Lisbon Portugal

Lisbon   —   October 5, 202

   So we are staying in an older part of the city with exquisite buildings on every block.  Our hotel is a beautiful corner building at 

Jardins da Avenida da Liberdade

Rua de Alexandre Herculano

1250 Lisboa. Portugal

   Trying to give a taxi driver that kind of information to get back to our hotel was near impossible for an Arkansas boy.   Some of the taxi drivers spoke more English than we spoke Portuguese.  So we carried business cards of the hotel with us.  Letting the hotel call taxi’s for us to use was also very helpful.

   We refrained from using the subway or trolleys because of the crowded conditions aboard the ones we saw.  We did take the sightseeing busses with the open air seating on top.  These double decker busses were fine, however, not so the people who ran them.  They were among the most rude and less helpful people we have ever encountered.  I give them no thumbs up and only 1 star.  

   We used the Grey Line Company, both the Red Line and the Green Line tours.  We bought extra tickets for their river cruise but due to scheduling conflicts, misinformation and their total ignorance of their own schedules, we were not able to catch a boat.  The boats had either left an hour earlier than we were told on our schedule, or 10 minutes too late because we were told to be at the wrong pier (which we were on site more than an hour early).

  The lady ticket agent at the boat site assured us she would give us a refund because of her misinformation.  When we got back to their ticket booth, the agents there told Debby and Nancy they would NOT refund the boat cost.  It is what it is. 

   It’s too bad they treated us badly two or three times prior to asking for the refund.  It gives Grey Line a bad name and a bad review on Trip Advisor…not to mention me slamming them in this blog

   We have had other glitches with Grey Line in other countries that I have never written about, so this is not really an isolated incident.

   Dear Grey Line Tours,

   You really should educate your service attendants on how to treat customers.  Your people have not had tourists for so long you have forgotten the simple rules that will make you money.

   Traveler beware.  Taxi drivers may overcharge you.  You can ask them the rate before you get in the car.  You can also let your hotel agent set up the ride for you. Also be aware of Grey Line tours and other such organizations.  Be aware that those bread sticks or cheeses sitting on your dining table at a restaurant are NOT FREE.  You may be really surprised at the cost for those little snacks and drinks in your hotel refrigerator! Ice in your glass is rare. Water is not always free.

Traveling can be fun but parts of its where you deal with people can be difficult.