I took the metro in Lisbon (see Metro Lisbon? TPOL Leaves the Neighborhood for Cafe). Now, it was time to try Subway. And I’m not talking about the underground. I am talking about the sandwich shop. In Puerto Rico, Subway is disgusting. In the US, it was a source of comfort. Since it was in close proximity to my apartment, I decided to go there once (twice).
While it brought a smile to my face, it is far too expensive compared to tastier, transcendent food options that Lisbon provides (see Recap: Where I Ate in Lisbon).
When I lived in Chamberi in Madrid, I took the metro one time to visit my friend at the Hard Rock Madrid. Before arriving in Lisbon, a fellow BoardingArea blogger, Shelli Stein, from Point Me to the Plane reached out and invited me to join her for coffee.
I took the metro from Baixa Chiado.
And changed trains, while stopping to admire the art.
Thirty minutes later, I found myself in this charming establishment:
TPOL’s Tip: The address is Avenida da Republica, 15A, Lisbon 1050-185 Portugal
Pastel de Nata
At the time, I had never tried pastel de nata, nor did I know that there are so many articles on where the best pastel de nata is made in Lisbon (see Best Pastel de Nata: Versailles o Manteigaria)
Apart from the sweet treat, the afternoon was spent drinking white wine, espresso, and having great conversation.
In my blog, I am criticized when I share my Travel Lessons. Some people think I am a fool and have said so in no uncertain terms (see Festivus). This fool sometimes amazes himself with what I can pull off.
Standing on my balcony, overlooking the city center of Lisbon, I could not help but giggle at my fortune. The sound of laughter did not only come from me. Just below, there were crowds of people walking and enjoying this iconic, energetic city.
Barrio Alto
I remember the first time I came to Barrio Alto and took the historic Glória Funicular up the hill. At that time, I didn’t know that it only went a few feet! (see Bottom to Top: Doing Tourist Things in Lisbon).
2018: First time in Lisbon
I also recalled that there are many, many bars in Barrio Alto. I decided to have a look.
Stop #1: The Corner Irish Pub
6 euros for a Guinness is not awful, but with a weak exchange rate, I will not be returning.
TPOL’s Tip: If you need a Guinness, the address is Tv. da Queimada 9, 1200-285 Lisboa.
Alex met George, the proprietor of the Old Pharmacy, where wine tasting is encouraged. I tried wine from different regions, including a new favorite, Vino Verde.
TPOL’s Tip: The address is R. do Diário de Notícias 83, 1200-142 Lisboa
Stop #4: No Stops, Just Walking
If I had a liver that could stand it and a bank account that was unlimited, I would go to a different bar each night.
Home
That was more than enough for one evening. I am here for 45 nights.
The flight from Madrid to Lisbon is very short. It’s 1 hour and 25 minutes. The question is whether it would be worth burning points to fly business on Iberia or deal with peasant (see Points in the Front, Peasants in the Back). Curiously, I found that booking through Qatar using Avios was cheaper than booking directly on Iberia. For 12,500 points, I decided that I would go with business, much as I did when I flew from Madrid to Barcelona (see Iberia MAD-BCN: Some Funny Business).
If you don’t know, I will tell you that I have taken this flight many times before (see Iberia Flight Reviews). This time around, I took the earlier flight.
Group 0?
Price
For 50k Avios, this remains the best deal in the sky.
The bad golfers in my golf club are called ‘bacalao’, which translated in means cod. I attempted to use my Spanish speaking skills to order cod for the main course. It was sold out. I settled for the pesto pasta. It was not bad.
Dessert
On past Iberia flights, I have indulged in Rioja and Ribera del Duero wines. After almost being kicked off a plane (see Iberia Business ORD-MAD: Mask Jokes Literally Don’t Fly ), I decided to limit my intake to two reds.
The real reason I did not drink so much is that the flight to Madrid is only 6 hours. There’s not enough time for a silent disco party (see Emirates A380 Silent Disco!), so drinking too much and arriving exhausted is not worth it.
No Pillow
I went to sleep but noticed that there were no pillows. I looked at my neighbors, who also had no pillows. This was quite odd.
Overall
When I lived in Scottsdale, I used to fly SWA to Vegas. It was convenient and it was reliable. The same is true about this route.
When I did my inaugural residency in Madrid (see Recap! Madrid Residency), I blogged daily about my life as a Spaniard. I have decided to do the same when I am in Lisbon. This introductory post brings back an old blog strategy called ‘a-live’, short for Alex Alive and Alex is Live. The novel concept of hopping from country to country and blogging as I went was short-lived due to the unavailability of Wi-Fi, the tedious process of uploading photos, and the inability of my brain to formulate sentences after a night out in the new or often old town.
Since I will be [mostly] stationary in this trip, I thought I would give this another go. The last thing I want is another Trip Report that is overdue (see World Cup 2022).
The old days of calling recon and coming away with a good result have changed (Chase Recon: How to Get It Done, written in 2016). I applied for the Chase Sapphire Business card. Instead of getting the 5/24 rejection, I received the following reasons for rejection:
Baffled by the seemingly contradictory reasons, I called recon. I was told the decision was final and nothing could be done. Curiously, I have never been approved for the Chase Sapphire Reserve personal either.
What does that mean for you? More spectacular content that should be produced more efficiently now that I’m revolutionizing how blogs are written with the aid of technology (see TPOL’s Out of the Office…to Automate Automation).
I’m going to keep dancing on the Pink Street in Lisbon.
“Please see the agent.” Those were the words on the Global Entry Kiosk when I returned from my Central America trip. I thought my pretty face was not recognized. As it turned out, my beloved Global Entry had expired. I commented, “I thought it was good for ten years?”. The border agent said it is good for five. “It’s been five years already?” I replied.
I didn’t receive notice that my Global Entry was expiring. I also didn’t think it would be a big deal to renew. A week before my trip to Colombia, I finally got around to doing the application. The day before leaving, I went to check in for my flight and noticed that my TSA PreCheck status was not showing up. I went back to the Global Entry page and saw that my status was still pending. Freaked out, I started Googling how long it takes for a renewal to process. My heart sank when I read horror stories that it could take months. I grew more despondent when I read that I could have still made use of Global Entry if I had applied for renewal before it expired.
The next morning I mentally prepared myself for the arduos line through airport security. My punishment for not renewing was enduring the humiliation of taking off my shoes and removing my laptop from my bag. Fortunately, the line itself was not that long.
Two days after my arrival, I received an email from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. My heart raced when I opened it. What if I were not approved? Could I ever travel again without the luxury of Global Entry?
Fortunately, I would not have to answer those questions as my application was approved.
