Another short day for us on land, but we have many “administrative” things to handle, so it is just as well.  We make good use of our balcony for pictures as we sail up the river toward the Santa Apolonia cruise terminal.  Sailing into Lisbon never really gets old – the beautiful Belem tower gleams in the sunshine, as does the Padrao dos Descobrimentos, the monument to sailors and Henry the Navigator.  Under the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge (while we are at lunch, so no photos of that), then into our berth in Santa Apolonia.  Right on time!

Our plans for today are to simply go and pick up the Lisboa Card we have previously purchased, then grab our fully packed big suitcases from the ship and walk them up to the apartment we have rented for our stay here.  We went ahead and booked tonight there, even though we will stay on the ship.  Check in time is 3pm, and if we waited until tomorrow we’d have to stow our bags somewhere after we disembarked, before going to the apartment. So an extra night makes sense.  We can get organized, shop for some basics and then return to the ship to spend our, sniff sniff, last night aboard our sweet little Quest.

We’re off first thing and make our walk down to Praca do Commercial where the tourist office is located.  We totally luck out and arrive when no one else is there (by the end of our transaction, it is packed with 10 people waiting in line).  The lady at the desk has major problems trying to access our card purchase (we bought it through Expedia) and it takes forever (apologies to the ever growing line behind us). She has to call someone, then someone else and finally we think she just gives up and gives us our cards without really confirming through the system.  It worked, that’s what mattered!

Next we do a dry run to the apartment to see the best route from the ship.  It’s all uphill – seriously – so we are strategizing the best way.  The route we take to get there is not the answer. It is a straight long slog uphill.  We’ll be getting our exercise in this place!  On the way down to the ship, we thankfully find a better way that isn’t quite so torturous and head back to the ship to make our final preparations.

Earlier in the voyage, we had asked Ferdinand about taking our bags off on the first day in Lisbon, which isn’t strictly allowed.  He didn’t think it was possible but asked whoever he had to ask and we got approval (told you he was our best friend!).  Even still, the security officer wasn’t going to let us go with our bags when we arrive at the gangway, and we had to get Ferdinand on the phone (which was funny because he was literally 4 yards away from the door) to ensure this was approved.  Finally off the ship, we begin the climb, stopping along the way to catch our breath on the hills.  No gym necessary for us today!

Once at the apartment, we have all the access codes and manage our way into the little teeny one person-one bag elevator and then up the last flight of the circular staircase (more exercise) to our penthouse apartment.  This place is just ideal!  The layout is great, compact but with everything we need.  Full kitchen, eating island, sofa, bathroom and large bed. But the best is the little balcony that runs the length of the living area.  We have a bird’s eye view of the river in one direction and the Alfama neighborhood rising up the hill in the other.  Out over the rooftops we can even see the Quest docked in port!  Totally fun – and it will be a perfect place to sit out in the sunshine. 

We hit a little mini-market, stock up on beer and wine, then lock up and wander around the area. There are tons of little restaurants and shops for us to visit while we are here.  One of which we stop at for a quick beer and wine – and to celebrate pao com queijo – what we were hoping were those awesome Portuguese buns filled with cheese but what turns out to be toasted bread with melted cheese on top. Oh well – a snack to give us energy to climb these hills once more.

Back onboard for our last evening, we hang out on the balcony watching a beautiful sunset with the Ponte 25 de Abril in the distance and the Santuario de Cristo Rei off to our side. We have a lovely last dinner, and excellent farewell show, crying as we say goodbye to Zoe and crew, then tearfully head back to our room for our last night aboard our favorite ship on the seas.

Tomorrow, the next part of our adventure begins!