Leaving Sao Miguel

Friday - 19 Sep - Leaving Sao Miguel 

It was hard to feel really sad to leave because we had such a wonderful, magical time on the island. Some sad that they had never seen me happier. I have to agree that it was a unique place and time that would probably never be repeated. It was truly a once in a lifetime trip. Having our children all together and my sister and Theron made it really special. We loved and shared and enjoyed.

We left on time to go to the airport and returned our van, for which that was no problem. We did a little shopping in the airport shops and checked in. Then our flight boarded and we were off to Lisbon.

We had a 5 hour layover in Lisbon so thought we could go into town. We got on a bus that took us to the city center and then boarded a tour bus that went around the city with a recording in various languages explaining the sights. 

The tour was supposed to last 90 minutes, but we got behind a parade that added a good 20-30 minutes. So we of course, were going to be late for our flight. We took the metro back to the airport but couldn’t figure out their automated ticket system. It was quite a comedy as we thought we had bought tickets for all of us but it only let one of us through. It must have taken us 20 minutes or more to get everyone through the turnstiles with  multiple people going through at once and some getting caught. It would have been hilarious if we weren’t so press for time. Fortunately, our flight was about a half hour late so we made it, but just barely. We didn’t even think we had time time to go to the bathroom or eat, but we did. That was a crazy experience.

Spencer could tell that things were going to be rushed, so rather than boarding the tour bus, he stayed in the city center and enjoyed a leisurely stroll and meal. He was so relaxed that he barely made it back for the normal departure time.