Missed the Train, Almost

Our monthly weekends in Lisbon always start the same way: by train. Fast, easy, affordable, and above all… fun. There’s something magical about that ride from Loulé to station Oriente Lisbon. The quiet of the early morning, the first sunlight over the fields, abandoned farmhouses, and here and there a lonely tractor. Portugal at its best.

Normally we take the 07:10 train. By 10:00 you’re already in Lisbon, ready for your third coffee of the day. The first one at the charming Loulé station, the second in the train bar — always slightly chaotic, always authentic.

But yes… if you catch the train.

At 06:45 I had a perfectly scheduled Uber. Ideal, right? Well, not today. The driver got lost, the arrival time kept changing, and then… cancelled. Uber is great, but sometimes it really isn’t. Luckily our horse girl was already awake. She jumped out of bed, got dressed in seconds, and raced me to the station. Just in time. I don’t think I’ve ever been so relieved.

And Lisbon was waiting, because Marlot had gone a day earlier. With horse and trailer, on her way for a visit to the animal university clinic in Lisbon.

Once on board, the second adventure starts. I get in at the front, because my ticket says wagon 1. Seat 84 must be somewhere, right? Nope. Friendly Portuguese passengers jump in to help. “Wagon 1 is at the back, amigo!” Portugal keeps surprising me — even after all these years.

In Albufeira, the train fills up. I sit. I breathe. The weekend can finally begin.

Ps And to everyone reading: your Lisbon tips are always welcome. More to explore.