We arrived back home last night. The plane landed at 9.45pm after being delayed for more than an hour and we reached home at almost 11pm which was really quick. Everyone were exhausted and I didn't do any unpacking except for taking the cheese and chorizo out of the luggage and putting them in the fridge.
Today had been a busy day. Food shopping, endless washings and unpacking. I'd been holidaying for 10 days so it's payback time. I'm surprised I can even drive. Since I could step on the clutch, it means my foot is healing well. The ankle's still swollen with some bruises on parts of the foot but I think they should all clear in no time.
I think I enjoyed myself more in Lisbon than I did in Barcelona. That is even when we stayed in a comfortable hotel with a super-king sized bed (Adrian, Lavigne and I slept in it and Louisa slept in a single bed) in Barcelona with aircondition while the girls and I crammed in a double-bed on most nights at a family friend's place in Portugal with no fan. Our hosts in Portugal are such friendly and hospitable people, they made me feel very much at home. Lina, the lady host, is a very old friend of my mother-in-law. They met while on a midwifery course in England eons ago. Even though we stayed with her for only 4 days, I felt very at ease with her and it seemed like I've known her for a long time. Her brother and sister-in-law were staying with her and they are equally wonderful folks. They were from Zimbabwe but moved to Portugal 4 years ago.
The Portuguese are such friendly and helpful people. When I asked for directions, they will try their very best to answer in English and the shop assistants never fail to say 'hello' and 'goodbye'. Comparatively, when I was in Barcelona, the impression I had of the people in Spain were that of distant and unfriendly. I hardly see any of the service staff smile. There was this waiter at a restaurant who had such a cold and grouchy face. Perhaps it's not a fair judgement since I didn't stay in the countries for long but those were my observations.
I took too many photos so I think it'll take me sometime before I upload any.
