Day 3: Lisbon!

So, today was the day with the potential to be peak nightmare. I needed to get from North London to London Bridge Stations, then to Gatwick, from where I was to fly to Lisbon.

My flight was at 10:35, and after the warnings about airport queues and the train strikes, I wasn't taking any chances: I was at the bus stop at a quarter to six waiting for the number 21. That arrived with delightful punctuality and I was at London Bridge by a quarter past six, only to find that there were notices up in the windows saying the station wouldn't open until a quarter to seven.

Once I was in, virtually every journey on the notice board advised travellers to contact a member of staff, except, mercifully, the train to Brighton that would drop me at Gatwick. On the downside, the first one was at ten past eight. Ho hum. So I bought a coffee and a Danish and settled down with my book.

I was on the platform by eight and all appeared to be well. The train arrived a few minutes before departure time and we boarded. I wouldn't say I was beginning to relax yet but I felt that getting to the airport was half the battle done. And then, just before departure, a sign came up: 'SERVICE CANCELLED'.

But, friends, it was merely the universe toying with me; by the time I was back on the platform, the sign was gone and everything was back to normal. Except I had a slightly worse seat :-/

My airport fears were unfounded, and having arrived on the train platform at Gatwick just before a quarter to nine, I was through security and enjoying another coffee and Danish by one minute past. RESULT!

Bob and Rich were travelling from Manchester, so the plan was to meet up in the post-customs Arrivals area in Lisbon. In fact, their flight was delayed slightly, so I made it through a few minutes ahead of them. Man, what a relief it was to be there and to see them! Quick hugs and then we took the taxi that Rich had organised to our hotel, the Lumiares.

And then, after a quick freshen up, we walked a few minutes from our hotel to an open, hillside terrace looking out over the city, where there were tables and stalls (see Extra). It was bliss, sitting in the sun, drinking cold lagers, and enjoying the views and the atmosphere.

Bob and Rich had both done a lot of research and planning for the trip, so we had a list of places to visit each day. We moved on from the terrace to a bar called The Pharmacy - and by this time it was good to get out of the direct sunlight - and then an amazing place called Pavilhas Chines, which was like a combination of a bar and museum. As you can see from today's main picture, it was lined with cabinets full of a bewildering variety of artefacts. It was a brilliant finish to the day.