2016-06-29

Nev's Europe Trip 2016 - Murwillumbah, Australia

Murwillumbah, Australia

Day One Friday 3 June On the tarmac at Coolangatta. The Scoot plane came in late and there were maintenance issues for the Dreamliner. I have a row of three seats to myself up near the front. We may get away by 10.45 about half an hour after advertised departure time. We should still get to Singapore by 4 pm. I am happy to be on board after having a few issues in the past week or so with light headedness, ear blockage and indigestion. Also there was the near electrocution while using an electric powered gurney to clean the driveway. Leonie had helped enormously in getting all the pre travel tasks completed. I just had to stay well. We were expecting.a smooth flight but the Gold Coast and East Coast generally were expecting heavy rain from an east coast low over the weekend. Apparently Gil's visit to Paris has been affected by constant rain and even the Metro has been affected. He will be pleased to et to sunny Spain. Meanwhile there are floods in southern Germany so I hope that does not include northern Switzerland. There is also bad weather in Texas so things sound pretty normal. Outside the port window a large cloud bank is building up. I hope we get away soon. There will be no movies on general viewing and I don't have an App it looks like a 7 hour sleep. It was cold on the plane as we waited for take off. A lady next to me asked if she could have a blanket. That would cost her $15 but Scoot would not accept her debit card. No refreshments were offered as we waited. My neighbour announced that this was the worst airline she had ever travelled on before she travelled on it. We eventually got under way an hour after our planned departure and took off smoothly as the clouds rolled in. Luckily I got the light meal that we had ordered and I paid for a hot chocolate to keep warm. I could hear people coughing back in the cabin but luckily I was not in total "cattle class". The two ladies ahead of me were asked to pay for their meals even though they were sure they had ordered meals with their ticket. Two hours into the flight we were still seeng heavy cloud over the Australian inland. After three and a half hours the cloud cover dispersed and we hit some turbulence causing the cabin staff to be seated. We came out over a body of water and tracked parallel to what I guessed was the NT coast on our port side. Given that we were travelling west I guessed we were still over Northern Australia.. Huge river systems flowed into the turquoise sea along the western coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Then, we were over land again and looking down on fires across what I guessed was East Arnhem Land I would like to see the flight path. Still not out of Australia. Eventually we passed a few river deltas on the port and the azure blue of the Arafura Sea to the starboard. Before long we were over the Indonesian Islands and a little tropical turbulence was noted. The first officer was assiduous in warning us to stay seated and to avoid using the lavatory till the seat belt sign was turned off. Nearing Singapore we passed over the neat tapioca and rice farms of Southern Kalimantan. Ahead we could see a huge bank of Cumulo nimbus clouds. The captain warned us that a storm had passed through Singapore and this could further delay our landing time. A couple near me became agitated that they would miss their connection and asked the Scoot team if their ground staff could help in making the transfer easier on arrival. The scoot staff were sympathetic but could not do much. We circled a few times with a huge cloud system on our port side. Given that we were 3 or 4 thousand fee above sea level and the cloud system towered above us, it looked like a cotton wool Everest. As we made our long final approach into Changi the pilot veered left towards this menacing storm system and we all gulped before he turned sharp right and landed. We then taxied around the back of the airport for about a kilometre from the terminals. Our friend with the connection problem was further displeased. Buses came to rescue us and we all passed through immigration except for those who transferred to other Scoot and affiliated airlines. It was predictably steamy getting back into Terminal 2, At the Etihad desk I got some better quality boarding passes. The PDFs files sent by email did not show the barcodes properly .It was busy in modern Changi airport. There was just enough time to make a few calls, get into free wifi and have a snack. The Etihad flight left a little later than expected with a full load of passengers. While the Dreamliner was modern, the leg room in cattle class was vey poor. There was a little turbulence over India but the flight was generally smooth. Landing at Abu Dhabi around 11.39 pm were were again parked in the chaotic outer tarmac and bussed in to the terminal. If Etihad is the national airline why can't it get access to an aerobridge? At the transfer point a guy who was trying to import a tray of jewellery held up the line and then I was subjected to a full body search in front of everyone. After removing all suspicious items like a plastic bottle of tic tacs it was concluded that I had a metal plate in my body that I did not know about and he let me through. People were lined up in corridors as the terminal was being renovated. I got some Gaviscon for a continuing gut problem and then took the bus out to our new flight. Ther second flight with Etihad went smoothly over the hot spots of the Middle East and again the leg room was poor especially if the person ahead reclined their seat. On arrival at Zurich I was feeling very tired and had a bad cough. I was very pleased to see Leonhard and Renate. They drove me home through th green rural landscape to Trullikon but we did stop at a bakery in Marthalen. We had a lovely brunch, chatted and Renate gave me some medications for my cough. My Facebook post announced to the world my arrival. After a light sleep and feeling very tired we had an early dinner of rice and asparagus and rhubarb pie. Renate and Leonhard worked in to the garden . It was still light at 8 pm. Sunday 5 June I had a good sleep and only woke on a few occasions to hear the church bell chime. There are no Swiss cows with bells on the hill anymore. My throat was still very croaky after the long trip. We got ready for a family brunch and soon Judith, John and three girls arrived. When they arrived the eldest girl Lou was very shy while Mila and Una were very lively. I had a good chance to chat to Judith and John as the meal progressed. John has good English and lively sense of humour. Florian arrived a bit later. The brunch lasted till the girls became tired. We had the usual range of breads, cheese, meats and strawberries. Then