Club Trip to Lisbon 9th to 12th May 2009
Another Man's View
Of all the club's European trips (and I've been lucky enough to participate in every one so far) this latest venture can claim the dubious distinction of having had the most inauspicious start!
I was in one of the taxi's transferring us from airport to hotel whose driver ripped us off to the tune of triple the proper fare. Shame on you, Lisbon taxi driver! Then I was allocated a hotel room which, fortunately, did not have a balcony as the single window of our very small room looked out on to a maze of pipes and ducting. No real complaints about this because someone has to draw the short straw.
The first day weather was something of a disaster – cool and cloudy with intermittent downpours is a kindly description. Not what we expected from a May day in Portugal. No real complaints there either. We Brits are used to incomprehensible weather. However, the guided coach tour initially left us with distinctly negative vibes as we toured around several hotels. Our English-speaking guide announced that because of the size of the coach making access along narrow roads difficult, a couple of the usual highlights would not be included. We would be compensated by coach stops for ten minutes at a couple of venues in order to take pictures.
Undeterred by all of this hassle Colin, our hard working and very conscientious leader, had found a venue where the whole party could eat together on the first evening, as is our tradition on these trips. This very convivial event was rather complicated by how to pay the joint bill which included the party's starters, main courses, puddings, coffees, wines and various other extraneous items – not all of which, as it later transpired, had been taken by everyone present. Dividing the total by our full complement of 21 therefore left a number feeling rather hard-done by and destined to seek out cheaper alternatives, and in smaller groups, over the rest of the holiday. What a shame! But things could only get better – and they most certainly did.
Gallery by Tony Redford
Speaking for our own varying group of six or eight, who seemed to cover most of Lisbon on foot during the remainder of our stay, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in and around the city as well as our train trip out to Sintra. We stumbled upon many surprising nooks and crannies, full of character and atmosphere, as well as encountering some highly impressive viewpoints. There were the crazy trams linking fine open squares of statues and fountains to castle and waterfront and all interspersed with very inviting refreshment stops for excellent coffee and the delicious local pastries for which Lisbon is well known. The struggling exchange rate made for a relatively expensive trip but this was a holiday to be enjoyed and those with an obsessive eye on their bank balance should remember "you can't put a price on pleasure"! At any rate, we all took plenty of pictures. Perhaps the economists amongst us might console themselves with the thought that the money they saved on film would more than pay for any perceived overpayment on their first night bill.
There's no doubt that our traditional "thank you" to Social Sec. Colin at the end of the trip was very sincerely meant and we shall all be looking forward to next year's NCPS European holiday.