One of my e-mails says that it is time to check-in for our flight to Lisbon. I quickly complete the steps, THEN realize that my last name is wrong - my last name is repeated on the boarding pass (and the reservation). William is fine. I call Iberia, and the agent says that since I checked in there is nothing they can do, but that the airport agents will easily see it is a web error. Sigh! When Huberto contacts me via WhatsApp proposing we leave for the airport 30 minutes earlier (6 pm) I quickly agree, thinking it will give us more time if there are issues.
We pack, take a walk around the area then enjoy a late lunch at Mercado Del Rio. One thing we've found is that a shower before a long flight always makes the journey feel better. We shower, do our final packing, and Huberto is waiting for us as we walk out of the apartment building at ten to six.
Although we arrive three and one-half hours early for our 22:45 flight, the check-in line is very long. We patiently wait out turn. I point out that my last name is repeated, but the agent says not to worry. I still worry as we advance to Security. Smiling, woman scribbles on my boarding pass after checking my passport and waives me through. No issues as well at Immigration. Yeah!
I get about three hours sleep, John a little less on our flight to Madrid. There we need to pass through Immigration and catch a flight to Lisbon with only an hour and ten minute connection time. We're worried, but it turns out fine. No one cares about the issue with my last name.
We arrive in Lisbon at 4:30 pm local time on Saturday. We taxi 20 minutes to our AirBnB In the Alfama area, with it's Moorish heritage and winding up and down streets. Joana is waiting for us, she owns the laundry around the corner and helps out the owner of our apartment. She shows us the apartment and tells us to reach out to her with any questions. The apartment matches the photos on AirBnB and looks very comfortable.
We are starving and do a Google search for "restaurants near me". There are many and we choose the highly rated Lisboa Tu e Eu for a meal of tapas. The cheese board is amazing, particularly after struggling through the tasteless cheeses of Central and South America. The rest of the meal is equally delightful.
We stroll back downhill through the winding streets, unpack the basics and are in bed by 9 pm.