Leaving Madeira Again

 

Well.  This part never gets any easier.

Leaving the island is hard enough.  Leaving an ideal apartment where I was very comfortable is no better.  Leaving the island and the apartment to return to the states is just …

But at least this time there were things to look forward to on this latest trip across the pond.  I had ordered some things from Amazon that were waiting at the post office.  It was also time to pick up the glasses I’d had made on my last visit.  Do those things make up for yet another expensive, butt-numbing, way-too-long trip?  Eh.  It doesn’t hurt.

Besides, I hadn’t used up all my Schengen days yet.  I would fly to the states on a round-trip ticket.  That thought definitely relieved some of my anxiety.

I’ve done way too much waiting in airports on this journey.  Since coordinating a flight from the island to Lisbon to the states required another overnighter in Madeira airport, I opted out this time.  I just couldn’t do it again.  I decided instead to leave the island at a decent hour, spend the night in Lisbon, then grab my 11 am flight the next day.

But first, leaving the apartment.  Packing up involved a lot of sighing.  It really is a great place.  I can only hope to find something else that’s comparable and won’t break my wallet. Maybe even a place that has an equally killer view (when it isn’t hazy and rainy that is).

I called an Uber and waited on the landing to watch for it.  Dude took forever but eventually he pulled up and I could immediately tell by his accent that he was not native Portuguese.  He was actually from South Africa and had lived on the island for 20 years.  I told him how I wanted to move to Funchal and, as I’ve encountered from so many people, he began to give me tips on moving there. I really do love that attitude.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Madeira airport in the daylight.  I’m always arriving after dark, dog tired and just wanting to get where I’m going.  Exiting the plane at night, the first thing you see is this wall of lights.  Really pretty at night but seeing it in the daytime makes you realize that those lights are from houses that are way too close to the airport.  This is not an area of the island that I’d want to move to.

I grabbed a cab from Lisbon Airport to the Turim Terreiro do Paco Hotel.  There are numerous Turim hotels around the city so it’s a well-established chain, but I’ve never actually stayed in a hotel in Lisbon.  I’ve always been in Airbnbs so I didn’t know what to expect from a hotel.  Located in the heart of the city, the place was nicer than I thought it would be.  Though this is the first time I’ve ever stayed in a room with a single bed, it was a nice cozy place.

Back across the pond by way of Heathrow.  Same hotel in GA, same routine.  I grabbed my mail, picked up my nifty new glasses, and hennaed my hair again.  It is looking better after two months of more conscious care – still not as good as it looked two years ago, but I am seeing progress.  The breakage has stopped and I’m seeing a lot less hair in the comb when I detangle.  One of the things I ordered off Amazon was a hair hood that can be attached to a hair dryer so I can do some deep conditioning. 

After a couple of days, it was back to the airport, but there was a problem.  My return trip to Portugal was by way of American Airlines, which routed me to Philadelphia before crossing the ocean.  I was so accustomed to heading for the international terminal that I didn’t even bother to check where the flight was actually departing.  So, in spite of being in front of the domestic terminal (the main terminal for the airport), I jumped on the international shuttle.  For those who don’t know Hartsfield, the domestic and international terminals are on opposite sides of the stupidly large airport.  Getting from one to the other requires waiting in line for a shuttle that will take you on the roughly twenty-minute trip between the two terminals.

I got off the shuttle, looking confused as I tried to find the gate for AA.  An attendant noticed me and had to regretfully inform me that American didn’t have a gate in this terminal.  I would have to take the shuttle all the way back to the main terminal to board my flight.  Oh.  Goody.

That was just … annoying.  I missed the first shuttle because another single lady had gotten in line ahead of me and ended up as the last passenger.  I got back to the main terminal and had the hardest time finding the American Airlines desk, heading in the opposite direction before finally reaching the right spot.  The kiosk wouldn’t give me my luggage tags, so I had to wait in line again.  Fortunately, after all that, the security checkpoint for my gate was just a few feet away.  Despite taking the long way to get there, I managed to make my flight with no problem.

I kinda like having a domestic flight before the international one.  It ended up being a six-hour flight from Philly instead of eight.  The less butt time on a flight, the better.  I might go with a different carrier, though.  The food on American was bad even for an airline.  It made me really miss Turkish Air.  Now they know how to do a meal service.

Word to the wise: ignore any guy asking you if you want a cab in Lisbon airport.  Despite how nice they are, the ride will cost you 2-3 times what a licensed cab or an Uber would cost you.  Ask me how I know!

As the guy was driving me in, I started tracking our progress on my phone’s GPS – just in case.  Like in Jamaica, when I got into a car with a strange man, I had concerns about being dumped on the side of the road after being robbed.  But, no, the guy got me to the hotel in one piece, taking the in-city roads (which seems to be the most direct route, just slower because of all the traffic lights). 

I had wanted to stay in the same hotel as last time but couldn’t get a room.  Turns out that the new place is even better.  If you’re ever in Lisbon, I highly recommend the VIP Executive Picoas Hotel.  That is a funky hotel with great decorations that vary with each floor.  Along with the pricey mini bar, they provide a free bottle of water every day, a robe, a comfy bed (with your choice of pillows), and a cheese plate along with a bottle of wine (red, not my favorite).  The breakfast buffet is decent for 15 euros, the highlights being the specialty coffee machine (love those!) and really good bread.  Top notch accommodation for a not-outrageous price.