when Florian arrived from visiting his Polish girlfriend we took some photos. There was rain outside so a planned walk was postponed. When Judith and family went home, we discussed today's Swiss referendum and I had a good chance to discuss issues with Florian. He is a very smart guy, In the late afternoon Renate and I went to pick asparagus at Ursula's farm and to look at peonies in a nearby paddock. Red poppies are flowering in the fields around the village. Florian and Leon got a sausage BBQ ready and as the sun came out we had a pleasant meal in the garden area. Again we had a long conversation about education, politics and refugees. In the evening we discussed my travel plans to Basel and Renate agreed to join me on Tueaday's train trip to the airport. I had messages from Ram in Poland with pictures of Doninika's bump. He will take Friday off and drive via Bath when we visit Clive. Elegy in a Swiss country garden Alas the rhubarb's future is revealed It's been removed and yet it knows not why It's time has come and now it's fate is sealed To be the makings of a tasty pie There is also such a likely fate in store For rosemary and little sprigs of Thyme The former mixed with butter and what's more The latter boiled with water over time One hundred foot from Michelin's first star Asparagus from neighbour's field she cuts The little girl says grandma "nie, too far I cannot eat another sparrow's guts. Sequels to come: An allegory in a Swiss country garden and An Allergy in a Swiss Country Garden Monday 6 June We all arose a little late after a busy Sunday. After a brunch with croissants from the local store and fresh fruit and yoghurt we drove across to rural countryside towards the east. The rural countryside was lush and green and the temperature was around 26 degrees. We stopped at a old convent that is now a cultural centre. It has a rose garden around the outer walls. We had a romanoff dessert with strawberry and cream with an apple drink. The richness of the food did not agree with my sensitive stomach so I reluctantly eased off. Renate and Leonard have performed there with their music group. Leonard's choir has had a retreat there and he had professional development courses there with his staff? On the way home we bought train tickets for Renate and myself. At home, Renate went to Pilates while Leonhard cooked veges from the garden to put with some chicken. Tomorrow will be a day of travel and hopefully an further improvement in health. Tuesday 7June. What else could possibly go wrong? At 7.30 am we were having breakfast when a radio report said that the rail line between Winterthur and Zurich was closed due to a transformer fire. We had to rearrange travel plans hurriedly so Renate and Leonhard drove to Alderfingen, Renate and I got a train to Shaffhausen and made a connection to Basel going along the the German side of the Rhine. We made the connection with 15 seconds to spare. Renate ran ahead of me and held the train for me to struggle up the ramp with my luggage. Luckily the trip became more relaxed over time. Renate went into Basel and left me at the airport to wait for the Easyjet flight. Once through security I found that my gmail account was not working nor the Uni email through free wi fi. Hopefully it will be fixed. Just to cap off the day we taxied to the runway at 1.30 and got a third of the way before aborting due to a computer glitch. So we taxied back to the terminal to replace e computer. No takeoff expected till 3.15. It was 4 pm when we finally took off helped by a priest in the next row crossing himself furiously. The flight was a little bumpy as we came in to land at Madrid. The countryside looked very dry until we got quite close to the city. The airport is huge and it took us ages to taxi to a berth. Gil was waiting at the terminal. We had been in communication by text about the changes. It was a long walk to the metro. I got some euros from an ATM and a a bunch of 10 metro tickets. It was 4.30 euros for the airport train. We got a second metro ride from Neuvos Ministerio tour metro station and walked the Air BNB. The entrance is through a courtyard. Our room is in a basement down classy tiled stairs. It is a very basic room with shared bathroom and laundry and an inner courtyard with stone monuments where you can hang out your washing. There are few other guests at the moment but Gil had some noisy neighbours on the weekend. We met Gabriel the host who gave me a key. We then walked around the district, got some provisions from a supermarket and passed many people eating out on the streets. It was a warm balmy night after a hot day. We had a meal of gourmet hamburgers and wedges in air conditioned comfort costing 27 euros for two. There was a chance to look at the Madrid Map and planned activities. There were many people smoking as they walked. There were many local women walking little white dogs like Pebbles. The room in the basement was cool at night so we slept soundly after doing a duet of coughing. Wednesday 8 June It was a quiet night so we slept well. In the morning we saw that it was another warm sunny day. Around 9 we took the number 10 metro to Tribunal station and then number one to Sol. We took some photos around the tourist sector and the Mayor's office. There were more little while dogs with their owners, smoking was quite evident everywhere and men tended to dress formally in suit and tie despite it being a hot day in the low thirties. We got my Madrid Card - 60 euros for 48 hours and then went past a cathedral near the opera house. We took another metro to begin our journey to the Prado Art Museum. It was getting quite warm by 11 am. We got rapid access to the museum by having the Madrid card. The queues were long for this major museum. We spent three hours touring the galleries separately. The focus was strongly on early religious art with painters like Goya. On the other side of the road we had a two course lunch special for 12 euros and then walked to the modern art museum. Inside that museum the works on the ground floor were not of high quality but there were some interesting documentary films in the museum on the Cuban Revolution and also the Spanish Civil War prior to WW2. There was a serious painting of Guernica by Picasso. We decided to visit the art nouveau railway station while channeling Micahel Portello from European rail journeys on SBS but without the green jacket or yellow trousers. The plan was to get tickets for Saturday's rail trip to Toledo but the office closed at 4.30 just before our arrival. The metro trip back was quite fast. At home I was surprised that the morning's washing had not dried. Sure it was in the shade of our building but still it was still a very warm day. We topped up with some provisions from a local supermarket and did