel Man in Lisbon. Richard Ayoade went to a couple of the places we did, including the lift, so it was great to see that again!

The rest of today was spent unpacking, sorting out our big bag of washing, writing the blog and cuddling the cats. Last night they seemed a bit bemused by our late arrival, but today they realised we were back and wanted attention!

The weather wasn't great first thing, but we saw sunshine in the afternoon. Sophie hoovered the house and tidied up but Keith had kept the house clean while we were away so there wasn't a lot to do.

By the evening, all the washing had been done and Sophie had sorted out our lunches for Monday. It was back to that Sunday feeling, but we only had one day and then we were off again! Keith cooked roast beef for dinner and it was delicious. It was even good to enjoy a full range of vegetables again!

We had terrible trouble getting Gomez in this evening. He point-blank refused to come in and in the end, we had to leave the conservatory door open so he could come in overnight. Sophie was still trying to get him in at 11pm, the little monkey!

A Girls' Break in Lisbon 13th - 16th March 2024

A little exploring

Every morning we've seen the Indian group outside the hotel waiting for their coach and having their photographs taken. Their outfits have been stunning and I dread to think how much the whole event has cost! We never saw them in the hotel and they seemed to be gone all day.

We saw the German family at the exact same time as we emerged from our room again, but this time we let them take the lift down to breakfast with another couple. I didn't want any more awkward silences! The breakfast room was busy this morning, probably because it was Saturday, and we had to dodge the other diners to get our choices from the buffet.

After eating, we went back to the room, finished packing and checked out. We were charged for two coffees and a tiny carton of milk, which I wasn't pleased about. Why not offer free coffee? It was my only gripe with the hotel, which otherwise was excellent with lovely staff, a good restaurant and bar, and high standards of cleanliness.

We were able to leave our suitcase and Sophie's rucksack and decided to take the Metro to the area we'd passed through yesterday. We wanted to take the Elevator de Santa Justa and gaze out over the views of Lisbon. Today, the weather was much better with blue skies and sunshine, thank goodness!

We took the Metro from Parque and bought day tickets again. The tickets could be used in the lift so they really were good value for money. We didn't have long to wait for the train, but Sophie had spotted a dodgy man standing in the carriage. He was behind a young woman who looked unhappy that he was so close. We took a seat and Sophie constantly watched him. At the next station, the train stopped for longer than normal, and I began to feel uneasy too. The dodgy man was jiggling about and kept closing his eyes. Before we got to the next station, Avenida, the young woman stood up to go and we followed her, deciding to get the next train.

However, here the train also stopped again and just as we sat down to wait, Mr Dodgy got off, leaving us almost alone on the platform with him as all the other passengers had made their way out. We decided to leave and sped up the stairs to the fresh air and sunshine!

Sophie was angry that we had felt unable to carry on with the Metro so we debated what was best to do. We had alighted on a busy street thronged with designer shops and hotels and there was a market taking place.  Sophie called up an Uber and he arrived quickly, dropping us off around the corner from the lift.

A queue snaked its way up some steps but we didn't have to wait for long. While we waited we watched the comings and goings of this busy tourist area.

Our tickets covered the ride and we were soon whisked up to the viewing platform. The upper section was closed but the views were still fantastic and the city was spread out below us.

We meandered around the platform, mingling with tourists taking selfies, and soaked up the lovely sunshine. Opposite, was a bar serving beers and cod croquettes and specialising in sheep's cheese, so we made for a free table and sat down to relax for a little while.

We ordered two beers and enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere!

After relaxing and enjoying our drinks, we reluctantly left and decided to take the steps down to an area that was teeming with people. The archaeological museum was here, located in the ruins of the Carmo convent. Leading on from this was a tree-lined square where people were eating and drinking and milling about. There are lots of "Quiosques" dotted about the city serving drinks and snacks, and people were making full use of the one in this square.

Creamy delights!

Sophie needed a loo visit but we didn't like the look of the underground one, plus there was an all-pervading aroma of urine here, so we popped into an ultra-clean and fresh Haagen Dazs outlet for an ice cream. We each chose two scoops of ice cream, in a cone for me and in a tub for Sophie, and sat in the café to enjoy them. Luckily, there was a lovely, clean loo!

While we ate our ices, we chatted about what to do next. I suggested we walk to the tram station at Martim Moniz, and ride Tram 28 for the whole route. We had plenty of time before our flight at 6pm this evening. We set off in the direction of the tram station, descending a steep hill lined with shops. Sophie spotted a vintage men's outfitter and dived in, looking for tie-dye tee shirts.

