While the day didn’t really count as a “proper” one for the trip, there still was a few things to write about. For starters, we had to fill up the car before returning it, which none of us had done before. This ended up being very easy, as the previous night I’d checked and found out that the gas station chain where we’d get a discount with was directly on the way to the airport. We got there bright and early, and pulled up to the tanks. To ensure we were doing it properly, we asked the guy inside how to complete the process: fill it up then pay inside. With the discount we had, it came out to exactly 40 euros, which was handy since we had a 50-euro bill. Why were we irrationally worried by this? Beats me. Getting to the car rental place was also easy, especially since there was very light traffic as well as it being very well-marked on the signs. After a brief inspection to see if we had to pay any damage fees (which we didn’t), we were free to walk up to the terminal itself.

As with flying to the Algarve, we’d already checked in, so we went to the security line and this was where things were less straightforward. You see, the previous night United Airlines texted saying they anticipated issues with check-in and thus we likely needed to arrive even earlier. This wasn’t an understatement as the line stretched around the corner: it was a total mess, partly caused by the passport scanners for security having some difficulties. While we had plenty of time to spare, there was a decent amount of people who had far less time to get to their flights, and the crowd did what we could to help them go ahead. I’ve never seen anything like it in all honesty, but we at least were able to have a pleasant chat with an older Canadian couple to kill some time. Finally, we managed to make it through and things were far, far calmer on the other side. As with most airports these days, we passed through the Duty Free area, and since I wanted to bring home one final souvenir, I tracked down some ginjinha, and by luck my ten-euro note was the exact amount. So, with that in mind, all that was left to do in Portugal was to find our lounge and wait for the announcement to board. It was mildly anticlimactic end to our trip, but at this point both of us were raring to get home. All in all, I can say that this was one for the books, and I definitely would love to return another time! Muito obrigado, Portugal!