not feel like a large dinner. At 8 pm it was still warm and quite light. Around 9 pm we had a light snack at the local sushi bar and walked up the hill to take some photos. It was still light enough to take photos at 10 pm when the street lights came on. Thursday 9 June At the start of the day Gil was reading articles on his iPad and put it on charge while having a shower. After his shower he found that the screen had frozen and would not respond. It was a matter of concern all morning till we worked out that he was trying to close down with the wrong button. We realised this during lunch as we planned to go to the Apple shop in Sol. We took the metro into town on lines 10 and 1 and spent some time in the Botanical Gardens after picking up our Toledo tickets for Saturday. There was a botanical art exhibit in the gardens that reminded me of Kathy McKeehen and Julia Hancock. There were many primary school groups there on excursion and some young ladies from California who wanted their pictures taken. We then went to the Thyssen Gallery around 11.30 and stayed till 1 pm. It was better that the Prado in many respects with high quality art. For lunch we went to a restaurant that had indoor outdoor and outdoor tables and a three course meal for 15 euros. The restaurant filled up with people soon after our arrival and the meal took till 3 pm. Afterwards we went to the Naval Museum and took the metro home using three different lines. Gil chatted to Liz Meador on Skype. She sounded chirpy. We looked back on Jacquie's suggestions for enjoying Madrid and looked at the issue of going to a Flamenco show on Sunday night. In the late evening we went to a local Italian restaurant and had a vegetarian Pizza plus a side dish of organic veges and mint served like rectangular slab of butter or cous cous with cream. Friday 10 June It was Gil's last chance to use the 5 day Madrid Card and my last chance to use the 48 hour card. We went together to the city. I headed to the Palace with views of the city to the west. even with a Madrid card entry was slow. There was a long line for people wishing to purchase tickets on the day. I headed back on the metro to make a Skype call to Leonie and Pebbles. I could see them but they could not see me. Tickets for Toledo are ready for tomorrow and tickets for Sunday's flamenco show are booked. Saturday 11 June We left about 8 am to go to the rail station and had a quick snack before going though security onto the train platform at Atocha. It took us a while to find the right entrance. The trip to Toledo took only half an hour on the fast train. We passed industrial estates and residential high rise estates first and then passed through rural countryside that was only green when irrigation was available. The old 1913 railway station was like a scene from European rail journeys by Michael Portillo. There was a degree of confusion as we tried to get the right tourist bus for the Toledo Pass holders. We tried to board a hop on hop off bus but were told to go back to the Toledo Pass office. We were then advised to go back to the same bus and there we were directed to a second bus. There was no commentary on the bus that took us towards the amazing city on the hill. We went over an old bridge and up to a lookout and then across another bridge into the city. We eventually stopped near a square and tried to find our guide for a walking tour to the Cathedral. The guide had left with people on the first bus so we found an agent in the square and got directions to the Cathedral. The narrow streets had lots of tourists. At the Cathedral we got on one line with our Toledo Pass but were told to get on another long line to get a ticket. Half an hour later we got a ticket to get us back on the original line with a message about a tour at 12.15 inside the Cathedral. It was an amazing Cathedral and eventually we found a tour guide who did commentary in Spanish and English. She was very helpful to the small group of English speakers. In the end she directed us to a gallery of great paintings by Masters such as El Greco. Lunch was taken at a small cafe where I had a black rice and cuttlefish payella. It was very filling and had little variety but was tasty. We then walked to a Sinagogue that proved to be just one empty room with columns, Then we went to a monastery that afforded some great photo opportunities. Walking back up the narrow alleys we searched for a Tomb of the early mayor of Toledo and walked around it a few times before seeing the entrance. It was rather a non event. We then went back the square, had a lemon drink from Maccas that gave me a brain freeze with the ice coming up the straw on a hot day. We took the long elevator down to the river, crossed the bridge and went back to the rail station. We could not believe the long line of perhaps 400 people getting through security. The trip back to Madrid was fast. At the Airbnb we had a quick nap then went out for a Japanese meal of tempura, teriyaki and miso across the road. Madrdi has a population of 3.5 million in the inner city and 5.5 million in the whole metropolitan area. One of the features of the city is the extensive and efficient metro system. Almost every day someone will get on to a carriage and begin a little speech about why you should buy their cigarette lighter, torch or pack of tissues. Hawkers also set up the passageways of the subway. Luckily there are also good quality musical buskers plays violin or trumpet so subway riding is fun. Sunday 12 June In the morning Gil spoke to Christopher and Mary on Skype. He heard from Christopher that Mary's biological father in Africa had died of cancer. At 9 am we took the metro to La Latina and merge with thousands of people at a huge market maybe five times the size of Salamanca in Hobart. A few scarves, caps and key rings were bought and we had a lemon drink before catching the metro home. A call was made to Leonie and Pebbles before they retired for the night. At this point all three of us have colds on the chest or in the head. We walked to a neighbouring Spanish restaurant for lunch and had a potato tortilla, a plate of tomato and onion and another dish with lettuce, ham and sun ripened tomato. There were all little treats of pork crackling. It was a substantial meal. Around 6.39 we headed to the subway and took the train to Vertas where a large bull fighting arena is located. We walked the back streets to this high rise residential suburb and found the Tanlao Flamenco Cefetin La Qunimera. There were about 60 people booed in Foran intimate show. We had a drink of wine/sangria while others had a meal. There were two female dancers one male dancer a female singer and a male guitar player. The male dancer was very intense. It was a good opportunity to see flamenco dancing up close. On the way