Nectarina

Sometimes on flights one is able to contort oneself into positions and achieve a degree of comfort. At other times, relaxation is elusive. Happily this was one of the former and I managed to plant face down on the tray table for much of the journey.

At 7am when we landed, Lisbon was still dark. The sunrise and sunset times are always the biggest mental adjustment when out of the tropics. Today was a work day so I resigned myself to staying at the airport to clear the decks, finish pressing tasks and set myself up for relaxed leave. If I’d have ventured into the city early, the lure of Lisbon’s hills and cafés would have drawn me in.

As it was, I went into the city during the evening rush hour, found my lodgings and mentally kicked into vacation mode. I love Lisbon and feel mentally at home here. As the sun went down I sat on a stone bench in a praça, eating a juicy nectarine, and felt very grateful for the chance to be here.