After a trip lasting
over forty hours, we finally arrived safe and sound in Lisbon. If every great adventure requires a
little adversity, we have already met our quota.
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Everyone Started Out With a Smile! |
Our journey from Vancouver
to Lisbon started well. Everyone
met at the airport and other than losing Sam for a few minutes when a new
Tilley distracted him; we enjoyed preflight coffees and a bite to eat before
boarding our Air Canada plane to Toronto at 2pm, (45 minutes behind schedule.) The flight went smoothly and a few
hours later we landed at Toronto’s Pearson International. The only concern we had upon landing was
the fact we only had 35 minutes to quickly transit to our Lisbon flight.
Our worries proved unnecessary;
Air Canada agents met us at the gate and informed us that our plane was not
flying to Lisbon after all due to mechanical problems. We were stuck in Toronto for over 24
hours. “Pissed” is not a strong
enough word to describe our reaction to the bad news. Not only were we stuck in Toronto for the first day of our
holiday, we were missing our day in Lisbon and due to time constraints, the day
cannot be recaptured. In addition,
the cost of our hotel in Lisbon (expensive in August) was lost.
Our pleas to Air
Canada to be put on other flights to get us there sooner, fell on deaf ears. They did provide us with a night at the
Travelodge, a breakfast, lunch and dinner vouchers. After our stay, the group consensus was that it had to be
one of the poorest hotels any of us had ever experienced. The best compliment I can give was
the bar’s serving of Barking Squirrel beer, definitely a “two thumbs up” beer.
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Barking Squirrel - A New Fan Favourite! |
Eventually we ended up
back at the airport the following afternoon drinking, reading and playing cards
in a bar. At that point the news became
grimmer. Our rescheduled flight
was further delayed an additional three hours. Air Canada’s excuse … couldn’t negotiate any landing
rights at the correct time.
Another dinner voucher was provided but luckily this time we found a
restaurant that would allow us to voucher the cost of wine and beer. This made the time slip by a little
more quickly but alas, when we went to the gate … wait for it, we were further
delayed for another 30 minutes to allow the cabin to be cleaned.
We boarded 30 minutes from our
rescheduled time, three hours after our initial rescheduled time and over 25
hours after our originally scheduled time.
Once we were all on
board the First Officer came on to apologize that we would be delayed a further
10 minutes to replace a part but an additional 10 minutes to get the part
delivered from the warehouse, and oh my, another 10 minutes to install and
test.
We finally pulled away
from the gate a little after 10 pm for our final seven-hour leg to Lisbon.
The ride itself wasn’t
that bad but we had been put on an Air Rouge flight and the seats don’t recline
like a regular overseas airline.
It proved impossible to sleep sitting up straight.
In comparison to
trying to leave Canada, our arrival in Portugal was ultra smooth. Customs and Immigration did not ask us
any questions, in fact no words were spoken. They simply stamped
our passports and waved us through.
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A Beautiful City To Explore! |
After a one-hour turn
around in the hotel for a shower and change of cloths, we were off on an
afternoon walking tour of the city.
There is no moss growing on these folks.
More about the city to
follow.