home the metro was almost deserted. We came home to read more about the massacre at the LGBT club in Orlando. The gun lobby has a lot to answer for in allowing automatic weapons to be purchased by crazy people. . Monday 13 June Gil stayed home to do some packing and to research our transport for Lisbon. The AirBNB host has not been highly communicative but the instructions are clear. I headed to the Metro and had an altercation with a street performer doing juggling acts in front of the cars at the traffic lies. He senses that I wanted to take a picture and came across to complain about me taking a picture of him "at work". Except for some instances of road rage this was the first instance of aggression that I had seen. On the whole the people of Madrid have been very courteous and well behaved. Oh yes and there was the exuberant behaviour of some college students and some primary kids on the train but that is to be expected. I got the Metro to Retiro station and walked through the huge Central Park that is the "lungs of the city". There were people jogging and relaxing and walking their dogs. They were not the little white fluffy ones that you see in the city. These were larger dogs keeping their owners on their toes. One dog, a staffie, got into a shallow pool chasing a ball and the owner had great difficulty getting him out. Too much fun. I went past the observatory and into the Atocha Renfe station for a snack then got the train to Sol. In the square near the Apple Store there were two people doing meditation, What looked like a Buddhist monk was holding a bamboo pole with a Hindu mystic sitting on top of the pole, meditating. This was a public display in levitation that had the crowd amused. Gil called to arrange a lunch meeting and the grilled prom on the daily menu proved to be delicious ( Llke grilled pork chops), I roamed the city getting some final photos and Gil actually walked back along one of the main avenues. Back at the AirBNB I spoke to Gabriel about our departure. For the first time the Moviestar internet server seems to be down. Tuesday 14 June Gil and I set the alarm for 6.30 and returned the keys to Gabriel. We got the metro to the airport at 7.30. I got off the train at Terminal 2. What a huge airport! However it is efficient and modern. The only problem is that you get free wi fi but cannot connect to your mail or in fact get any service. This happened at Brussels as well. With time to spare I had a breakfast snack while Gil was checking in for a later Iberian flight. Air Europa check in worked well with a staff member guiding me through. The code did not work straight away but the passport brought up the boarding pass details. Little tricks. Thanks EDREAMS. I must check with Etihad at Gatwick to see if I can get an upgrade to more leg room on the way home. Apparently Leonie use has been receiving my texts bug has been unable to reply. The flight with Air Europa to Lisbon was only an hour in duration and conditions were fine. Lisbon airport was quite busy and colourful. While waiting of Gil I had a baguette and checked email. Here was one free wi fi that worked, When Gil arrived we got the Aerobus to the terminus by the sea and had lunch near a market. The bus was delayed as drivers argued over who should drive. .The city itself was quite modern but we passed many low cost housing estates on the way from the airport. The lunch loved to a winner with a colourful chicken, rice and vegetable dish and potato wedges. there were a lot of fish dishes on the menu. Across from the cafe there was a park where musicians were performing. Immediately we could see that the populace were a little less formal, more edgy but full,of life compared with the more formal subdued people we met in Madrid. Gil and I dragged our bags across the cobblestones not far from the seaside and eventually found our accommodation in Rua Esperanza. There was an Indian Nepalese restaurant next to the entrance door to our AirBNB. After a few text messages our hostess ADRIANA came rushing up the street. She was trying to about having her car towed away buoy traffic police. She took us up the inevitable flight of stairs into a spacious old fashioned lounge area. Our room had two twin beds at one end of the bedroom and some basic cupboard space. There was a kitchen and a bathroom with an area off that for hanging washing, but no apparent laundry. We met our fellow guests: a New Zealand woman visiting Portugal for her sons's wedding before cycling across to Spain and a young German couple. Gil and I had a quick nap and then want for a walk around the barrio alta. There were the expected narrow streets, buses and trams, little open squares, slippery cobble stone streets made even more dodgy as there was light falling and purple jacaranda trees in full bloom. We passed a few small supermarkets and lots of restaurants as well as some clothes and furniture stores. We went part the Assembly of the Republic building and up some steep narrow streets towards the city centre. Then we got some provisions and returned to the AirBNB as light rain, predicted for tomorrow, decided to arrive early. Later in the evening we had an Indian Nepali restaurant next door to our accommodation and then went for a walk around the neighbourhood. Portugal was playing Iceland in the Euro soccer so people were getting excited around TV sets in the streets. The result was a draw. Wednesday 15 June Gil had a booking on the hop on hop off bus so we headed out around 9 am. I decided to do some walking around the waterfront. The Marcado da Ribeira market was open with fresh food on offer. This was a very upmarket version of Victoria or Paddy's market. In the restaurant area gourmet chefs ply their trade. I walked past the Commercio area in the rain and the cobblestones were slippery. A busy road went off to the left to the city centre. On Jacqui's recommendation I headed towards the Alfarma area and claimed some steep hills to an old church but somehow missed the castle that is a feature on the skyline. On the way back down I was able to get 5 euro meal that included veges soup, tuna sandwiches and a juice. The waitress had good English so all was fine. It was very helpful to see the city in this fashion by walking the streets. I came back past the market and asked Gil to meet me there for tea. Back at the AirBNB I saw the NZ lady who plans to ride a bike to Spain and the German couple who were leaving the following day. I was able to get my washing dry when the sun came out in the afternoon. Gil and I had great food at the Time Out market. I had Asian food (Tom Yum and Pad Thai) while Gil had fish. We watched a game of football in the big screen. Thursday 16 June Gil and I went to Commercio together. We took the same Hop on Hop off bus thought the city centre