Sitting here with a glass of wine in London waiting for a flight to Lisbon and realized it’s been awhile since I’ve updated you.  

A bit of advice:  you need an ongoing ticket out of the Schengen area if you want to head to Lisbon or, I assume, other countries in the Schengen area.  Now y’all probably know about the Schengen area vs. the European Union.  No?  Well, the UK is in the European Union (until 2019, that is) but is not in the Schengen area.  You can only stay in the Schengen area for 90 days if you are not a resident or citizen of the EU.  Now, not all of the Schengen area is in the EU and not all of the EU is in the Schengen area.  Clear now?  Just be sure to have an ongoing ticket (within 90 days) if you are headed to a Schengen country.  Google “Schengen Countries” for help.

Wikipedia says:  The Schengen Area is an area comprising 26 European states that have officially abolished passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders.

So…I had to purchase an ongoing ticket to get out of London.  Lucky for me, I arrived early and was able to purchase an online ticket that leaves Lisbon within the 90 day window.  I suggested they just trust me…but no dice.  Guess my reputation precedes me.  They do input the ongoing information into your record so no pleas (or please) accepted.