HDMI

 

Lisbon - Day 11 TA

 

 

Overview

Enjoy a day out in Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, at the lovely Monserrate Palace and gardens, an imposing property was first built in the 18th century and it passed on to several influential and wealthy owners including William Beckford and Francis Cook. It was the later who turned Monserrate into a curious but aesthetically pleasing mix of various architectural styles when he decided to build a summer home from the remains of an existing structure. He surrounded it by flower gardens and exotic plants from faraway countries, all there for you to discover while strolling around the property grounds. During the visit, indulge in Sintra's beloved traditional pastries, called queijadas and travesseiros, accompanied by mineral water, coffee, tea, or juice. Top the experience off with free time in the romantic town center of Sintra, a favorite of nobility, who built their manor houses there in days gone by.

Highlights

• Explore Monserrate Palace with its unique and enchanting architecture.
• Stroll the pleasant streets of Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Wander through romantic Monserrate Gardens, which is filled with secret corners, cascades, fields of flowers.

British Airways to Glasgow

 

Except for some early morning Discount Airline flights the only option for LHR to GLA is BA. I went through the normal booking and then I usually check Seat Guru to see the best and worst seats on the plane.   

I was able to pay 7 UKP extra for the two adjacent exit aisle seats in Green .   They have both extra leg room and the seats recline.   The ones in yellow exit rows have extra leg room but have limited or no recline. 

One more task off the planning list. 

Planning for our Visit to Scotland

 

 

We couldn't end our cruises in the U.K. without visiting Iain's family in Prestwick, Scotland.  

Iain's Sister and Brother-In-Law, Evelyn and  Alex, are opening their home to us.   Looking forward to seeing all of his nieces and their young ones.   It's been over two years so we are sure will be surprised on how they have grown up. 

I booked a car service to pick us up at Southampton City Pier and take us to Terminal 5 at Heathrow.    Our favorite car service, Smith's has shut down at the beginning of the year, so I had to scramble to find a new car service with a good reputation.   Many good suggestions on Cruise Critics and we settled for Blackberry.  The rate is about 100 UK pounds for a 2+ hour drive. 

Usually when we fly home from Scotland we have to either stay at the airport or get up before the roosters.  This time we decided to fly to Heathrow the day before our return flight and overnight at the airport.   It should make it a much more comfortable journey home. 

Flight home from London

 

 

International Flights take a little more work as they are currently very high.   I booked a couple months ago but still tracking. 

Currently Google Flights show 

Prices are all over the place

With the prices being so high, I was able to get a United Non-Stop using 100,000 miles per ticket.   Since then UA has raised the price to 200,000 per person.   Glad I booked when I did.   

 

Even with a free ticket we had to pay $654 in taxes and airport fees.    The biggest fee was $255 each for U.K. Air Passenger Duty 

Jim_Iain – Silhouette Live Post April 8 - B3B - TransAtlantic, Portugal Spain, France and the Norwegian Fjords

Our Next Adventure at Sea

Three Consecutive Cruises

 

 

First Cruise - April 8 - April  21, 2022 - Transatlantic 13 Night Cruise Fort Lauderdale to Southampton

 

Second Cruise - April 21 to April 30, 2022 - Southampton 9 Night France, Portugal and Spain

 

Third Cruise - April 30 - May 7, 2022 - Southampton 7 Night Norwegian Fjords

 

Side Trip -  May 7 to May 17 - Visit with Alex and Evelyn in Scotland

LET THE PLANNING BEGIN

 

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