Now at the hospital we experienced the consultation procedure. The janitor woman helped us figure out where to queue. The check-in employee was stumped as we didn’t fit her form. When I didn’t claim the Portuguese insurance, it nearly seemed a game ender. We assured her we could pay, and so the bill was tallied: 35.5 Euros. We could have explained that the charge is only a small copay after insurance in our system.

Next we made it into the next waiting room to await the nurse. After that interview, a bit more waiting. Finally I heard my name on the PA system with the number 12, but had no idea what to do. A new nurse came out to lead me to a doctor in room 12.

Our entire experience was about an hour and was only difficult because it was new to us. Employees were helpful and pleasant and shared their English while we had almost no reason to use the Portuguese dictionary.

Now all was resolved by prescriptions but the pharmacia was straightforward with no issues.

We had a delightful lunch, breathing a sigh of relief, and went back to the hotel to rest.

This hotel was once the Almadas Palace with roots dating back to the 14th century. It was renovated in the 19th century and was converted to a hotel in 1993.

The current hotel is owned by the ADFP Foundation, a non-profit promoting tourism with a purpose. Funds are used for social projects supporting people with social needs and victims of work exclusion.