So here we are in Figueira da Foz. We spent a fair part of yesterday putting clothes and other stuff - chess set, portable art materials, adapter plugs, chargers for a range of electrical devices - into suitcases and weighing said suitcases to make sure they were under the 10 kilos Ryanair allows for hand luggage. We also had to organise the aforementioned electric devices into our “second bag” which you are allowed to take on board Ryanair planes if you book “Priority boarding”. If you don’t book priority boarding you can only take the small bag and your other bag has to go into the hold. And if you’re doing that you might as well have a slightly larger hold bag!
And this morning we got up at 5. Yes, that is FIVE O’ CLOCK! We had a taxi booked for 6.30 to take us to Manchester airport, the more conveniently time flight from Liverpool having been cancelled some weeks ago. Our flight was due to leave at 10.15 but there have been so many stories of chaotic delays at Manchester security that we wanted to be there in plenty of time. As it was, we got through security in record time and then spent about two and a half hours hanging around the airport people watching! It was a beautiful day too. So it goes!
When finally we headed out to the plane we were almost blown away by an icy wind. When did it turn so cold? But the plane set off with only minimum delay and the flight was uneventful! It was a good deal warmer in Porto when we alighted.
We were met at the airport by a Portuguese gentleman, who has collected us an numerous occasions over the last few years and whose name I have never managed to catch. So, pretending I had simply forgotten, I asked him in my best Portuguese: Torval! Okay!
I have been listening to Michel Thomas’s Portuguese teaching tapes and watching Brazilian political series and melodramas on Netflix over the last couple of months. Amazingly that has worked, well, after a fashion, and I managed to keep up a conversation (of sorts - with bits of Italian and Spanish thrown in) from Porto to Figueira. Much better than last year when I largely let him talk to me and I nodded and smiled.
And here we are, with a view of the lighthouse from our hotel window. We’ll stroll out later and see if we can find somewhere serving fish soup!
We’ve missed the Hallowe’en celebrations here (oops! i planned not to write about that festivity any more!) but there may still be roast-chestnut vendors on the streets. And pretty soon they’ll be putting up Christmas decorations.
We’ll be missing Bonfire Night in the UK but it’s a long time since we took part in those festivities. Gone are the days of bonfire parties in our garden and my brother turning up with a totally inappropriate monster display firework that was meant to be viewed from 50 yards away! Those were the days!
However, I have just read that the Edenbridge Bonfire society in Kent plans to burn an effigy of Liz Truss with a laughing lettuce on her shoulder. It’s 11 metres high and is part of an annual tradition of picking a public figure to ridicule on Guy Fawkes Night. I’m pretty sure Guy Fawkes would approve!
The lettuce on Truss’s shoulder, which is crying with laughter, refers to a livestream of a lettuce run by the Daily Star that correctly predicted the vegetable would last longer than Truss did in office. Such fun!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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