When it comes to shopping, Lisbon is a city of unexpected fortune for me. Six years ago I was flying from Sao Paolo to Lisbon. We arrived in the morning and my connection flight was only in the late afternoon. It was February and sales offers were all around the city. I thought it a great opportunity to replenish my business wardrobe.

I don’t know what had come over me that I rented a car at the airport in order to get to town. Why not a taxi!?!

I ended up in a huge shopping centre. The car park was frighteningly empty so early in the morning. I had a coffee and started a genuine shopping spree. I bought a suit, dress, skirt, shoes and a handbag. All that took much more time than expected. Suddenly I realised that only two hours were left to the departure of my flight.

I took all my things and returned to the car park. But dear me, I had no idea any more, where I had parked the car. The car park was huge and in the meantime almost completely full. I also didn’t know what type (brand) of car I had rented. I only knew that it was white. And obviously most cars in here were also white. From the car key I also couldn’t recognise what type of car it was… Imagine, you are in a foreign country, don’t know where you have parked your car or what type it is. And your flight departs in 100 minutes.

I ran several levels of the car park up and down, packed with all my bags, continuously pressing the car key hoping that the car will blink to me. A few times it blinked, however it was not my car 😦 Close to despair, after a 25-minutes sprint, sweaty like after an intense aerobic lesson I finally found my white Mazda. A breakneck drive through Lisbon followed, during which I did not exactly obey all traffic rules. I reached my flight at the last personal call.

Yesterday I arrived in Lisbon. I had completed all my meetings and had two hours before the important dinner. I went jogging, took a shower and dressed very elegantly. Then I wanted to apply make-up. But I could not find my make-up bag. I searched everywhere in the hotel room, without success. I obviously had left it at home in the morning before the flight. I was devastated. It was almost half past seven, dinner would start in half an hour. For sure it is not the end of the world, if I go without make-up but for me personally it is unacceptable. It is one of the most important dinners of the year. I want and have to put on make-up!!

I ran to the reception and asked where I can get a lipstick. The concierge told me that 10 minutes walking (by taxi it may take longer) from the hotel is a shopping centre which is still open.

And again I am running with my elegant robe through Lisbon. After 10 minutes fast running (the time estimate of the concierge must have been for an Olympic sprinter), I ended up in the same shopping centre as six years ago. I had to go two floors down and found myself in front of an endless selection of cosmetics. It seemed that I was the only customer. I did not look right or left and at the first stand selected eyeliner, mascara and a lipstick. The sales assistant tried to help and tried to explain that they had 5 different types of mascara. However I did not care, since my dinner would start in 15 minutes. I need to pay, I told the sales assistant. She stared astonished at me. I paid, put on make-up in 80 seconds and ran back at Olympic speed. Against my will, the sales assistant also gave me a perfume sample.

As the way back was downhill, I arrived at the hotel in 9 minutes. Sweaty, anything but elegant but in time and with make-up!! I was even thankful for the perfume sample. After all, not all noses were supposed to realise that I had just finished a demanding 20-minutes jogging training in my evening robe.