Not a lot to blog about today as we left Aveiro this morning and drove the 220kms down to Lisbon. Motorway most of the way with a stop for lunch at one of the many motorway services. The weather was overcast for most of the day and there were patches of thick mist as we drove south down to Lisbon. I am sure I have said this previously, but the road network in Portugal is ridiculously good. The motorway was 2 or 3 lanes most of the way and very little traffic. And more incredibly (at least for South Africans) the drivers are very disciplined and pass left and immediately pull back into the right lane. It is a pleasure to drive here (and pretty easy too).

We arrived in Lisbon at about 2:30pm. We are staying at the HF Fenix Garden Hotel (http://www.hfhotels.com/gb/?s=3&ss=21). Our room looks very similar to what you see on their website (which is unusual) and yes it is in pink (if you look at the website). Helen said she thinks it is the first time she has stayed in a pink hotel room. The room overlooks Ave Liberdade and the main traffic circle at the top of the road. Parque Eduardo VII is what you can see directly from our room (see pic). It is noisy (traffic) when the window is open but with the window closed you can hear no traffic noise at all but the room is terribly hot. The aircon only works on fan or heating and we definitely don’t need heating.

It is considerably warmer in Lisbon (around 18 degrees) and it feels hotter. We walked down and back up Ave Liverdade tonight to find a place for dinner and by the time we found a restaurant we had all stripped down to just our shirt sleeves. The city clearly traps in the heat.

Not much to share today but that is sometimes how it goes when traveling.

Until tomorrow

P, H, S, L, M, O & C