Tram 28
We have a flight at 1635 to Salvador in Brazil. I wanted to take Greg on Tram 28 to go up the windy hills east of the old town centre. We hopped on just west of Praca Comercio around 0830. As it was still early, the tram was rather empty. I have had guilty feelings about tourists taking up all the room on this service (or worse, queueing at length for it) depriving locals of their essential transport for doing their shopping, chores and errands. So, it was a relief to see that it wasn’t busy yet.
We trundled uphill through the narrow windy streets. Unlike two years ago, we didn’t have any encounters with oncoming downhill traffic in the form of another tram which required us to reverse. But we did have an uphill car waiting at a red light along the way. The tram driver had to hop out to tell him that the uphill road was exclusive to trams (while downhill, trams and cars were allowed). Little snippets like this make the experience more special.
About half an hour after we had started, we ended up at Martim Moniz square where we gradually made our way back to our part of town for breakfast. Kim didn’t believe that we had done the correct tram ride as it wasn’t as windy and exciting as he had remembered.
For me, I felt that I had missed something. I had done the ride three times but had never done the western arm of the route. Perhaps I’ll try it next time but does appear the eastern arm is more popular with tourists, suggesting that it is the most interesting portion of the route.
While Greg went out on his free walking tour of Belem, we returned to our room to rest before checking out at 1200.
Advanced Kiosks
We caught the bus from nearby and got to the airport a little before 1300 for Kim’s bagdrop.
When we did our online check-in, we had been assigned separate seating as we had booked separately; I started from Madrid while Kim from Gatwick. TAP Air Portugal wanted to charge EUR32 to select a standard seat or EUR48 for extra-legroom seats (3 inches more and 3 degrees more recline) which we had fortunately been given.
Seeking help from a staff member, she showed us on the kiosk how we could retrieve our check-in by scanning one boarding pass and then adding the second boarding pass and then finally doing a seat selection for both passengers (up to six passengers). That was highly advanced for a kiosk whereas with most airlines, this would require two separate changes or staff intervention. The only limitation was that at that time, payment was still required. She told us to return and try it in around 40 min as such selections are free within 3h of departure.
We waited at Burger King briefly before successfully changing our seats at a kiosk. We were lucky to be in the extra legroom area seated together in the side block of two seats on the Airbus A330neo. I later confirmed that such changes can also be made one-at-a time through the mobile app or website.
Going airside and through security, the airport was a continuation of the maze at the check-in area. Obviously it was an older airport that had been adapted in a piecemeal fashion. We spent sometime in the lounge before going through immigration in the newer wing where the layout was a little more straight forward.
Thoughts on leaving Portugal
Portugal seems quite different from Spain. Perhaps, being a smaller country, people feel a stronger need to be international, eg. English is widely understood and spoken well.
Our walking tour guide said that Portuguese through history have the attitude that if things aren’t working out at home, you leave and go somewhere else and make it work for you. Perhaps that’s why Portuguese workers are common in the UK. And here in Portugal you meet people who have worked overseas or have family in different countries around the world.
Portugal is an easy country to enjoy and I hope to be back again!
Flying the “neo” to Brazil
Most widebody jets at Lisbon airport seemed to be parked far from the terminal so it wasn’t a surprised to be taken by bus on a long detour (to avoid crossing the tarmac) to the aircraft. Boarding finished 10 mins after scheduled departure and refuelling a further 15 mins thereafter. Despite being about 30 minutes late, the pilot announced that we would arrive in Salvador about 15 mins early with a shorter flying time.
Taking off on the A330neo was really quiet for us seated by the engines. It was largely tarmac noise and no engine noise. The ventilation noise before start-up was a little more than the older model A330 I thought but whisper-quiet compared to a B777.
The older gentleman crew member looking after us in our area was super-hospitable. We chatted briefly as he had seen Kim’s New Zealand passport. He insisted on having me try their Portuguese sparkling wine with my dinner of bacalhau and mashed potatoes (pictured above), offered me a second wine to try when I wanted coffee after dinner. He later returned to offer me the coffee that I had missed out on; he would have had to make it specially as it had been quite long after dinner time. That was really genuine warmth; and it wasn’t just toward us from faraway lands. He would volunteer extra drinks to others during collecting-in.
When he realised that Kim used to be crew, he was even more hospitable. Halfway through the flight, he brought us a glass of port and moscatel in glassware with chocolates. Plus a bottle of wine to take home. I had never had so much alcohol on a flight before.
Going to the toilet at the rear of the plane, I realised that there were two toilets on one side of the galley. That seemed different from the usual A330 layout. The crew confirmed that it was different and the galley is now harder to work in. Trolleys are stowages are now laid out with one behind another. The galley and toilet space-efficiency translates to more seats. Sadly, it means that a hot second meal isn’t possible on some routes; only cold meals.
We were served a snack of sandwich before landing in Salvador. We couldn’t have asked for a better flight. The meals were nice enough, but more importantly the seats were wider than what we’ve been used to on a B777 or B787 and the extra legroom in the forward cabin was very much appreciated.
Arriving in Salvador
We landed about 15 minutes ahead of schedule around 2100. Seated close to the front, we were at immigration quickly and it was a breeze with no difficult questions or departure flight tickets required. There was a little wait for Kim’s luggage and I went out first to the ATM. With some fiddling to get internet for Uber, we left the airport about an hour after landing.
The ride to our accommodation at Barra took about 40 minutes. The weather had been very wet and parts of the motorway were inundated.
We checked into the Pousada Manga Rossa, an old but clean traditional-looking inn close to the waterfront. I was sleepy and the check-in form with its small print required lots of information. We settled into bed around 2330 or 0330 Lisbon time.