and then he got off at the Bullfighting Ring to get a ticket for the 10 pm event. I carried on the Rd bus route past the amazing park that looks down across the city to the sea and past a lovely church with a lush garden. This is a place Near our accommodation that I will revisit. We passed the huge 25 April Bridge on the riverside and I got off at Belem. The Belem Torre is a structure like a small fort settled in the water off the shore. There were so many tourist buses there that the bus driver could not get to the right stop. It was warm in the sun but windy. I walked to the other Belem monument to sailors that looks like the now of a shop and then circled back to get the hop On bus just as Gil jumped off. He had waited for,an hour to catch his bus. The sound system was dodgy and the commentary was sparse but the music was enjoyable. When I got back to the Commercio terminus I switched straight on to the Blue line bus and went towards the east where there was an Expo some years ago and the legacy is a modern part of the city which has a monument to Vasco de Gama and a long low bridge co,pared to the high suspension bridge that au saw earlier. When we got back to Stop One at the Marque de Pombal around 2 pm I decided I has been on a bus long enough and walked down the main drag, visiting the Australian embassy to sort our voting on Monday and then to have some lunch at a pastry shop. (tuna baguette and ice tea.) I walked to Commercio through the very touristy Baixa area and ended up at Commercio. There was a football match being screened for hundreds of fans watching England playing Wales. It was awesome in the sun. I wandered along the waterfront where people were sunbathing on a narrow strip of sand or on concrete slabs. Near the markets I heard a group playing Latin music and they turned out to be a group from Cape Verde. I eventually bought a CD of their music. there was a guitarist playing in the park near the market as well. Gil and I had another meal at the Mercado watching football between Ukraine and Northern Ireland. This time I had a meal from a stall owned by a famous chef. Two of the 14 Portuguese Michelin Star chefs have outlets in this market. I had pea soup with bacon and tempura veges. Gil had a hamburger with egg swimming in sauce. It rivalled the earthquake burger of Puyallup. Rick Stein the second chef was in the market last night being filmed by a documentary crew.. We went back to the accommodation and met our new house guest - a single lady from Melbourne. Gil had a rest and then went out to the bull fight. (No Bulls were killed in the making of this event). I wanted to call Leonie about our big win in getting action of the flying foxes. Gil came back from the bullfighting arena around midnight. He said our neighbourhood was hopping like crazy at midnight. At the bull ring Gil said it was a big show with music and lots of pre fight entertainment. Basically some guys on horses rile the Bulls by poking them with sharp sticks and then nine of ten guys try to subdue the bull without being gored. This all happens four times during the night. No Bulls are killed. Friday The Skype call to Leonie on Thursday night had not gone smoothly. I could see her but she could not see me. We agreed to try again Friday night / Sat morning her time. Gil was planning to have an easy morning and to do some washing so I took off for Cais de Soidre where I topped up my metro card. The whole coastline is a construction zone, mainly laying cobblestones that will look good one day when it is all finished. I got the Red bus to the mail terminal and noted that the Aero Bus leaves the port at 7.40 am as per the timetable so that would suit me when I leave on the 28th. At the major terminus I switched to the Blue line and then realised that the area I wanted to see near the zoo had been covered on the previous day's trip. I ended up back at Commercio having seen a few locations on the hill that had great views of the city. I walked back up the main drag trying to avoid masses of tourists and found my way to Chiado where the Fado concert will take place. The ticket office was due to open at 2 pm so I walked back down to the main drag and got a furnicular to the top of the hill. There were great views of the city. I walked back to the theatre area and had a slow lunch of tomato soup, olives and bread being serenaded by a bass player and guitarist.. At the ticket office Ai found that the Fado was not held on Sunday nights so I switched the booking to Saturday night. At this stage I tried to text Gil but had deleted all his incoming texts from my phone and the number in the contacts list would not allow me to send messages. I tried texting Leonie to see if she could get him to send a text but then found I could call him. He sent a text and all was fine. He was still back at the apartment and had not been able to find the laundry. I let Leonie know it was a false alarm and headed home on foot looking for the laundry. I took a steep staircase down the hill and missed the laundry by a few streets. Back tracking on our first walk last Tuesday I located laundry and headed home. There were new people at the apartment. Gil and I walked to the laundry to do some washing and checked by the supermarket on the way home. The Main Street near our apartment has a great show jacarandas. Back the apartment we chatted with the Melbourne guest about her trip to Sintra. Hilly is the operative word. Saturday 18 June We decided that it was Number 28 Tram day so we walked to Los Negros and waited for the tram. Quite a few people were waiting around 9 am but the tram was not as crowded as we imagined it might be. It crawled up the hill to Chiado and then down through the city centre, up past the Cathedral and the castle, past Graca to the end of the line. Then we came back down to the lookout and walked to the Castle of St George. We got in for 5 euros with our seniors' cards. The location was spectacular with a great view of the city. We wandered around the parapets where it was quite windy. Fifteen minutes were spent in a dark room watching a 360 degree view of the city through a periscope projected onto a dish. We chatted to a London based Brazilian girl who had good English. She manages a Pizza Express restaurant in Putney. The archaeological dog at the castle goes back to Roman times about 7 BC. I plan to return to this site later in the week. As we walked down to the Cathedral a pickpocket successfully unzipped Gil's back pack but got away with nothing. Gil heard the zipping sound and got a view of the guy in striped shirt with a couple of women. We caught up with him at a lookout and let him know that we knew what he was up to. He was brazen in getting Gil to look behind him for the police. We got a photo of him but it was too late and