After a few days in Seville, we drove back to Lisbon in the evening and returned the rental car at the airport before we went to our hotel to prepare to pack and leave tomorrow.
The following day our flights were scheduled to leave in the morning and we got to the airport with plenty of time. However, we had an unfortunate event and were not able to board our plane on time. My sisters were flying via Air Canada with a stop in Montreal before arriving to the U.S. It turned out that I didn’t check all the details when booking and they needed a visa enter Canada event hough it was only to transfer the plane to United Airlines. We were made aware of this requirement with only about two hours before boarding the plane. The airline told us of the situation and after discussing the issue there was no other way around. We tried to get the visa application and approval using our phones online. We actually were able to submit the application and payment. The visas were accepted, but unfortunately not with sufficient time! When we got all the visas, the airline had closed the doors and we were not allowed to board the plane. I was devastating and I got super concerned about loosing the flight. After four hours making several calls to Air Canada and United Airlines, we were able to reschedule the flights to the following day, this time on a direct flight. We also had to find a hotel for one night nearby. It was very stressful. However, I am very grateful to my sisters in that they did take it as another adventure instead of ruining the moment. I’m so grateful for my sisters, for how they handled the situation, for being so adaptable and for having the intelligence to deal with problems with a positive attitude. Although this was the most challenging part of the trip, I also understood that not matter what happened we were going to be supportive. I love my sisters!
Afterwards, we decided to leave behind all the chaos and enjoy one more day in Lisbon- hey why not, right! We went for a long, long walk around Lisbon and visited various places we have missed before. We went to the Castle of Sao Jorge, saw the Elevador de Santa Justa which is a splendid elevator once built to connect the low and high points of Baixa and Bairro Alto. It is 45 meters high and it has beautiful views of the city.
In the evening, we ended up at the Praça de Comèrcio, which is a gorgeous historical landmark. In the center of the Square and facing the river, there is a statue of Jose I, mounted on his horse Gentil by the sculptor Machado de Castro. Here we also saw the Triumphal Rua Augusta Arch on the north side of the Square which directs you to the prominent boulevard in Baixa. The arch was designed by the architect Santos de Carvalho to celebrate the construction after the earthquake in 1873. The southern end of the plaza is open and looks out onto the Tagus River. When the Square was first built, the commercial ships would unload their goods directly onto this square and thus this was considered the “door” to Lisbon and a key place for trade.
At this Square, we had our last delicious dinner to celebrate our visit and last night in Portugal. After, we walked around the plaza towards the river, it was getting cloudy and a bit chilly by now, but we wanted to see the water up close. To our surprise there was a huge wave coming towards us when we were taking pictures and a big splash of water came our way, we almost got showered here with a wave, we run away and laugh a lot. Then it started to rain and we went back to the hotel feeling great and happy. Perhaps we needed to experience this before leaving…
Next day we left Lisbon with big smiles and great memories of our sisterhood time together and for having experienced the culture, food and wonderful people of Lisbon and Sevilla. For me, it was the most wonderful time to spend with my sisters and to bond as we haven’t done in a while as adults. I feel so blessed and grateful for having my sisters, my brother, my dad and my whole family – they are the best!
