2026 POSTCARD FROM LISBON, PORTUGAL Wednesday 28 October –Sunday 1 November

I left home at 9am on Wednesday for Heathrow where I met up with my friend Gill Sharp. We departed soon after midday for Lisbon. On arrival we were met at the airport and driven to the Tivoli Oriente – our hotel for four days. After settling in we walked to the local supermarket to stock up on wines and crisps for our room! That evening we dined in the hotel restaurant and then retired to our cots! On Thursday Gill and I went on a very long day trip à deux to Sintra, Cascias and Estoril, during which we had a long visit to the Pena Palace. I was exhausted when we got back after ten hours in the car and retired to my bed to recover! On Friday Gill and I took a taxi into Lisbon itself and visited the Discoveries Memorial, the Church [Convent] of Our Lady of Mount Carmo which has no roof. In the evening we went to a fantastic André Rieu concert. On Saturday, our last day, we went to the Ajuda Palace for a short visit and then moved on to see the amazing Jeronimos Monastery. We finished up in Commerce Square for a sardine lunch before taking a taxi back to our hotel. En route we saw the amazing Odyssey of the Seas – a cruise ship which has 5500 guests and 1500 crew – it looks like a huge block of flats! We enjoyed drinks in the rooftop bar and dinner in the hotel on our least evening, and left for London the following morning. A lovely few days with Gill in beautiful sunshine.