My next adventure: Istanbul/Izmit (Türkiye) – April 2024

Day 1 (Lisbon) – Oh Bristol, you never learn!

Upon my return from Uzbekistan in October 2019, it never even came into consideration that my next travels would not happen for another 2.5 years! Anyway, yesterday was the day that I finally exited the country and what better place to begin than trusty Bristol airport…

For those who regularly follow my travels, you will have come to the conclusion that I rather dislike said airport as it is clear that the sight of Superbunny (electric wheelchair) sends them into panic mode. As per protocol, we cleared security in plenty of time (it may have been a good idea to check both wheelchairs for spanners beforehand?) and took our customary seat in the ‘Passenger Assistance’ area until our names were called. Now, the flight was scheduled to depart at 13:45pm, 13:40pm approached and we were still stuck in the ‘area’. Luckily, one of the PAs was already on the plane so we had privileged knowledge of what the unfolding situation was like. Essentially, at Bristol airport, if your plane is far away from the terminal, you are required to travel across the airfield in an accessible van for which there is currently a shortage of ‘airfield’ drivers to drive said vehicles. As 14:00pm approached, our fellow passengers were beginning to get rather agitated about the situation despite the captain explaining that the situation was beyond their control. Eventually, we arrived on the concrete apron around 14:15pm to discover the dispatcher (or the equivalent in airports) simply chilling in the sun whilst the captain came down to lend a hand for whatever is needed (the thought of a young captain coming to our savior very much pleased a PA!). After all of this palaver, the flight seemed to go rather fast with complementary food and drink to compensate followed by a debrief from the captain.

Now, the original plan was to arrive and catch the Lisbon Metro to a 5 minute walk of the hotel. This was deviation from when I discovered that we would actually be arriving into T2 where an additional shuttle bus would be required to access the Metro located outside of T1 thus it was easier to catch a taxi. Fortunately, the driver of the van used to remove us from the plane decided to drop us at T1 as we only had hand luggage (presumably…very strange if not!) making the Metro the cheapest option.

I would say around 50% of the Metro system in Lisbon possess lifts which is great compared to 33% of the London Underground. However, the only caveat is that the train isn’t quite flush with the platform making for a small step. There is an option to request a ramp from staff (if you know a little Portuguese) or simply perform a wheelie! All in all, it’s a great way to explore the city…

We are staying in the Evolution Lisboa hotel for the duration, the Portuguese version of accessibility is very similar to the UK. Apart from the mod cons of all the rooms (automatic blinds, Bluetooth connectivity, USB chargers etc). One of the benefits of the accessible rooms is a very spacious wet room with two shower chairs to pick from…

The plan for tomorrow is to catch the Metro down to the waterfront and then meander our way through the city centre stopping by the Santa Justa lift and sampling the famous Portuguese Custard Tarts!

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Day 2 (Lisbon) – Lifts and Tarts

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