This was another similarity with San Francisco and reminded me of the vintage shops on Haight-Ashbury. There were loads of clothes for sale, ranging from casual tee shirts to leather jackets and old Levi's jeans. Sophie picked out a lovely tee shirt and was extremely happy with her choice and the price!

Further down the hill we descended some stone steps and found a tiny hole-in-the-wall bar serving shots of Ginginha. We couldn't refuse, so we went in and ordered two tiny glasses. It was lovely to stand outside and enjoy them.

At the end of the street was an expansive square with a large monument. The square was lined with shops and restaurants and was very busy. Sophie was a little worried about getting to the airport (we'd heard tales of people missing flights because of long queues at security) so we changed our plans and decided to head back to the hotel, relax for a while and then get an Uber.

Homeward bound

We were reluctant to take the Metro so we ordered an Uber that whisked us back to the hotel where we sat and relaxed in the courtyard for an hour. The German family appeared while we were sitting in the courtyard and they had their luggage with them, so they were leaving as well. Would we see them at the airport? If we did, would they acknowledge us?

We ordered an Uber to take us to Lisbon airport and we were there within fifteen minutes. The airport was busy but BA weren't checking bags in yet, which was a blow. We sat and waited in a café and people-watched, which is always an enjoyable experience! We kept an eye out for our German friends but realised they could have been Swiss or Austrian!

To cut a long and tedious story short, although the monitors informed us that our desk was open to check in bags, we had to wait until about 4.30pm to drop off our suitcase, and there was a long queue of people all looking as fed up as we felt. Our flight was delayed by about half an hour, but after finally checking in the suitcase, we had hardly any time in departures.

Security wasn't bad, but we had no time to visit the Duty-Free shops, and had barely twenty minutes to gobble down a MacDonald's burger! I was just glad we hadn't decided to book an airport lounge!

We walked to our gate, sat for about half an hour and then boarded our Finnish Air flight. BA had let us know our return flight was with Finnish Air, but this was a bonus as the seats seemed bigger with more legroom! I even had the middle seat next to me empty. Perfect!

The flight home was fine and our pilot must have put his foot down as we landed shortly after our scheduled time of arrival. We made it through passport control with incredible speed and waited a short while to pick up our suitcase before taking the shuttle bus back to the car park.

The journey home was fine and we arrived back just before midnight. Keith had waited up for us, and we relaxed for a short time before heading, gratefully, to our beds!

A Girls' Break in Lisbon 13th - 16th March 2024

 The rain (not in Spain)...

We awoke to heavy grey skies and rain this morning, which was definitely not what we wanted in Lisbon, as we were sick of the rain in the UK!

After showering and dressing, we made our way to the lift and took it with a German? Dutch? family of three. Mum reminded me of the actress Hermione Norris when she was in Luther and had a face like a slapped bum. Dad and son looked a bit friendlier, but we rode the lift down to the breakfast room in awkward silence!

After another delicious and filling breakfast, we went back up to our room and talked about what we were going to do. A museum or art gallery were the obvious choices, and there was a museum nearby, but now the rain was really coming down, and neither of us had thought to bring an umbrella...

In the end, after a lot of bickering, we decided to go to the Museum of Ancient Art. We decided to take an Uber and Sophie ordered one, but she put the wrong destination in, bless her. Our driver arrived in a beautifully smart Jaguar and whisked us off... to the wrong place! 

He dropped us off and again, we had a bickering session about what we were going to do, in the end calling up another Uber to take us to the correct museum! It cost us 12 euros each to get in and to see a temporary exhibition of religious art. If I'm honest, I didn't enjoy the museum at all. We had to give up our bottle of water in the cloakroom and get a ticket for it (in case we threw it at a painting?) and the museum was full of steps. After our mammoth walk yesterday, I was still a little tired, and the grey weather had affected us.

Sophie and Turkish tiled arch

We wandered about, but I could tell that we weren't really interested in the exhibits, which consisted of silverware, ceramics, paintings, jewellery and ancient wooden furniture. From the windows, we could see glimpses of the river below and heavy industry.

Beer in the rain

After about an hour and a half, we'd had enough and went back to retrieve our water bottle and give the ticket back. Annoyingly, the man who was now on the desk in the cloakroom had thrown our water away! Sophie was irate!

We went outside and considered our options. I wanted to go to the district of Alfama, one of the oldest parts of the city and famous for its Fado bars. This is the music of melancholic, sad longing, and Lisbon is renowned for the genre.

