Day 11...we drive to Portugal and do not drown

Another attempt at an early start since we usually run into trouble entering a city. My map interpretation seems to go to hell in a hand basket and without sun to give me an orientation, I'm frazzled. We always swear we'll get a good compass and perhaps one day a gps with European maps on it. (Will the voice still be Jill?? and how will she whine her insistent Recalculating...??)

Most of the drive was either downpour or drizzle. Not bad but not conducive to stopping and seeing much of anything. We wanted to get to Lisboa in the daylight and we did get that. Too busy and too rainy to get a snap of the immense Vasco de Gama bridge, and with a lot of praying we finally managed to find our hotel. Thank God the Lisbon Marriott is across from a major hospital...Hospital Santa Maria. When I was ready to throw the map out the window, we stared seeing signs for the hospital. Lead on McDuff! If we didn't make the hotel, we could always collapse in the hospital (my thinking).

We saw the Marriott sign on top the hotel, but getting that last block or so had a few more round Hogan's barn experiences. But despite rain, and confusion we turned our car over to the bellhop, registered and then watched as our suitcases and multitudinous plastic bags were carted in. (How do we always get sooo many bags full of stuff??? Just stuff.)

That evening we decided to eat in the hotel restaurant, and I was too tired, it was too early and we were the only guests at 6:30pm (7pm?) so I passed on pictures in that quiet setting. The food was lovely to look at especially the cold buffet. Service is impeccable and by the time we were leaving, more guests were arriving but it was a quiet rainy night. We had no idea just how much of a rainy night it was.

Next morning, Day 2 in Lisbon, we had this view, And read about this... Flooding .