nothing was missing. We looked around the Cathedral and then split up to do some sight seeing on the way home. Back at the Commercial a football game between Belgium and Ireland had attracted a crowd. The game was also screened at the Time Out market where I got. Yellow Thai curry and roped a 5 euro note that was given in change as I waited for the buzzer to ring. Vigilance! We rested up before the Fado concert. On the way to the Fado concert we got the No 28 tram from Los Negros but we saw three teams waiting at the intersection as a car was being told away across the tram lines. This delayed us 20 mins then when we got off the tram at Chiado, we ran Jono a huge LGBT Gay Pride demo coming down the street. It was like the Sydney gay Mardi Gras all,over. There were thousands of supporters marching and many groups mentioned support for the victims of the shooting in Orlando. We eventually got to the Fado concert. There were two instrumentalists one on guitar and one on a traditional lute like instrument. Then there two singers one male and one female. The music was quite mellow and all in Portuguese bug occasionally there were words and symbols on the screen a behind to let you know what the song was about. There were many old photos of Lisbon setting the scene. We expected very melancholy music but is was quite varied. I decided not to get a cd but feel sure I could download some Fado Music as a background to a slide show. We walked home from the Chiado with a full Kon guiding the way. The city was alive as Portugal was playing soccer in France and everyone was glued to the game. It ended up a draw. Sunday 19 We walked to Cais de Sodde and topped up our metro tickets then got the ferry across the diver to Casilhas. A local bus with a sour faced driver took us up the hill to the huge Cristo Rei statue . We went up in the elevator to the viewing platform and looked over the city. Back at the bus stop we met 7 lively Indians wanting to get to e beach so they followed us back to the port and then on a bus to the beach at Costa de Caparica. It was a local bus that avoided the freeway and took about 40 minutes. The beach area was crowded with people and the sun was bright. We had a set meal of broad and chorizo sausage, vegetable soup, juice and sago and cinnamon dessert. The beach was totally crowded and quite like some Aussie beaches. There was a large barren section between the high rise buildings and the beach itself. We do the landscaping better in Australia but these people live their beach. From the breakwater there was a stretch of sand going some 10 km south and about every 100 metres along the beach there were surf clubs operating. There was a junior surfing Como in progress and lifeguards were on duty. I paddled in the water while the Indians went into for a surf. We walked along the beachfront in the blazing sun as Gi, had heard of a tourist train that follows the coast. After getting positive and negative news about the train's existence we eventually found it. On the left as we headed south as a a huge holiday camp under canvas that extended at least one kilometre. Then about every one metres there was a car park full of maybe 500 cars. People walked across the rail line to the beach. Some people had beach houses on the dunes. At one stage we obviously passed a beach for naturists and then a gay cruising area. One guy stood stark naked on a dune watching us to by. The train took a both half an hour to go about 10 km each way. We got eh bus and ferry back to Lisbon around 5 pm. At the Air BNB we found that two guests has a absconded with all the toilet paper in the bathroom. We met the Melbourne lady who attempted to move to another unit but found that there had been a misunderstanding so she was back for the night. She tended to spend a lot of time in the bathroom doing makeup. She had come to attend her son's marriage to a local girl. It seemed that our accommodation had a lot of women of certain age travelling alone. We had dinner at the Time Out market and watched France play Switzerland in in a nil all draw. Monday 20 June We headed out around 8.30 am and got the metro to the Rossio train station. The lines of people waiting to get the train at Cais do Sodre were rather daunting but somehow they all got on the train. At Rossio we bought tickets for the Sintra trip then headed to the Australian Embassy for a 9.30 appointment to vote. We were held up by security and then eventually to the office. The staff were in a fluster as people came in from NSW and WA and we all had trains to catch. The staff had received voting papers for the lower house but not for the Senate. The staff had to photocopy the voting papers on A4 paper and then sticky tape them together. We eventually left at 11 am. Gil stood at the post office for half an hour trying to buy stamps for postcards. When we missed out train connection he went back to wait for number 114 to come up but it only got to 111 before he had to leave and five his rocket to someone holding 133. On the crowded train we chatted to some Welsh people who gave us interesting perceptions on Brexit and Australia. They were dead against leaving the EU and disliked Cameron. At Sintra we found the air to be clear and a little cooler than the 34 degrees of Lisbon, we had lunch and then walked around the streets toward the Palace of Sintra. There was lush vegetation on either side of the road as we passed Parque Liberdade. We toured the National Palace de Sintra that had some nice gardens and traditional tiles. Then we went to the Tourist Office and took a tour of an interactive display on Sintra Legends, We were nearly lost in the maze of this three story labyrinth.matter walking to the strange Regalia Palacio built by an eccentric, We heard later that there were caves under the building and waterways. Gil eventually,got his stamps at small post office with no customers or ticketing system. We walked back to the train station through the narrow streets that are tourism central, had a look at the park and then boarded a train going towards Olivier. We got off at Roma and took the metro to Cais do Sodra. It was a very crowded train but a Labrador guide dog took it in his stride. Back at Time Out for dinner at 8pm we watched England play a draw with Slovakia and chatted to a lady from Arizona whose 13 year old son is GO Cart Champion in the US for 12-15 year olds. The father races at Indi, the V8s in The Gold Coast and in NZ. HE also races trucks. Deve Kidd may know him. Tuesday 21 June Gil wanted to use his Lisbon card so we took the same very crowded bus to Belem and got off at the monastery. I went to the Maritime Museum that Mary Walters recommended.,I,then wandered around Belem and could not find a street where Etihad Airlines were supposed to have an office. In the