Portugal 2022: Ocean Waves, a Missing Suitcase and My Pilgrimage to Fatima

Some trips you plan for the scenery. This one I planned for my heart. At the end of May 2022, my good friend Sue and I flew to Portugal, and the reason was simple. I wanted to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. It was also my first big trip since Covid.

This is the story of those days, told from the little voice diary I recorded along the way, and from what I wrote about the trip once I was home. I am blind, and it is always crunch time whenever I prepare to travel. So you will hear a great deal about sounds, food, people and the journey itself.

Getting Ready as a Blind Traveller

For me, getting ready is half the trip. First, my travel insurance. The agents at Manulife patiently helped me complete my medical travel insurance forms over the phone, and after about twenty minutes I was good to go. What a relief! So many online forms are still not usable for blind people, and a real person on the phone makes all the difference.

Then the clothes. I asked my friend Stephanie to help me identify the colours of my tops, and then I decided which pair of pants each one would go with. Everything in my suitcase has its own little corner, grouped in a logical order that I understand. Call me fussy, but that is how I know where to find things, and how I repack if I need to.

My carry-on held my little emergency kit: hand sanitizers, wet wipes, masks, aspirin, Tylenol, a tiny tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush, a handful of Life Savers candies, and my trusty chargers for my phone and MP3 player.

A Balcony by the Atlantic

We arrived on May 28 and settled into the Arribas Sintra Hotel, right by the ocean. The next morning, I sat out on our balcony and recorded my first entry. May 29 was also a very special day: happy birthday to my beloved dad, who was 100 years old that day!

Out in the ocean there were many surfers. There is a training school for surfers nearby, and it looked as if they were doing their training right here. We had a wonderful breakfast of scrambled eggs, yogurt, grapes, peach juice, a lovely breakfast cake and bacon. I really, really enjoyed it.

There was just one problem. Our luggage had not arrived. We landed at Lisbon’s airport and our suitcases did not, so we had to be very careful with our clothes and everything, because we did not have anything with us. I called Jackie on WhatsApp and asked her to tell Mom that everything was good. And as the ocean waves rolled on, there I sat, on the balcony of our hotel.

Coping Without a Suitcase

On the Monday, we went shopping. I bought two tops, a pair of pants, a nightgown and the toiletries we needed. Sue and I were doing our best to cope.

Then, on the Tuesday, I was not very well at all. I came down with the stomach flu and I was quite sick. By Wednesday morning I was doing much better, and a breakfast of yogurt, scrambled eggs, juice and a cup of tea went down very well. That morning we set off for the airport to look for our luggage, still hoping.

And we found it! A really nice cab driver went with us and helped us retrieve it. All was good. That evening I had a nice, light dinner: a spaghetti dish, and then a lime mousse pie.

The weather took a bit of getting used to. One minute it was cold and the next it was warm, and on the Wednesday it was pretty rainy at around lunchtime. By Thursday morning the day was shaping up to be quite nice. I could hear the waves rolling towards the shore, and I was not sure whether the tide was rising or falling. We hoped to walk along the beach after breakfast, maybe have a swim in the pool, and then try a nice little restaurant close to our hotel.

A Day I Will Never Forget: Fatima

Friday, June 3 was the day I came for, and the day before we were due to leave Portugal. I was still getting over a bout of the stomach flu, but nothing was going to stop me. I travelled two hours to get there, and my wonderful cab driver drove me effortlessly to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. We walked around, and then we attended an outdoor Mass.

While I was sitting quietly waiting for Mass to begin, something happened that I will never forget. I felt someone put their arms around my shoulders and then bury their face in my hair. The feeling was ever so gentle, and it lasted for a few seconds. I checked with my cab driver, and no one had physically done it. The whole experience did not dawn on me until I was back in the cab heading to the hotel.

I lit my ten candles for all of my family members and all of my loved ones, for my mom especially, and for myself. I thanked God for all of my friends in Canada and in Trinidad, and for everybody else. I know that Mother Mary was looking down on me and smiling at me.

On the way back, my driver and I had a yummy Portuguese lunch, and she took me to a factory where I bought a Prayer Book of the Rosary for Mom, a ceramic ornament of Our Lady with the three children, and a Portuguese ceramic doll. It was a very long day, a very rewarding day, a day I will never forget.

From Curb to Cabin

Here is what this trip taught me about the journey itself, from the curb at home to the cabin and back.

Luggage can go missing, so pack for it. Our suitcases did not arrive with us at Lisbon’s airport. We had to be careful with our clothes, and I went shopping for two tops, a pair of pants, a nightgown and the toiletries we needed. My carry-on emergency kit worked so very well for me.
The help at the airport was great. Staff at the airport went out of their way to be of assistance, and a really nice cab driver went back to the airport with us and helped us retrieve our luggage.
Organization matters. Everything in my suitcase has its own little corner, so I know where to find what I need at any given time, and how to repack if I need to.
A person on the phone matters. The agents at Manulife patiently helped me with my travel insurance forms over the phone, and that was a huge relief, because so many online forms are still not usable for blind people.

The Portuguese people were extremely friendly, welcoming and ever so helpful from beginning to end. The restaurants were very accessible, and the service came with a smile!

My podcast, Curb to Cabin Canada, is about what actually happens to blind and low-vision passengers when they fly, and each episode follows one part of the air travel journey, from the curb outside the terminal to the seat in the cabin.

Looking Back

Both Sue and I were sick, but we recovered slowly and were looking forward to going back to Canada. My visit to Portugal was an interesting one, and a terrific one, and I will always remember it. Portugal forever!

My next diary would begin in July, when I travelled to England for my law school graduation. Come along with me!

Previous trip: Quebec City 2021

Next trip: England 2022

All of my trips: Travel Diaries

Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA
Global Leader In Disability Rights, Digital Accessibility, And Inclusive Policy Reform
Turning policy into progress for people with disabilities.