Tomar - River cruise - new plans

I finally visited Tomar! And it was really worth it, what a lovely little town! The bus from Lisbon takes 1h 45 mins or 2 hours and it costs 8,50 € one way. Busses in Portugal are very affordable, and also very comfortable, so I recommend using them. I spent just 6 hours in Tomar but it is enough to walk around the city centre many times :). The main sight is Convento de Cristo, unfortunately it was closed then, so I didn’t get to go in there. But lucky me, that day there was Festa Templa’ria, lots of people in costumes and also a parade with musicians. I was surprised that music sounded celtic! Also, the musicians were pleasant to look at :). When it was time to head back, I found the bus station without Google Maps and without asking instructions on anyone. Never thought that would happen… it still confuses me :D

Pictures of Tomar

On one of my last days in Lisbon I went walking around Cais do Sodre and Praca do Comercio. It was really warm day (finally the summer arrived), and I wanted some fresh air. So, after 9 months in Lisbon, I took a sightseeing cruise. I chose Yellow Boat, it costs 20 €, the cruise is about 1h 30 mins (to Belem and back, if you want you can stop at Belem and take the next boat back) and it departs from Praca do Comercio. The ticket is valid 24 hours and you can also take a ride with Yellow Trams or go up on Elevador de Santa Justa. I didn’t do those, but just fyi if you want to do that. You get a lot for just 20 €, so it is a good deal! It was nice to see all the familiar places and the city from a new perspective, and get the fresh air on a warm summer day.

Here are some pictures from the cruise

Well then… I started applying for jobs some weeks ago, after we were told at work that they need to let many of us go. Many of my team mates were fired, and I did not want to stay waiting if they will fire me or not. I wanted to make my own decisions and leave on my own terms. I had 4 job interviews in 4 countries, and got 3 job offers. As soon as I got the first offer, I resigned. My supervisor already knew I am applying elsewhere, so it was no surprise. The one that I accepted, was the one I got just a few days ago. So my new destination will be Limerick, Ireland. I will be working for a big medical company, in Finnish, the customers are hospitals and medical clinics. It is still customer support but of course very different than what I have been doing recently.

I had a lovely farewell party, and my birthday party, with another colleague, on the last day of June (drank waaayyyyyyy too much wine), celebrated my birthday on July 1st, and been on holiday since that. Officially my contract ends on July 12th. Since that I have been going to places I love in Lisbon (and that day trip to Tomar), but they are a bit too crowded for me now.

Right now, when I am writing this, I am on a plane on my way to Finland. Since I can’t take any holiday in a new job for a few months, and I haven’t visited my home country in 2 years, this is the best time to visit. I will start my new job on July 23rd (not sure yet but most likely that date), I have 10 days in Finland. I will fly to Ireland on July 20th to have a couple of days Limerick to get to know the city a little bit. I won’t have time to travel around Finland to see friends,but hopefully I will see as many as possible. I will be staying with my sister and I get to play with the dog!!! I told my sister I miss her dog the most :D. I have actually told that to many people, and some have even been upset and almost angry about that! My sister is not one of those (she laughed), so get over it.

But I have a weird feeling going to Finland. Honestly I am not sure I even like going there. I am on a Finnair flight and it is so odd speaking Finnish to everybody! They said good morning to me, and I replied bom dia. My flight from Bucharest to Lisbon last about the same, 4,5 hours, and here are the differences between TAP and Finnair:

TAP: hot meal (special meals available) with drinks, blanket, pillow, own screen with entertainment (watched Gravity)

Finnair: water, juice, coffee and tea

Finnair used to be a good airline, but now you still pay for the price of traditional airline, and what you get is a budget airline.

This is going to be a long day, I got up at 4 am and it will be a late night until I get to go to sleep. Because, of course, I need to have a sauna. And play with the dog.

I wrote that 2 days ago, and just now I downloaded the photos so I can publish this post. It has been weird feeling here… I did not feel like I am coming home. Everything is familiar but still very strange. But I do enjoy the quiet and peaceful feeling! First evening it was difficult to sleep because it was so quiet! And too light! But last night I already slept well. I will take some pics from here to make my next post about visiting Finland, and leaving Finland once again.