Days 16-17: Thu 9-Fri 10 Sep - London to Sydney via Singapore

Did not have much time between landing from Lisbon to boarding for Singapore, so hightailed it directly to the gate. Made use of the lounge in Singapore though. The return trip was on a B747, not the A380 and I had a passenger next to me on the window so as soon as the seatbelt sign was turned off after take-off, I moved to a spare seat of three, where a kid was on the other aisle seat with her parents behind her. She was relatively well behaved and slept most of the way which was good for me. Lost a day coming home, again, and arrived in the very early morning. Thank goodness I had the whole weekend to get over the worst of the jetlag before having to go back to work. 

Day 15: Wed 8 Sep - Lisbon to London

Organised a late check-out as my flight to London was not until 6:30pm. Made use of the BA lounge in Lisbon. 

Day 14: Tue 7 Sep - Lisbon

Spent the day printing thank you certificates for presenters and Chairs, and other MEPS admin with Jane.

A park near our hotel

Castelo de São Jorge

Sanctuary of Christ the King

Aqueduct of Águas Livres, a Gothic aqueduct stretching 14km with a 65m-high section spanning the Alcantara Valley

 

Day 13: Mon 6 Sep - Lisbon

Jane and I did a guided tour of Arabida, which included Albufeira Lagoon, Cape Espichel with the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Cape, Sesimbra, and the Azeitao Cheese Museum where we had a degustation of muscatel wine and Azeitao cheese, all included in the price of the tour. It was a rather long day and we were both buggered by the end of it, so after an early dinner, it was off to bed.

Albufeira Lagoon

15th Century Church and Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Cape

Cape Espichel

Day 12: Sun 5 Sep - Lisbon

Sintra tour – caught the train to Sintra and saw National Palace Sintra, Pena Palace and a Castle of the Moors.

Sintra National Palace (a castle) is a present-day historic house museum and the best-preserved medieval royal residence in Portugal, being inhabited more or less continuously from at least the early 15th century to the late 19th century. It is a significant tourist attraction, and is part of the cultural landscape of Sintra, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Bed chamber of King Sebastian

Ceiling in one of the Tower Halls

Chapel

Kitchen

Castle of the Moors (on top of the hill) from the National Palace

The Pena Palace is a Romanticist castle on the Portuguese Riviera. The castle stands on the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon and much of its metropolitan area. It is a national monument and constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th-century Romanticism in the world. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. It is also used for state occasions by the President of the Portuguese Republic and other government officials.

The Castle of the Moors is a hilltop medieval castle located 25km northwest of Lisbon. Built by the Moors in the 8th and 9th centuries, it was an important strategic point during the Reconquista and was taken by Christian forces after the fall of Lisbon in 1147. It is classified a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The castle is an irregularly planned military outpost that follows a 450-metre perimeter on top of a mountainous cliff, oriented southwest to northwest. It consists of a double line of military walls that meanders over the granite terrain of the promontory. 

Sunrise from my room

Scenes from the train

Jane and Wendy waiting for the train back to Lisbon