We left Simsbury at around 10:30am; it took about 3 hours to get to JFK because of traffic and such. No problems checking in at the airport, and the kids were pretty good during the long wait at the gate (our flight was scheduled to leave at 6:00pm).
We boarded on time, but we didn't actually get in the air until closer to 7:00pm. We were on a 747 and I was cramped the whole time; I had to twist my legs at an awkward angle the whole time in my seat. Both of the kids refused to fall asleep, and Kevin was a handful by the time he was past exhaustion. I didn't get a wink of sleep the entire flight.
We landed in Madrid right on time (around 7:15am local time, 1:15am our time). We had about an hour layover in Madrid, about 55 minutes of which was spent trying to get to our gate for the connecting flight to Lisbon. What a nightmare that was! We made the flight to Lisbon at last call for boarding.
The flight to Lisbon was about an hour long, and uneventful. Landed in Lisbon right on time at 8:30am (Lisbon time is -1 hour from Madrid time). Maria's aunt and uncle, who live right in Lisbon, met us at the airport, and after we got our rental cars, they brought us back to their apartment for a visit. What should have been a quick stop for a snack, something to drink, and a bathroom break turned out to be a three hour visit, complete with a full sit-down lunch.
The happy travelers in Lisbon. From left to right: Joe, Vanessa, Maria (with Kevin and John), Maria's aunt and Maria's uncle.We left their apartment at around 1:00pm, then had a 2 1/2 hour drive cross-country to Sao Salvador. The weather was nice, and the boys slept most of the way.
When we finally got to Sao Salvador, somewhere around 3:30pm-4:00pm or so, everybody was waiting for us. Tia Emilia, Tio Carlos, and Maria's father were sitting outside. Maria's mother was in the house. Vanessa was giving Maria's aunt a big hug and kiss, saying it was "so nice to meet you" when I had to tap her on the shoulder and tell her "That's not mom". It was kind of funny.
The rest of the day was mostly uneventful as we just unpacked and figured out who was sleeping where. The biggest problem we faced was bedtime, when the boys were so messed up from the trip and the five hour time change, that it wasn't until around midnight or so when everybody finally fell asleep. That was 7:00pm EDT, so it was the end of a very long 36 hour day for me and Maria.
No comments:
Post a Comment