Interruption of Service

This was not the trolley we were on...but it's similar.
This was not the trolley we were on… this one is similar but smaller and older.

One morning we walked to the trolley stop to get a ride to Belem. We were among many others with the same idea. There was standing room only on Trolley #15, but we made it, stroller and all. We enjoyed a delightful, sunny day in Belem, a port city, and when we were ready to go back to Lisboa we went to the trolley stop and along with many others waited for the right trolley to come along. Several #15 trolleys passed us by because there was no more room…finally a bus came along with room for all of us and the stroller. We got on.

Ten minutes into the 30-40 minute ride the bus stops and the driver tells everyone to get off…he said it’s an interruption of service. That’s all. We all have to get off and he drives away leaving us stranded. Again we wait for another trolley or bus but the same is true as in Belem, they are full…maybe one or two people can squeeze in an already packed trolley, but not our big family and a stroller. After about 30 minutes we decide this is not working so we hailed the next taxi we saw and it took us back to the plaza close to our apartment.

Interesting.

We had  transportation snafu in Mozambique in 2014, a little more dramatic, that I will post soon.

Additional photos from Belem, Portugal

Monastery of Jeronimos (1495), Belem
The birthplace of my favorite pastry (and of many others!)…pastel de nata. This cafe opened in 1837 and is popular mainly from the fact that their recipe is a closely guarded secret – or because they crank out 20,000 a day so they are fresh! (according to Rick Steves)
Monument to the Discoveries, surrounded by scaffolding.

 

 

3 thoughts on “Interruption of Service”

  1. Sorry to chuckle at your trolley travails, but I can’t help it! The driver’s explanation is the best!

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