Karla’s Saga Leaving Lisbon

After a 21-day transatlantic cruise from Miami to Lisbon, I checked into a Lisbon hotel to stay the night. 

I had to be at the Lisbon airport at 5 AM for my first flight. At 2:30 AM, I discovered my relatively new cell phone had died. I couldn’t go back to sleep because I didn’t have an alarm clock. 

That was on my phone. I couldn’t call for an Uber. I couldn’t ask the concierge‘s to call a taxi for me because the concierge was off duty from midnight until later in the morning. I brought all of my luggage and left them unattended in the lobby. I proceeded to walk through the eerily quiet streets of Lisbon, at night, in the rain, holding a purse and umbrella.  All I needed was a driver with a vehicle who would take me to the airport. I don’t speak Portuguese. I communicated with the one person I encountered and he told me there was a taxi stand at the nearby square. As I approached the square, I saw the most beautiful four letters ever: TAXI! I successfully communicated with the taxi driver that I wanted to go to the airport but we needed to first stop at my hotel to collect my luggage. He didn’t speak English I don’t speak Portuguese but I made myself understood. I arrived at the airport at 4:20 AM and the British Airways gate opened at 4:50. I went nonstop for 22 hours spending time in three different airports, waited in lots of long lines, took two shuttle buses in London Heathrow, had only two muffins the whole day. After asking for help from multiple people, I finally found someone to allow me to send an email to a friend asking for help with Apple Store appointments. Upon arrival, although I have global entry that provides fast-track entry back to the US, I was pulled aside for a random security check that took an extra 30 minutes. I had to take an expensive taxi home because I couldn’t call and Uber. I really appreciate shared ride services. Ironically, on my flight from London Heathrow to Miami, I watched the first three episodes of the Showtime series about the founder of Uber and found it fascinating.

Fortunately, the next morning I was the second person in line at the Genius Bar at the Apple store to get my phone issue solved. The representative told me there was a way to repair the hardware issues but it would have been time consuming and labor intensive and they are out of the parts so he got authorization to replace my iPhone 13 Pro that I purchased in February.

All is well that ends well!

There is something to be said for all those years that I traveled around the world by myself, before technology was invented. I always managed just fine. 

Update: 

76% of the photos and all of the videos that I took on my 21-day sailing are gone forever because they were not stored in iCloud. 

Only the photos or videos from days 1-5 of my 21 day cruise (or 24%) were saved.  Most of the photos from Lisbon after I disembarked the ship had been saved.

Fortunately, I posted many of my favorites on Facebook. I went to Facebook and downloaded to my phone, more than 300 photos and screenshots of actual FB posts.  I had to download these photos one by one. 

Creative problem-solving while traveling

 

Imagine this:

You are sleeping in your small boutique hotel (for one night) in a foreign country.

You set your alarm for 4 AM which will give you time to wake up and arrange for airport transportation. Your plan is to arrive at the airport before 5 AM, for your 7 AM departure. The first leg of your flight will be Lisbon to London Heathrow, on British Airways.

Because you have been away from Wi-Fi for 21 days, you decide to set your iPhone 13 Pro to back up before you go to sleep at 10 PM.

You wake up at 2:30 AM and notice your phone is going haywire. First it’s telling you you don’t have enough storage for your photos which is not true. Then it won’t let you erase photos. Then it won’t let you write a note because the app keeps crashing.

You decide to check Uber times and prices and the app closes and your phone goes black!! You decide to reboot your phone and the only result is the Apple logo suspended in a sea of black. You have never seen this before.

You cannot go back to sleep because you don’t have an alarm clock because it is on your non-functioning smart phone!

You cannot call the hotel concierge for help with a taxi because it’s a small boutique hotel and the concierge is not on duty from midnight until later in the morning.

Hotels no longer provide telephones or directories in the rooms.

You’ve had no coffee to help you think.

You must devise a plan to find a driver with a vehicle to take you to the airport.

You spring into action to prepare to leave your hotel room. You zip your bags, put on your coat because it’s 50° out, you move your luggage into the lobby.

You leave all of luggage unattended in the lobby of the hotel.

You don’t speak the local language.

It is pitch black outside.

All the businesses are closed. 

There are no people around. 

It is raining.

The entire city of Lisbon is asleep.

You are a 5 foot tall, 90-pound woman with a purse, walking alone at night, in the rain, in a foreign country, on empty streets.

You hope the four-digit code the concierge gave you to re-enter the building (after you find a driver) will work properly.

You set out to find a solution to your problem. 

It is eerily quiet in this residential neighborhood.

You notice a man on a motorcycle. He stops and begins to yell toward a specific apartment above. His friend comes out and they have a conversation. You approach him to ask if he knows where taxis are located. 

He pointed at a nearby square.

You continue walking in the direction of the square, carrying an open umbrella and a purse.

After walking for 10 minutes, you see the most beautiful site ever—The letters TAXI on top of several cars in a line.

Here’s what happened to me next:

I approached the first driver who was asleep.

The second driver was also asleep. I decided to take the first driver in line since he had arrived first.

