Day 27 - Heading back to Lisbon

# Pasteis de Nata: 3, Distance Walked: 7.8km, # Floors Climbed: 20

Today was a nothing much day.  I have a 7:20am (!) flight tomorrow morning from Lisbon airport to Bologna.  It is effectively a domestic flight but I still want to be at the airport 2 hours before just to be on the safe side.  Obviously I'm staying in an airport hotel tonight.  It is all of a 5 minute walk from the hotel to the airport, even with luggage.

The hotel is pleasant enough.  Reasonably well sound proofed.  But what is it with modern architects and glass toilet doors?

Anyway, today I started off with a leisurely breakfast at my hotel in Èvora, followed by leisurely packing, followed by a short taxi ride to the train station.  There I sat and waited for the train to arrive.  Once on the train I sat waiting for it to move.  If I say I miss the Italian railway system, that should give you a good idea of the state of the Portuguese one.

Once back in Lisbon I caught the metro to the airport.  I had to fend off several taxi touts at the airport who kept trying to drive me to my hotel.  It's all of 400m away.  I could see it clearly from the airport!

Lunch had been one very overpriced and very stale roll on the train, so once I'd checked in I headed back to downtown Lisbon.  First stop was the really good pastry shop for one last Absolutely Delicious pastel de nata and an excellent coffee.  Next stop was a good gelateria for an Absolutely Delicous gelato (pistachio and passionfruit).  I'll have to start keeping a gelati count from tomorrow.

Now I was fortified I went to visit one last museum - the museum of money.  It had a lot of interactive displays which I enjoyed.  But is it sad I could answer almost all 20 questions about the role of the Portuguese central bank correctly?

I didn't stay long as there was a group of teenagers on a school trip at the museum.  Also I didn't want to be taking the metro back out to the airport during peak hour.

Once back at the airport I went for a wander around to work out where the check-in desks were and where the entrance to security was.  I had assumed there wouldn't be a lot of traffic early on a Saturday morning.  However, there are 27 flights leaving Lisbon airport between 6:30am and 7:30am tomorrow.  It's going to be a zoo!

For dinner I ate at the hotel.  They serve a continental breakfast from 2am to 5am, a full breakfast buffet from 5am to 11am, lunch/dinner from 12pm to 12am with a somewhat expensive dinner buffet starting at 6:30pm.  Bad luck if you are hungry between 11am and 12pm or 12am and 1am.   I had the dinner buffet and made sure I got my money's worth.  

I'm now back in my room trying to convince myself I'm tired and want to go to sleep early.  I'll definitely be tired tomorrow as I'm sure I'll wake every hour or so to check I haven't slept through my alarm.  I've never done such a thing but I'll worry about it all the same.