Sunday 8 September 2013

Day 1 - Evora

All of Monica's planning has paid off. Monica, Sarah, Josh and I all convened at the airport 3 hours before our flight. Lots of time to eat, chat and talk about our upcoming family adventure. THe Air Transit flight was full. Thank goodness Monica booked us all emergency aisle seats. Lots of leg room, even though the seats were the smallest I have ever experienced. Service was friendly, food was not so great. Luckily for all of us I was able to squeeze out a few hours of sleep - since I am to be the designated driver for our trip.

We arrived on time in Lisbon, retrieved our luggage, bought a SIM card (we are connected!) and found the agent who provided our vehicle. What a monster of a van - a nine seater! I was truly proud that I managed to navigate this large standard transmission tank out of the airport and along the road to Evora. The trip took about an hour and 45 minutes. The countryside was a mixture of parched grazing land and orchards of cork trees. An easy drive until we hit the town.

Navigating the narrow streets of this ancient town was challenging with our tank. After a few false attempts we found our hotel and successfully parked. The staff at the Pousada Dos Loios were friendly and efficient. We have all of the hotel's 3 suites booked. Nice rooms, not large, but adequate with an old world, slightly worn charm.

After a bit of freshening up we explored the town, had much needed coffee and found a lovely courtyard for lunch. Tapas, good local white and red wine and then back to the hotel where we were excited to meet David and Anuzya who had just arrived from Lisbon. Lots of hugging and chatter. This was the first time we all got to meet DAvid's lovely companion.

I then guided David and Anuzya to the same courtyard and sat getting to know her as they ordered and enjoyed some local food. Then back to the pool for relaxation.

More on the food and wine later. Its great to have are whole nuclear family together!

2 comments:

  1. We are preparing for our shadow trip to Portugal...Did you know that Air Transat also offers a gal in every Port?

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