Friday, July 31, 2015

Africa-Europe 2015 Day 24. Joy ride around Terceira and a delayed flight to Lisbon

My flight was scheduled for 5 pm, and I was not willing to spend all day in the lobby of the hotel, so once again I rented a scooter, with the idea of going around the whole island one more time. Unfortunately the weather turned on me, and I was facing some very grim clouds as I started in my ride. It was a fun ride, with many detours from the peripheral ring to look at impressive sea cliffs and boiling seas. I did get wet. In fact I got very wet, and then I dried off, got wet again, and so forth. Still, it was exhilarating to be on the scooter, free of care and wandering without aim.

I did stop in some of the bathing areas around the coast, and I have to say that the folks here are really adventurous and tough. All the signs indicate that on warm days the swimming holes are ready to accept many people for swimming and picnicking. 

I got back to Praia around 2:30 pm, had an excellent lunch, and then stopped by the hotel to pick my backpack. By 3:30 pm I was at the airport, in plenty of time for my 5 pm flight, only to find out that my flight was delayed until 6:30 pm. It seems I cannot avoid long waits at airports!


I landed in Lisbon around 9:30 pm, took the metro by 10:00 pm and then the train, and by 11:00 pm I was walking in the area of Belem toward my hostel. I was tired and hungry, so I stopped at a small restaurant to eat the equivalent to a ham and cheese sandwich, but baked into a flaky pastry, accompanied by a cup of milk and coffee. By the time I got to the hostel, around midnight, I found a beehive of activity (people here go to bed late) and was very happy to get a big hug from Maya.

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