NLG Consulting

In June 2025 I had the opportunity to travel to Portugal to document a tour of music educators for Nanda Journeys and then take a side trip to Barcelona to revisit the Sagrada Familia Primary School and meet with my colleagues from the Catalan Ministry of Education. Along the way I learned some valuable lessons about overcoming obstacles through resilience and working with people.

My first real test occurred when American Airlines canceled the flight from Philadelphia to Lisbon. I had met at the airport, Lynn Brinckmeyer, the tour leader. Lynn and I had one earlier meeting via Zoom. We used our time at the gate of the airport to learn more about each other, not realizing we would have another 24 hours together. As we sat at the gate we kept noticing delays and then at 10:00 pm, we received the bad news – NO FLIGHT. The woman at the gate asked us to check our email for a voucher for a hotel and $12 for a meal. (Yes, that’s the correct amount.) I decided to take things under control and I contacted the American Airlines Ambassador line. I connected with an agent who agreed to make sure we were booked for the next day – Sunday night arriving on Monday in Lisbon. Lynn and I looked at each other. She was in charge of the group and I was supposed to document the tour. We realized that the group could go on without either of us. Lynn appointed Ingrid, one of the tour participants who had taken on the role of tour leader in the past. I realized I would use other people’s photos to document the first part of the tour.

I continued my conversation with the online agent and she said, “Look out for an email with a hotel voucher.” In a few minutes the voucher arrived and I showed the choices to Lynn. I suggested we take the closest hotel, the Microtel Inn. (I should have checked the ratings, but I was just thinking about convenience.) We started to head to the Ground Transportation exit when we stopped one of the women driving a motorized pickup to check on directions. She said, “Come with me. I’ll take you to Ground Transportation.” That was our first realization that good things happen even in the midst of a crisis.

We got in line and realized that there were hundreds of people trying to find a place for the night. We couldn’t fit into the first van so we waited. Soon the van returned and we squeezed into the van. In a matter of minutes we reached the hotel. We were met by a long line of people waiting to register for a room. The hallway was hot and the hotel smelled like it hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. I decided to just go with the flow. After a few minutes Lynn mentioned that she had just received a confirmation message. I did not receive a message. I then realized that I was possibly without a room for the night. What to do? I turned to Lynn and said, “There’s a chance that I don’t have a room. Can I share a room with you? She didn’t think too long and said, “Yes.”

Amazingly, I slept through most of the night. We both woke up early, showered, and prepared for our day. I thought I would head into Center City Philly and join my friend, Linda Riley for lunch. Linda lives about 15 miles north of Downtown and is right on the SEPTA line, the high speed transit system linking the city. The airport had a station that would take me about 10-15 minutes to Reading Station in Center City. That seemed like a great way to break up the day. However, as things would have it, Linda wasn’t free. So, I said to Lynn, “Looks like I’ll spend the day with you.”

After a meager breakfast (nothing comparable to the wonderful European breakfasts soon to come) we jumped back into the van and returned to the airport. After we passed through security I said to Lynn, “Have you ever used one of the Lounge Areas at a Hotel?” Lynn loved the idea and said, “They sometimes have an option for a day pass.” We headed to the American Ambassador Lounge and the woman at the desk said, “You’re lucky. In another 10 minutes we’ll stop taking day reservations.”

Again we overcame a challenge and we ended up with a rewarding way to spend our day. The chairs were super comfortable. We had a private area with free food and drink. (After you pay a sizable fee for a day pass.) Rest rooms were nearby and the air conditioning was not too chilling. I realized it was Sunday. What do I normally do on a Sunday? I join my wife and cousin for the NY Times Crossword Puzzle. Guess what I did for the morning and early afternoon at the airport? Yes, we worked via Zoom and before I knew it it was approaching dinner time. Lynn looked at me and said, “Let’s use our vouchers and get a bite near our gate.” I agreed and we ventured into the international wing of the airport.

Fortunately our flight to Lisbon was on time and we enjoyed another two meals as we flew across the Atlantic to join our team in Lisbon. When we landed we decided to forego checking into the airport and meet the gang as they toured the historic old city of Lisbon.

For my documentary about the tour I relied on interviews from Lynn Brinkmeyer and Bill Martin, a retired music educator whom Lynn recommended. Both of them provided great insights. According to both Lynn and Bill the highlight of the trip was the visit to the Shrine at Fatima. We arrived on a national holiday and tens of thousands of people were present for an outdoor ceremony with a children’s choir adding their voices. In his interview Bill also highlighted the magnificent churches at Fatima – both a new edifice that accommodated thousands of people and a more classical structure.

From Fatima we drove to Porto. While Lisbon suffered tremendous damage from a 19th century fire, Porto has kept its historical presence. Porto reminded me of Pittsburgh with its steep hills. We went up and down as we walked around the historic town looking for gifts to take home or walking around the town. With our music theme we spent one afternoon at a Fado workshop and then attended a dinner at a Fado club the next evening. (Fado is the national music of Portugal. There are different interpretations of where Fado originated, but based on one of our experts from the workshop it probably came with the workers in the 19th century who left the agricultural fields of southern Portugal to find work in the growing industrial world of Lisbon.) No matter where Fado originated, it usually has a singer who tells a story with great “soul” and two instrumentalists who provide a jazz-like improvisational accompaniment – one on classical Spanish guitar and another playing the Portuguese guitar.

For me the highlight of the trip was our day in the Douro River Valley. We boarded out bus and headed into the countryside outside of Porto to head to the visit the Fonseco Vineyards for an amazing wine-tasting and lunch prepared by a private chef for his. After lunch we headed to the town of Pinhao to embark a wonderful two hour cruise up and down the Douro River passing many of the vineyards responsible for the wonderful Port, White and Red varieties of wine. In Pinhao we explored the old railway station that has a series of mosaics on the traditional blue Portuguese tiles. Each tile told a story about life in the Douro Valley. On the boat I had a wonderful conversation with Nicola Balmain, the founder of Nanda Journeys. The combination of the beauty of the countryside, the wonderful food, and the relaxing time on the boat with an opportunity to have engaging conversation was a great three course meal.

After three days in Porto and the Douro River Valley we returned for two more days in Lisbon. Even though there were many great things we saw, it was the people who were the real stars of the trip. Both Bill and Lynn made this quite clear in their interviews. Yes, there were wonderful places to visit like the Disney-like Pené Palace in Sintra or the Boca de Inferno in Caiscas, but ultimately it was the people in the tour that made the trip so special. Not just the particpants who were wonderful, but our city guides, our special tour guide, Rikardo who provided many wonderful photos and personalized the entire time we were in Portugal, our amazing bus drive, Antonio, and our musical guests who joined us for dinner and and amazing conversations.

With some of my fellow travelers I left our hotel for a flight to Barcelona to continue my travel adventures encountering mIn Part II I’ll highlight my time with my colleagues from the Ministry of Education, touring the Old City of Barcelona, and most importantly visiting the Sagrada Familia Primary School.