Acropolis of Athens, 40 years later

Athens, August 2026

First time I visited Athens and the Acropolis was in 1986, forty years ago! The airline I work for (re)started flights to Athens last month of July and I got one very short layover this August. And I was so lucky with my crew that wanted to visit the Acropolis even under a hot blazing sun.

And here I am, the little me, forty years ago, at the Acropolis, in a completely different season.

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Odeon of Herodes Atticus

The entrance ticket costs €30/adult. If you pay around the same amount (or more) to climb the 1 WTC in New York, why wouldn't you spend that money on a cluster of monuments with more than 2000 years of history? Our first sighting while climbing the Acropolis hill was the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

... in 1986...

And a first look at the Parthenon...

... in 1986...

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Propylaea

The Propylaea is the building complex that served as a gateway to the Acropolis.

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Erechtheion

The Erechtheion temple primarily dedicated to the goddess Athena is something that does not go unnoticed with its beautiful Caryatids.

... in 1986...

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Parthenon

But the main temple, the most known, is of course the Parthenon.

Some nice details of sculptures and the frieze...

... in 1986...

The unforgiving sun was unfortunately too hard to handle for some of my colleagues and we weren't able to explore as much I as I wanted to.

Down below, a some sculptures in the Propylaea can be seen and also one last view of the Parthenon before leaving towards the Athens Marina to have lunch at Nisos restaurant.

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Hotel rooftop

We ended our journey at the hotel's rooftop from where you have a nice view of the Acropolis and an infinity pool. The location of it couldn't be better.

I really to revisit Athens next year. During IATA winter, the flights will be operated with the Embraer 190 fleet.

Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira Island

Angra do Heroísmo, July 2026

Layovers in Terceira are seasonal so they are not so common in my roster. Angra is such a cute and peaceful town that if I must sleep away from home, this is definitely one of the best places.

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Alto da Memória

Having already explored Angra in the past, this time I just went on a very slow place, enjoying the views and the good weather, without any specific goal. First stop was Alto da Memória (Outeiro da Memória) to check on the most prominent landmark here - the Obelisco do Alto da Memória. The Alto da Memória is also a viewpoint with a spectacular view over the town and the old volcano Monte Brasil.

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Obelisco do Alto da Memória

And there it is the obelisk I talked about, built on the very same viewpoint. This monument is dedicated to the king Pedro IV of Portugal. It was partially destroyed in the 1980 earthquake but it was later restored to its former glory.

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Jardim Duque da Terceira

This beautiful garden is just next to our hotel and I wanted to see one more time the fountain Flautista Africano.

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Festival Rua Direita

After a really slow morning I went to have lunch by the marina with my crew colleagues. In the late afternoon I joined some friends and enjoyed a micro-performance which was part of the "Festival Rua Direita", a performing arts event with "nas asas do Açor" as the main theme. The micro-performance was about a young woman called Alice who dreamt about becoming the first Azorean woman pilot.

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Aeroporto das Lajes

Next morning I was lucky to return deadheading as the aircraft was an A320neo (CS-TVM) - instead of the A321 on the outgoing sector, which requires an additional crew member.

Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island

Ponta Delgada, August 2026

This was a three-day pairing with one night-stop in Paris and another one in Ponta Delgada. It also included a turnaround to Terceira Island. The two pictures below were taken at Lajes Airport and Thiais (Île-de-France).

I didn't do much in Thiais and we arrived very late in the day at Ponta Delgada. I had a two nights layover in Ponta Delgada last year and I already wrote about it. But that time I took a tour around the island instead of visiting the city. This time I wanted to take a little stroll in a place that I last visited in the year 2000.

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Ponta Delgada

This was the pool view from my room. It was early in the morning so nobody was there yet.

Then I just ventured through the city.

Down below, probably the most famous landmark, the three arches named "Portas da Cidade" at Gonçalo Velho square.

At 11am the sun was shining and temperatures were like 27 ºC already. So many people took the opportunity to get a tan.

This commemorative plaque is dedicated to the SATA founders and it can be found in the building where they run the first headquarters of the airline. Today, SATA doesn't even have a ticket office outside the airport.

Summertime means several stages are set up in Portuguese cities for music bands and outdoor entertainment in the evenings.

And a clear view of the City Hall...

I only had a morning to see the city but the fact is that there's not much to see in Ponta Delgada. They also have the São Brás fortress (which I didn't photograph)and Mercado da Graça market (which I didn't visit)... and that's it. Visiting the whole Island is what it is really worth it. 

Back to the hotel, the pool was already getting crowded. And a final photo of a SATA Air Açores Dash aircraft before flying back home on a A321neo.

My first time in Toulouse

Toulouse, June 2016

Back in 2016, Portugália Airlines was replacing their fleet of old Fokker 100 and EMB-145 with newer ERJ 190s. During that transition period, sometimes the mainline had to provide aircraft to fill in on some usual routes which were tipically operated by Portugália.

I was lucky to be assigned a short night stop in Toulouse and get the chance to catch a glimpse of the city.

My first photo was taken at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport with our Airbus A319 CS-TTI Eça de Queirós parked on a remote position:

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Place du Capitole

It is with no surprise that the first spot where we landed was the Place du Capitole, the heart of the city.

Then, after some refreshments, we just wandered around with no specific direction.

Euro 2016, a football competition between european national teams, was taking place already in France. In the end, Portugal was the winner of this tournament.

We ended our day at Port de la Daurade / Promenade Henri Martin with a nice view over the Garonne river. I wasn't aware that Toulouse was a true university town. But while at this place, and being almost summer, one could definitely feel that vibe with so many students enjoying their drinks and having fun outdoors.

Pont Neuf

Hôtel Dieu Saint-Jacques

This was a very, very short layover but it was definitely worth it. I'd love to come back again to Toulouse one day.

Pont Saint-Pierre

We would return to our home base next day, deadheading on a Portugália ERJ 190 registered CS-TPW. I remember I took the opportunity to buy some Airbus souvenirs at the airport. Don't forget that Toulouse is also the home to one of the most important Airbus' final assembly lines.