So we just arrived in Portugal, one of my new favorite countries, but I am not ticked off at the entire country, just their bleeping national airline, TAP-Air Portugal. Why am I so ticked off? Because, as I mentioned in a previous post, I have requested wheelchair assistance for Kathleen on all our flights. Today, we were with TAP, and as soon as we checked in at the Madrid airport, they sent us to a little room where a woman rudely waved at us for about five minutes before acknowledging that we were even standing there. Then she told Kathleen that we would have to wait 20-30 minutes until someone with a wheelchair could come and take her to the gate. She had to sit in a very crowded and tiny waiting area until someone came to take her to the plane. It got so bad that she texted me (there was not enough room for me to sit there with her, but I was nearby but out of sight just outside the room where she was) that maybe she should walk. And it didn’t help that the other four in our party were texting how much they were enjoying the Priority Pass Lounge and its many amenities.

After about half an hour, we finally got someone to take us to the gate. Thank god she had not elected to walk, as it was pretty far out in the terminal and would have just killed her knee. The gentleman who took her out there got us to the gate and left us about a 90-minute wait because our plane was delayed.

But this wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was when we landed in Lisbon. They met us on the jetway just outside the door to the plane. Four people needed wheelchair assistance, including their respective spouses and partners. When all four were off the plane, we were led down the jetway to a (are you ready for this?) freakin’ staircase. They took people who needed wheelchairs down a set of stairs. It was a pretty long set of stairs. Are these people idiots? All four of the folks made it down, but (from the looks on their faces) it was pretty painful. I know it didn’t help Kathleen’s knee at all. Just the day before in Segovia, she had avoided every stair. Then, I made the arrangements for a wheelchair, and they made her walk down a flight of steps. The two people who accompanied us kept saying, “Sorry…it’s not my fault.” Then who the hell’s fault is it? I will NEVER fly TAP Air again. They are total dumb ass idiots. I can’t wait until we fly home from this airport with British Air and see how they handle it. That should be fun.

Then we get to the hotel (we are staying at the Corinthian in Lisbon—which is not our choice but Vikings) and go up to our room, and the bathroom stinks to high heaven. It’s like the person who cleaned the room took a massive…well, you get the picture. Luckily, when the bellman brought our luggage up, we asked him to smell it and see what he thought. He pretty much turned green and immediately got us a new room. We did appreciate that, but I was already ticked about the flight, so this just pissed me off a little more.

I am also not very thrilled at Viking’s choice of hotels. Not because it is a bad hotel. It’s very lovely. But it is out by the airport and a very long way from downtown, where there are places and things to do. And we are here for two nights before we transfer to Porto via “luxury motor coach” with only a three-hour excursion tomorrow. Other than that, we must take a cab/Uber/Bolt into downtown to do anything. The real problem with that is if Kathleen wants to come along and her knee or neuropathy kicks up, she has to come back out here and can only join us later for dinner if I go out and get her. It’s just not a good situation. Not to mention the noise of jets taking off and landing outside our windows.

Thankfully, when we return from the cruise and stay for four days on our own, we will be at our choice of hotel, The Hotel Portugal. We stayed there last December, and it is right in the heart of the city and in the middle of everything you want to see. It’s not a big chain like this, but an excellent little boutique hotel. Mike found it four years ago when he stayed in Lisbon with his son. I am genuinely looking forward to being back in the center of Lisboa.

So, thanks for sticking with me as I rant. It really helps me calm down because when they asked my bride to walk down those stairs, I wanted to throw the smarmy woman, who kept saying it wasn’t her fault and there was nothing she could do, down them first.

PS: I have written to TAP Air via their website complaint form. I will let you know if I even get a response. Thank god they didn’t ask her to walk UP some stairs.

Get mad, then get over it.  —Colin Powell