We’re closing in on it! We don’t want to jinx anything by saying something too soon, but suffice it to say we definitely can see ourselves living someplace in Portugal, and we think the final choice will happen soon.

So far, everything has gone according to plan. We always have backup plans and backup plans for the backup plans, and plans to make backup plans for the backup plans for… well, you get the idea. But so far, we haven’t had to back up anywhere. Except into the street from the street-side parking at the Airbnb apartment we’re staying at, where you have to back up into the street without being able to see whoever might be coming. You grit your teeth, and back up slowly, hoping you won’t hear a blaring honk followed by a loud crunch. So far, so good.

Today we ended up back in Sesimbra (detecting a theme here?). Mostly these are pictures of some of what we have experienced during the last couple of days. Yay! Limited writing for the reading impaired!

This is outside the main train station in Lisbon. I keep wondering why these elaborate statues are never erected on new buildings, in the U.S., for instance. They’re very cool, and I would have to think easier to make today than whenever they were crafted before. Of course, maybe I shouldn’t be giving Trump any ideas.

This is the view from our current apartment. The blue skies finally gave way to some January rain, which was needed. So we don’t mind, as long as it doesn’t last for too long. We brought just enough of Oregon along with us already, thank you.

This is a rooftop pool on top of a condo building with a view toward the hills in Sesimbra. We’ve decided the apartment/condo life isn’t for us, but we still had some of these properties on the appointment list. They’re nice, and feature awesome views, but it’s just not a lifestyle either of us have ever practiced, just like Buddhism or Plushophilia.

More views from the Sesimbra condos. We were sorely tempted because I don’t think we’d ever get tired of the views, but a house is the home for us.

Carolyn walking through one of the condos.

Here’s another set of condos outside the downtown/cliff area of Sesimbra. They’re new, and look nice, with a great view toward Lisbon. We got a kick out of our Portuguese real estate agent, who is a real sweetheart but whose English is at about 90%. She kept calling these places “condoms.” As a result, we preferred looking at new ones.

We stopped for lunch at a fresh fish restaurant. Caught right off the pier across the street. Portuguese cuisine is really growing on us (and might just make us grow horizontally as well), although I like fish better than Carolyn.

Carolyn demands action from our “transition helper” (I’m not sure what title she would pick, but that’s what she’s doing for us). Her name is Erika and she has been invaluable with helping us navigate the move. While she’s only spent a few weeks of her life traveling in the U.S., her English is near-perfect, and her understanding of our idioms and cultural stuff is spot on. She even gets all of my bad jokes!

This is a view of three directions while standing in the same place in downtown Sesimbra.

About five or ten minutes from one house we really like stands this lighthouse, and beyond it, the Atlantic ocean.  We’re jazzed about the idea of living just minutes from some awesome beaches while still only being about 45 minutes away from an international airport!

This is Cabo Espichel, which is right near the lighthouse. We didn’t go over there because it was raining too hard and, well, we plan on living near here so we’d rather go over during a sunny day. It was still worth a shot from under the umbrella.

Also nearby are some dinosaur fossil tracks. We didn’t get out to see them due to the rain, but I’ll be jazzed to take a look. It is said that local superstition interpreted the trackways as the path taken by the Virgin Mary when riding a giant mule from the ocean and up the cliffs, which led to the eventual construction of a convent there. A giant mule, huh? And what what she doing in Portugal? People are so funny…

Ain’t no giant mule here. Maybe an ass or something, but no mule.

We stopped at a store in Sesimbra. Prices are even better than in Lisbon. That’s 19 cents (100 cents make a Euro, which is close enough to even to a dollar that we just figure it’s about the same) for a container of salt. And those 79 cent price tags? For wine. Okay, it’s boxed wine, but the bottled versions can be had for less than a euro more.

I’d typpue somme tmore but thatt winne is prettyy gud!  %lk