I successfully communicated with the taxi driver that I wanted to go to the airport but we needed to first stop at my hotel to collect my luggage. He didn’t speak English I don’t speak Portuguese but I made myself understood. I arrived at the airport at 4:20 AM and the British Airways gate opened at 4:50. I went nonstop for 22 hours spending time in three different airports, waited in lots of long lines, took two shuttle buses in London Heathrow, had only two muffins the whole day. After asking for help from multiple people, I finally found someone to allow me to send an email to a friend asking for help with Apple Store appointments. 

I was concerned about finding a solution to my phone problem knowing the next day was the day before Thanksgiving and the day after Thanksgiving would be black Friday. Stores would be mobbed with people and there would be no parking in shopping malls.

Upon arrival home, although I have global entry that provides fast-track entry back to the US, I was pulled aside for a random security check that took an extra 30 minutes. I had to take an expensive taxi home because I couldn’t order an Uber. I really appreciate shared ride services. Ironically, on my flight from London Heathrow to Miami, I watched the first three episodes of the Showtime series about the founder of Uber and found it fascinating.

Fortunately, the next morning I was the second person in line at the Genius Bar at the Apple store to get my phone issue solved. The representative told me there was a way to repair the hardware issue but it would have been time -consuming and labor-intensive and parts are unavailable so, he got authorization to replace my iPhone 13 Pro, that I purchased in February.

All is well that ends well!

There is something to be said for all those years that I traveled around the world by myself, before technology was invented. I always managed just fine.

Fabulous 21-day cruise!!

This has been my fabulous home for 21 days. They have fed me very well, entertained me throughout the day, taken me to 13 beautiful ports of call (New York, Rhode Island, three Canary Islands, three Azores, Spain, Gibraltar, and Portugal) brought me fresh linens and made my bed every day, introduced me to new traveling friends, shown me sunrises and sunsets at sea, and rocked me to sleep listening to the sounds of the sea every night. I will miss the NCL Sun!

Malaga in the spring

 Málaga Spain Day 20 of cruise November 19, 2022

We sailed “about five minutes away”😂 from Gibraltar to arrive in Málaga Spain.

Our schedule is to be here from 7 AM until 8 PM. The temperature will be 59°F and sunny.

The Port of Málaga is an international seaport located in the city of Málaga in southern Spain, on the Costa del Sol coast of the Mediterranean. It is the oldest continuously-operated port in Spain and one of the oldest in the Mediterranean.

The hometown of the renowned painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso, the beautiful port city of Malaga lies on the Costa del Sol of the Mediterranean with its perfect weather all year long. It’s vibrant old town is known for its stunning architecture, Ancient Roman theater, bold fortress, beautiful churches, a medieval Moorish palace, quaint pedestrian thoroughfares, majestic plazas, a bull fight ring, and vibrant markets. 

For Mediterranean cruisers, it’s one of the popular starting points for a visit to Granada and the Alhambra.

I visited the magnificent Alhambra 10 years ago.

My tour tinerary includes the following:

• Marques de Larios statue

(Calle Larios)

› Malaga Park

› Calle Alcazabilla

» Plaza de la Merced

• Iglesia de Santiago

› Picasso Museum

• Malaga Cathedral

› Plaza del Obispo

• Pasaje Chinitas

› Plaza de la Constitución

> Calle Larios

 Azores—Ponta Delgada Day 13 of our 21 day transatlantic sailing.

Today’s visit is to The Azores Island of Sao Miguel, one of the three Azores islands scheduled on this cruise. 

The Azores are an archipelago group of nine volcanic islands located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean halfway between Europe and North America. The Azores are an autonomous region of Portugal, and some islands are a popular stop on transatlantic cruises.

I will visit the beautiful city of Ponte Del Gada, on Sao Miguel island known for its strategic location on expeditions from Europe to the Americans, spectacular Manuelian and baroque style architecture, unique engaging street art, vibrant botanical gardens, pineapples created in a unique and traditional style, lush countryside, famous crater lakes, volcanoes, hot springs, meadows where cows are grazing,

and breathtaking views of the island’s north and south coast lines. It has a population 67,000. 

I will take a tour that includes a visit of the famous twin blue and green lakes which lay in the crater of the extinct volcano Sete Cidades. 

We will also visit a pineapple plantation and a botanical garden where we will explore and learn about a unique species of trees.

———

The Antonio Borges garden is a

picturesque public botanical garden in Ponte Del Gada in the Azores. The garden is well-maintained and features a broad variety of trees and plants imported from many different parts of the world. What a feast for the eyes!

———-

Ponta Delgada visit continued…

Sete Cidades and crater lakes tour in Ponta Delgada in the Azores.

We rode along the scenic coast while appreciating spectacular views, to the famous Vista do Rei viewpoint from where we enjoyed the marvelous view of the twin lakes which lay in the crater of the extinct

volcano Sete Cidades. Viewing the twin Lakes, one green and one blue, side by side, was the highlight of the tour. The calm of the waters make a striking contrast with the steep slopes of the crater, creating a fascinating sight. The striking green meadows were dotted with grazing Azores dairy cows.

I attached a photo I took of the twin lakes ten years ago, when it was sunny.

It’s very hard to type this with my thumbs as the bus winds down the mountainside.🤣