Bom Dia, Portugal!: Traveling (October 25, 2022)

When I was planning this trip I expected to be using trains much more than we actually are. There are a few reasons for this. Logistics: we have two large suitcases, two carry-ons, and the laptop backpack. It's difficult to lug all that up train station stairs or along cobblestone sidewalks to a hotel. Convenience: our hotels are not near the train stations on this trip, so it's often easier to use an Uber. Budget: the trains aren't always the cheapest way to go. We recently found out about Gipsyy, a low-cost bus service that the hotel owner in Sintra told us about, and our Uber rides aren't really that much considering the convenience. Now back to the story.

We did not do much sightseeing today since most of it was spent traveling. We left our great hotel in Sintra (Hotel Nova Sintra) at about 9:30 am. On this leg of the journey we took a CP (Comboios de Portugal) train to Lisbon and got there about 11:00am. It was only about six euros for both of us.

Lisbon's Oriente Station

Like I said at the beginning, I was thinking we'd get two train tickets to Porto from here but as we came from the platform we saw the Gipsyy ticket booth. I asked how much two tickets to Porto were and she said 20 euros--I was sold! These were roughly 30 to 40 euros less than two train tickets would have been and we saved some time too. We had lunch at the station since we didn't leave until 2:00 pm.

While enjoying the comfy seats, free Wi-fi, and charging ports, the bus took the A1 to Porto. We arrived at the Campanhã Bus Terminal around 5:15 pm and immediately got an Uber to our hotel--it wasn't nearby. This driver was the friendliest we've had so far this trip.

The Ibis Porto Centro Mercado do Bolhão is our home for the last leg of our vacation. I've said it before and I'll say it again, these Ibis hotels are great. This one is a little more subdued than the other, but it's in a great location and the staff was--again--very friendly and professional.

Our room

Last thing we did was walk to the Hard Rock Cafe for souvenirs and dinner. Fe chose the location and I was OK with that--I'd been getting my way pretty often--but I must be outgrowing this place. Or just getting old. Saw some interesting things along the way.