We called up another Uber as it was still raining and we hadn't a clue where the nearest Metro station was. Uber in Lisbon is exceedingly cheap and so efficient! A tiny car arrived and whisked us off along the riverfront where people were wandering about in the rain, and long lines of Tuktuks were waiting for people to take them on a tour of the city.

Our driver dropped us off outside the Museum de Fado but we'd had enough of museums for one day, so we made for a bar and sat down under an umbrella. We ordered two beers and sat and watched people slosh by, sensibly dressed in anoraks and holding umbrellas. We had neither! A couple of times we had to move further under the umbrella because of the rain, and this was definitely the low point of our little break!

Personal artwork

We sat and had a good chat for over an hour, ordering another beer each and waiting for the rain to stop. Which it did. Once we realised it had stopped, we paid the bill and decided to explore Alfama's steep and winding cobbled streets.

The area, which we certainly didn't do justice to, is quirky and interesting with narrow paths disappearing up steep hills, dark bars and tiny shops.

Above us, washing hung from railings and a woman sat at her door offering tiny shot glasses of the local cherry liqueur, Ginginha. We declined, but both of us were determined to try it at some point. There was mention of Fado everywhere, and I wondered what it would be like at night, in the summer with the sounds of the music drifting along the narrow streets.

We went into another tourist shop, lured by the beautiful tiles and Sophie bought a set of four for the house - our number, a cat and a border to go around them. We also bought cork bookmarks for Keith and Vikesh.

As we made our way upwards, we came to an artist's gallery and Sophie was drawn in by pictures of black cats. All the artwork was original and the artist himself was there. We browsed through the pictures and picked out two of black cats sitting in a tree. When we went up to pay, he drew two more pictures for us, at lightning speed with marker pens!

Because we love cats!

Woman singing Fado

Cat pictures, ready to be framed

Wine? Wine not!

By now we were a little hungry, so we walked up a steep hill and caught a tram at the top, a busier area with numerous shops and restaurants. We wanted to get off at a certain stop, but the tram kept on going, so we jumped off at the next one and retraced our steps up another steep hill.

Luckily, we stumbled upon a wine bar and restaurant called Wine Not? They were offering tapas and it looked like a wine-lover's dream place, so we went in. We were given menus and spiral cards to choose the wine.

We chose bread, olives and cheese, Padron peppers, corn chips served with guacamole, and beef croquettes.

Our wine, recommended by staff

We picked out a wine, but again, the waiter suggested something else! He gave us a tasting of both, the Pinot Noir and the Trincadeira, but we preferred the latter. We ordered a glass each but bought a bottle to take home.

The food was very good and it was lovely to sit and relax and rest our tired legs. The restaurant was quiet but the street outside was busy with people passing by in search of something to eat or to shop. After the tapas, we shared a slice of cake with a sweet white wine.

It was now late afternoon, so we paid the bill and went outside to call up an Uber. We didn't fancy trying to get back onto a tram and then finding a Metro station! Our driver arrived and she was the grumpiest we'd ever had on the trip! She didn't say a word!

She took us on a route near Baixa-Chiado, which was thronged with shops, bars and restaurants. There were hundreds of tourists mingling about, and we also saw a little homeless encampment. 

Scenes from an Uber, Lisbon-style

I earmarked this area as one to return to, hopefully, tomorrow before our flight in the early evening. The journey took a while because of the heavy traffic, but we were back in our room in time for a nap and a freshen-up before dinner.

Eating Thai

Before dinner tonight, we enjoyed two glasses of fizz in the Sports Bar. We sat in the courtyard and chatted and the German/Dutch family came in and sat down at a nearby table. We had gone to the bar to order our drinks but they sat and waited... and nobody came. In the end, Dad and son got up to order, leaving slapped-bum Mum at the table. She looked as fed up as she had this morning! We now knew they were German! It was a shame they weren't friendly, as we could have chatted and expressed our love for Berlin (if they spoke English, of course!).

The pretty courtyard of the hotel

After our drinks, we walked a short distance to Siam Square, a Thai restaurant opposite the hotel. We were taken to a table upstairs and had a look at the comprehensive menu, choosing assorted appetisers to start followed by a Massaman curry for Sophie and a Thai green curry for me with rice. A bottle of Vinho Verde was enjoyed with the food. 

It was a very pleasant restaurant and busy with local diners enjoying a Friday evening out. We lingered over our meal and took time to finish our wine. The food was excellent and the staff were lovely and friendly.

Once we'd paid the bill, we strolled back to the hotel - after our busy day it was definitely time for bed!