Travel time again - London and Lisbon

[Docwagon 856]

Hello assorted FGers...

 

Come December, we (wife, son, and I) will be traveling abroad again.  The "dead time" between US Thanksgiving and Christmas is pretty cheap right now, and for under $1300 US in total the 3 of us can fly out of  Chicago, do a stayover in London, then on to Lisbon, then back to Chicago.  We're looking at 1-2 days on the ground in London/surrounding areas and 6-7 days on the ground in Portugal, unsure of exact plans for Lisbon the entirety or get to Porto or what.

 

I understand it'll be cool to cold during the trip, but I have a week of vacation I need to burn or lose and the pricing is tough to say no to.

 

I'd like to see Stonehenge while we're there.  We've done the Big Ben/Tower of London/Big Eye thing on a stayover before, but our son was too little to remember anything.  He's 17 now...fuck me time flies.  Trip advise for either destination in December?

[Plumbers Crack 4,033]

Hi Doc,

If the dates are manageable, I’d like to meet up for a drink in London and I’m sure some of the others would as well.

Stonehenge is a day trip by train from London apparently…if they’re not on strike!

 

 

 

[phil bottle 9,589]

The World Cup takes place late November until 18 December and if either Portugal or England are still in the competition when you arrive, which is very likely, you're in for a spectacle. 

[GazzaGarratt 10,887]

@Docwagon , if its December then @phil bottle is spot on so maybe finding a nice place where the England fans will be would be truly an experience! Also, you must go to the Harry Potter Studios which isn't far from London at all. An unbelievable day out and nowhere else quite like it. Maybe watch some films and then come to see it for the full effect and experience?

 

Imo though, you should come around Noember 11th, specifically Wales. You know, so you can be with all the FGers meeting up for our biggest ever meet. 😎 But yeah, if you can't, I think @Plumbers Crack 's thought of catching is definitely worth mentioning when you've nailed down dates. 👍

[Docwagon 856]

On 9/15/2022 at 10:57 AM, GazzaGarratt said:

@Docwagon , if its December then @phil bottle is spot on so maybe finding a nice place where the England fans will be would be truly an experience! Also, you must go to the Harry Potter Studios which isn't far from London at all. An unbelievable day out and nowhere else quite like it. Maybe watch some films and then come to see it for the full effect and experience?

 

Imo though, you should come around Noember 11th, specifically Wales. You know, so you can be with all the FGers meeting up for our biggest ever meet. 😎 But yeah, if you can't, I think @Plumbers Crack 's thought of catching is definitely worth mentioning when you've nailed down dates. 👍

 

We've already got travel booked in November, going to CA to visit my wife's family and then do our own thing.  My MIL is in from Jordan.  She spent 2 weeks with us last month and is now with my BIL, so we'll see her again while we are out there.  My MIL is awesome so I'm really looking forward to it.

[Docwagon 856]

We ended up getting direct flights by bumping our date up to Nov 28, so no London this go round.  I'm sure we'll be back through before too long, though.  This will be our first time flying with TAP, not sure what to expect.

[GazzaGarratt 10,887]

8 hours ago, Docwagon said:

We ended up getting direct flights by bumping our date up to Nov 28, so no London this go round.  I'm sure we'll be back through before too long, though.  This will be our first time flying with TAP, not sure what to expect.

 

Let us know if you think its on the agenda again. Or even if we do the next big FG meet up that you can travel for that...😎👍

[Docwagon 856]

On 9/22/2022 at 6:38 AM, GazzaGarratt said:

 

Let us know if you think its on the agenda again. Or even if we do the next big FG meet up that you can travel for that...😎👍

 

Will do.  We'll probably be traveling more often since we don't have to work around my son's school schedule any more (he graduated and is likely off to the US Coast Guard early next year) and I'm making more money thanks to promotion and overtime availability.

[GazzaGarratt 10,887]

9 minutes ago, Docwagon said:

 

Will do.  We'll probably be traveling more often since we don't have to work around my son's school schedule any more (he graduated and is likely off to the US Coast Guard early next year) and I'm making more money thanks to promotion and overtime availability.

 

Sounds truly awesome, Doc. Looking forward already to hearing about the next escapade with the wife.

[Docwagon 856]

Just about time to head out.  Flying on Monday.

 

[Docwagon 856]

Landed safely.  Full of cod, beer,  and custard tarts.   Good start...

[Docwagon 856]

Portugal was a blast.   Being there at Christmas time was a lot of fun with all the little holiday markets and fairs.  If you have Discord and are interested in pictures, see:

 

https://discord.gg/gdANcvFJ

 

TAP airline was pretty nice.  Clean, relatively roomy, friendly staff.  Food wasn't that great, but that's the general rule on airplanes so no surprise there.  We flew Economy there and got an upgrade to Premium Economy on the way back.

 

We ended up seeing Lisbon, Evora, and Sintra on this trip.  We'll definitely return to see more.