end I walked back to the Belem Torre and got inside after wiring in a long hot line. Local police were hassling gypsy hawkers and outnumbered them 20 to 10. I got the bus back to Cais de Sodre, did some shopping, got some euros,topped up the metro card and went home for a rest. In the afternoon I walked up the hill to the Jardin ( garden) on the hill behind us and got back in time for Gil from the No 28 tram. In the evening we went next door to the Nepali Indian restaurant, Gil had his best meal in Lisbon, a chilli chicken dish with veges and I had veges in a tempura dish. There was a footy game on TV that held,our attention and we saw another game on the small,TV back in the AirBNB. Wednesday 22 June Gil wanted to use his card again to go,to,the Gulbernican Museum and the Tile Museum. There were two guys hogging the bathroom late at night and in the morning so our departure was delayed. The lesson is, get up early for a shower. We both went to the metro together and joined the long queues to get on the train. I got off at Parque and Gil went further on to,the museum where we plan to see a choral concert on Sunday night. I had another frustrating attempt to find an Etihad Office and then walked down the Liberdade and found at a travel agent's office that Etihad has no office in the city. I went to,the Rossio Station and booked a train ticket to Faro for Friday. Euro 22.50 for. Seniors. I then took the furnicular to the top of the hill and walked to the Botanical Gardens attached to the university. It was a bit depleted due to economic circumstances and lack of government funding. I walked all the way down the hill to our accommodation and watched Portugal play Hungary on TV. Apparently the Maroons beat the Blues in the State of Origin back home. We planned to visit the Portuguese buffet for dinner. Gil had been out all day since 10 am. Back home Cathy Milliken was getting organised for the composition workshop in July. Australia was expecting an Antarctic blast. Not here. The Portuguese buffet worked out fine and we watched a football match between Italy and Ireland that was surprisingly won by Ireland. Back home we watched another match featuring Sweden and Belgium. Thursday 23 June. Brexit Day Luckily we did not have to fight for a place in the bathroom. Gil headed towards the Alfarma area with a plan to make a train booking for Faro. As it turned out he had no luck with train officials at Cais de Sodre so he will try his luck at Oriente tomorrow morning. I took the train to Cascais that is to the west of Lisbon past Belem. The trip takes about 40 minutes and follows the coast. I was immediately surprised by this modern township by the sea. Being a weekday it was not too crowded but there were quite a few American tour groups in town. There were some small beaches quite close to the railway station that would normally get very busy but today it was 21 degrees and the surf temperature was cool so there were not too many actually swimming. I walked past the citadel and marina and found myself on a coastal path that accommodates pedestrians and bicycles. There was a nice public park before I reached the main feature of the coastline - a place called The Inferno where waves have weathered the rock face and rock falls are common. There was a young tourist climbing close to the rock face and a local called out for her to be careful. I had a light lunch of toast and tomato there before heading back through the town to the railway station. I was back in Lisbon by 2.30 and Gil came home early as well to charge the batteries of his camera. He skyped with Marie for some time. We were aware of the Brexit vote taking place with polls showing 51% for the remain vote. Very close! I had a message from Lou saying that Suzie has had bronchitis and Lou has not been able to take the third ethics class. I will have to catch up on my return. Hopefully Gil will be able to get a ticket to come to Faro with me and then we may get to Cascais together on Saturday. Time is running out. We have a few new people in the accommodation so we may have a full house for the weekend. Friday 24 June We left the accommodation early and walked to the Metro. From there we travelled on two lines to Oriente and got a train ticket for Gil at the modern station. The train trip though the rural countryside took three hours and was quite fast. At Faro we walked through the commercial area and visited the walled city. We climbed to the tower of the cathedral and saw the impressive organ inside the cathedral. From there we decided to,take the ferry through the wetlands to the Isle de Deserta. On the ferry we met some nurses and a nurse educator from Ireland. She was born in the south but worked at a hospital in Ulster. Her views on Brexit and life in Ireland were quite illuminating. We took some photos on the island where some people camped on a treeless dune and others bathed in the ocean or sun asked. There was a lovely sea breeze as we got the ferry back. In the town we had a relatively long and expensive Italian meal. There was a guy from Rhodesia with good English scanning for money. We explored the very bland back streets for a while then got to the station half an hour ahead of the last train due to leave at 5.56 pm. A station attendant directed us to the platform and mentioned something about the sixth car on the right of the platform. We saw people get off a train from Lisbon and waited as staff cleaned the train and the engine was shunted into place. Only one other passenger joined us. Eventually it dawned on us that this may not be our train. A cleaner said hurry to the other platform. We got there just in time to see the last train to Lisbon leave platform 6. The station attendant was dismayed. "I told you to go to the right and find platform 6. It is very complicated. You will have to get the next train. At 7 in the morning " We went to the ticket office and paid 4 euro to change our tickets then went looking for a hotel or a bus station. The EVA bus company offered us a ticket to Lisbon for 17 euros which would be cheaper than getting a room so we opted for that and after an express three hour ride we got to Lisbon at 10 pm and back by the metro to our accommodation by 11 pm we have learnt from the experience to double check instructions. The Brexit vote has everyone dismayed, especially the young. Saturday 25 June Gil needed to do so some washing and wanted a quiet day. We planned to see the football at the buffet restaurant in the evening. I transferred some Oz dollars into GBP while the rate was 52 p. then took the train to Cascais and toured the Citadel. It offered a great view of the beach and marina from the tower and had a very professional DVD on archaeology. I walked again to the Inferno and thought the seaside suburb was reminiscent