Arrived in Lisbon

My flight was delayed for about an hour due to a mechanical problem on the plane.  We boarded, taxied, returned to the gate, stayed on the plane for about an hour and then finally took off.  I slept the entire time.  

I'm staying at the Four Seasons. As expected, it does not disappoint.  Except the internet. It is horrible. Why can't hotels figure this out?

Had my first traditional Portuguese meal.  It's a casserole with duck and rice.  Of course when I checked in the lady at the desk made sure to tell me I could get a hamburger at the bar. It is sad how everyone thinks Americans only eat hamburgers.

I'm going to rest a bit and then start wandering around the city.  

Obligatory pictures of my room and the view from my room

Checking in From Madrid

I have a few hours to kill in the Madrid airport before continuing on to Lisbon.  This is the third time that I've been to this airport and I'm not a fan.  The signs are very confusing and I always feel like I have to walk miles and navigate many levels to get anywhere.

The flight from JFK was fine.  I sat next to a very pleasant older gal from Long Island... she's been a widow for 24 years, very Italian, diamond cross around her neck, on her way to Lisbon for a... wait for it... pilgrimage to the holy sites with her church group.  She gave me an antibacterial wipe to remove the Ebola from my tray table.  The whole time I'm chatting with her I'm thinking "don't ask me what I'm doing in Lisbon" but she did. Of course she did.  She is a very nice person.  I felt like an idiot explaining that I left everyone on their own for a week while I go off biking in foreign lands.

Had a snack at McDonalds. I eat more American fast food out of the country than I do at home.  Do they have these ordering stations at McDonalds in the US?  I don't remember seeing them anywhere.

It took me awhile to order a tea from this - it was listed under "Infusions" instead of "Hot Beverages". Go figure.

Next post from Lisbon...

Brought to you by the letter 'P'

Continuing my 2014 tour of countries that begin with the letter 'P', I'm off to Portugal for 6 days of biking and some sightseeing in Lisbon.

If you count Palestine as a country then this will be the 24th country that I've visited.  Getting to 50 by 50 will be hard but I like a challenge.

Here's the list:
Australia
Barbados
Brazil
Canada
China
Ecuador
Egypt
France
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jordan
Monaco
Palestine
Peru
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States
Vatican City