April 8
2023
Work
finished at 3.15 and by 4pm I was home and getting into travel clothes.4.30
Perry was at the door and loading our bags into his car. An airport email
cautioned us to get to the airport early as crowds were expected to travel
across the country for Easter, but after some initial heavy traffic, we got to
Tulla with lots of time to spare. Checking in was a breeze and we were soon in
the Marhaba lounge and having a belated lunch. The last day of school was so
busy that the only food I had managed to eat. was one banana.
Premium
economy was a revelation. So clean, glossy and spacious. We were waved past the
long line of economy passengers and onto the plane. Everything about the
premium experience was wonderful and with the seats just outside the cockpit,
it was so quiet that both John and I slept for at least 6 hours.
A 14 hour
flight got us into Dubai and Britt got us into the business lounge. Don’t ask
how she managed it as members can only have one guest at a time. The special
treatment continued on the Dubai-Lisbon leg, where Britt mentioned she was a Gold member and again we
were swept past the long lines of tied passengers and onto the plane.
Of course
there was less room in economy but having all three seats, it was quite
comfortable and especially as we all travel with noise cancelling headphones, a
really peaceful trip. John and I didn’t mind
the airline food, but Britt had taken precautions and brought along her
own food.
Britt had
organized for the lovely Sergio, a huge ex special forces guy who now works as
a private chauffer), to pick us up ang get us to out hotel. It felt like a
scene from one of the Bourne films, as Sergio flew through a labyrinth of
twists and turns to get us to our destination.
We stayed
at the My Suite boutique hotel. Each suite is really a mini apartment. We
scored one on ground level with huge glass doorway out to a tiny balcony. Beyond the balcony was a little Mediterranean
garden with a fountain, greenery, a turtle (!) and festoon lights. The quiet trickle of the
water from the fountain created such a peaceful mood in our living space.
As we
unpacked and had a shower, Wil arrived from the Adega. He has driven the
Peugeot from Chaos so that we could use it for a slow drive north after a
couple of days in Lisbon. what a lovely thing to do.
The Lisbon weather was just glorious. It was spring and we managed to arrive in the city on a glorious, blue sky summer day. Being good Friday, the city was full of people at ease, meandering through the streets and parks, wandering through markets, and filling the restaurants that spilled out on to the footpaths. Our hotel was in the Real district and walking the streets was a feast for the eyes. Lisbon seems to have been built on a convulsion of hills. We were warned by Ginny that when you are not going up, you are plunging down, but it was all worth it because the geography made for some incredibly beautiful streetscapes. Streets plunged down at a vertiginous angle, and in the distance you could just catch a glimpse of the sea and even the yachts streaking across the water.
We lost Britt to the attractions of one of the shops having a sale and she emerged some time later with a lovely ecru canvas jacket. As we waited there was lots of entertainment as we watched the historic trams rumble past. Nearby was a huge park and we heads for the shade of some enormous Moreton Bay figs. The café under the trees was groaning with people but we were lucky to snag a table. Is there a more pleasant way to spend a warm, wonderful day, than sitting in a park, listening to a live band and sipping on a cool drink? I think not.
From here we took a winding route through the streets. Every street had a generous serving of interesting architecture, We ended up at a lovely little park set around a fountain and fringed with lovely little restaurants. Britt had already booked a local restaurant for us so rather than walking further afield, we turned back to have a short rest before venturing out for the evening.
Wil had recommended the most wonderful restaurant in the cool Real district and it was only 100 metres or so from our hotel but it was still a rush getting there as Johnny had put his head down for a nap and gone into a full sleep. I was so distracted with the blog that time flew by..
The meal was superb. The food was very like the food at that super fancy restaurant you kids sent s to in South Melbourne. The bread arrived with a herbed pork fat and we started the whole show with a sequence of tiny tasting morsels that looked like beautiful flowers. We had beautiful tasting and beautiful looking meals and it was a chance to try some really unusual things like sea urchins with pink prawns, scallops with cauliflower and almond, or codfish with cockles and leeks. When we asked for a non alcohol drink and they didn't have any, they made a bright lemon and soda drink for us in the kitchen. The Essencial restaurant was really something special. the kitchen was in the dining room and sometimes the chef wandered over to the tables to explain a meal or serve up a sauce. I think this will become a favourite with Britt and Wil.
