Not our name, but our passion
On a visit to England to visit my brothers I was rewarded with the best breakfast I ever ate curtesy of my brother Manoel! Perfectly cooked eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, tomatoes toast and beans. Who knew that my brother had turned into such a great cook !
It got the Mark Wiens head tilt of approval from Alex.
I had business in Portugal so Alex and I booked a flight on Portugal’s TAP Airline to Lisbon. TAP Air Portugal is the flag carrier airline of Portugal, headquartered at Lisbon Airport which also serves as its hub. TAP – Transportes Aéreos Portugueses – has been a member of the Star Alliance since 2005 and operates on average 2,500 flights a week to 90 destinations in 34 countries worldwide. The company has a fleet of 100 airplanes, all of which manufactured by Airbus with the exception of 22 made by Embraer and ATR, operating on behalf of the regional airline TAP Express. The airline was established as Transportes Aéreos Portugueses (Portuguese Air Transportations) on March 14, 1945; it began commercial services on September 19, 1946 with an inaugural flight from Lisbon to Madrid using a Douglas DC-3. Having been founded as a national institution, the airline was privatized for the first time in its history during 1953; throughout its existence, TAP would alternate between various forms of public and private ownership.
Boarding the plane at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts our flight was direct to Lisbon, Portugal. TAP is listed in two different terminals at Logan so we had a little confusion finding the right platform.
We eventually made our way to the right gate and boarded the plane.
Our evening flight
was uneventful and included a lunch of ravioli and salad.
We arrived in Lisbon to a wonderful sunrise.
A gelato at the airport was a welcome first taste of Portugal.
TAP is a fine airline that will suit your needs, efficient if not spectacular.
Humberto Delgado Airport, also known simply as Lisbon Airport or Portela Airport, is an international airport located 4.3 miles northeast from the city center of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. The airport is the main international gateway to Portugal. It is the 20th-largest airport in Europe in terms of passenger volume. The airport is the main hub of Portugal’s flag carrier TAP Air Portugal including its subsidiary TAP Express in addition of being a hub for low-cost airlines Ryanair and easyJet. It is a focus city for Azores Airlines, euroAtlantic Airways, Hi Fly, Orbest, and White Airways. We booked a direct flight from Boston Logan Airport to Lisbon on TAP Airlines.
Arriving in Lisbon to a beautiful sunrise.
We were happy to see a taste of home with a Starbucks but went instead to the gelato for our first taste of Portugal.
We headed out of Lisbon heading to London Stansted.
The view of Lisbon as we left.
Lets start with the fact that I am a big fan of public transportation in general. Whether it is taking the T to Boston for First Night, the ferry from New Jersey to Manhattan, the New York City Subway, the London Underground or Amtrak; I found them convenient, easy to use and inexpensive. With this in mind the Portugal Public Transport System was a nightmare, and I am a fluent Portuguese speaker! I had business in several cities in Portugal and had to find transportation from one city to another. Landing at the airport in Lisbon I had to make my way to Coimbra. I had booked a rental car prior to the flight so when we arrived we headed to the car rental location. When we arrived the attendant was arguing with a customer, after waiting for more than a half hour I approached another employee and was told that only the attendant could help me. After still more waiting I gave up and went to get the subway to the train station. The signage was atrocious almost non existent and no one was willing to direct us to the right platform. The only interaction we had was laughing at us when we jumped off the wrong train searching for the right one all the while dragging our bags behind us. Alex and I were both in tears. Later in the trip we had to go from Coimbra to Porto and from Porto back to Lisbon. The lack of rudimentary signage and helpful personnel was evident at all of the stations. I must say that once on board the trains were clean, efficient and on time, I am sure that when you are familiar with the platforms and schedules the experience would be very nice but it is definitely not tourist friendly.
The train stations themselves were spectacular especially the São Bento Railway Station in Porto.
On our day trip to Sintra and Cascais we hired a private tour guide which turned out to be a great option. With a private guide you not only get a personalized tour but all of the headaches of transportation are taken care off. Alex tripped and skinned his knee and our guide called around obtained the nearest open clinic and drove us there waiting outside while we saw the doctor.
The best part is that with the Portuguese health care system the entire visit to the emergency room cost us only 7 euros.
If you are better at reading timetables and subway routes than I am you may find the system easier to use but this was my experience as compared to public transport I have used elsewhere.