of west coast cities like Perth or San Diego. Although the tourists and a lot of locals wear beach attire some Portuguese women wear the simple one piece summer dresses that were common in Madrid. In the train coming back a Chinese tourist tried to get off the train near the April 25 Bridge but the doors would not,open and she had to ride some way to the next station. Otherwise the train and subway system has been excellent. Back in town I thought about going to find Ram's recommended restaurant the Tabernacle in Rua Flores but Gil called to say he was going out so went home to get the common key and watched Poland beat Switzerland on a big screen in the square. Dominika happy. Leon and Florian unhappy. Sunday 27 June I went walking up the hill to find the restaurant that Ram recommended. It transpired that the restaurant was not open in Sunday so I kept walking through the downtown and up to the castle. I walked around the Alfarma district and got back home around 3 pm. Gil had done some washing and went out for a walk till we headed downtown for dinner at Time Out. We headed to the Metro and got off at San Sebastio. We arrived at 5.30 for a 6.30 concert but were told that no free seats were available. I pleaded that we had travelled from Australia to see this Sacred Sounds concert he women from Manchester? That ploy did not work. Feeling very disappointed, I chatted to a lady taking tickets and she pointed me to a guy taking names for a wait list. He then gave our names to a guy who recorded them on his mobile phone. The second guy from the museum staff asked us to come back at 6.20 to see if any seats were available. A big queue developed and we got on in followed by another thirty of forty people. The concert was in a gallery with good acoustics. The performers were women of a certain age led by an energetic female conductor. They sang songs from a wide variety of cultures reflecting the diversity of their group. It was strange that this group represented the value of diversity that Brexit supporters don't seem to acknowledge. This was a fair replacement for the choir performance that I was missing at home. As we came back through Time Out the Belgians were getting ready to hand out a soccer thrashing to the Hungarians. Monday 27 June Last day in Lisbon. We decided to take the train to Cascais. Gil was not impressed by the small crowded beaches with no waves but I still think it is attractive. We were not able to tour the citadel or to see the video on archaeology. We did the walk to the Inferno. Gil thought the cliffs on Sydney's coast were more impressive but I could see similarities with places like Double Bay, North Head and Bilgola. We came back to Lisbon and walked up the hill to the Taberna in Rua Das Florss. I had cold Beetroot soup and Gil had a cheese dish, then we both had a finely sliced veal dish on a bed of lettuce. With the meal,we had a lemon and mint drink. Thanks for the recommendation Ram. The staff were very attentive. We walked back to the apartment for a rest and finished packing. Gil called Anne on Skype just using telephone. She has followed our trip with interest. Tonight Italy played Spain and Iceland played England. We sat at two different screens for these matches the first having a drink and the second a hamburger. Italy had in a surprise win over Spain. It was a major surprise to see that Iceland was able to hold out England. I had a bet with John Cadman that Italy would do better than England than England. John is mortified and owes me a coffee. Tuesday 28 June We arose at 5 am so Hil could get a taxi at 6 am. The taxi came early and he was away but he had a half hour delay with his flight (British Air). I left the apartment at 6.45 and got a metro train to the airport around 7. Arriving at the airport I had a long wait in the Monarch air lines as there was no self check in and a long line of British Golfers with their golf clubs. When I got inside the airport through a myriad of duty free corridors and security checks I found that the flight had been delayed 45 minutes most likely causing me to miss my train connection to Bath. Don't you just love these travel days. Most frustrating was the fact that the gate area had no wi fi or mobile reception. I changed my last 50 euros and got £35. It is going to be expensive travelling in the UK. One could learn to hate airports and travel days like this. The long waits in lines, the uncertainty of whether the flight will be delayed, the duty free mazes, the security and passport checks, the buses that take you out into the tarmac. Whatever happened to aerobridges? So we get a bus out to the Monarch plane on the outer edge of the tarmac and are told by the captain that we should sit down quickly because there is a strike at French airports affecting traffic control and we may miss the slog for our delayed takeoff. If so we may be delayed for four hours till another slit becomes available. For some reason we have to fly part of our journey over French air space, is this retribution for the Brits supporting Brexit? Why not just fly around France over the Atlantic. The flight over Portugal, Spain, the channel and southern England was uneventful. England always looks so green and ordered. We landed at 2 pm local time. It took me three quarters of an hour to get through immigration and to buy a senior Rail Pass £30 and a ticket to Bath £46. Luckily I know this route and it was pleasant to see the rural countryside. Train travel is expensive but so much less stressful than being around airports. The next task is to get to Bath and to find the YMCA. The weather is cloudy and rain is predicted. Just as expected. The train for in to Bath before expected so I walked through town in the rain and checked in at the YMCA? I missed the entrance that is down a dingy lane that opens out to a courtyard. The room is monastic in style, like a university dorm room with shared bathroom down the corridor. There is a view of line of Bath buildings and I am not far from the renovated Roman Baths. I had a nice meal at the Ask Italian Restuarant across the road, got some provisions from a convenience sfore, skyped Leonie and crashed, feeling a little exhausted. Wednesday 29 June I slept soundly till about 1.30 am when some noisy Asian girls came home and banged doors. When I arose at 6 am the sun was shining. By the time I had a shower and got dressed the clouds had come over but I still went for a morning constitutional in my shorts. The area near the weir was very familiar. Breakfast was taken in the YMCA dining room. The hot chocolate went down well after my brisk walk. There is a plan to go to a live music event at a local pub tonight. Funk and reggae in Bath should be good after meeting Claire for lunch.

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