Random Thoughts and Observations

So many little things are different here but we've just slowly gotten used to them. For example: crosswalks. At or near every intersection is a crosswalk with painted stripes. Sometimes they are about 20 feet or so from the intersection. That makes it safer to cross because you're only dealing with one street of traffic, not two. The cool thing is that in Portugal, drivers are required to stop when there is a pedestrian in the crosswalk. Most of the time it works. It is still best to stand on the side until the driver shows some signs of slowing down or stopping. It took a little while to get used to this rule as a driver but I have now learned to carefully scan for pedestrians at each crosswalk. It is a wonderful thing when we are the pedestrians. Chili also appreciates these crosswalks, too.

I have mentioned the challenges of grocery shopping before. Now that we have been here for a while, the task has become much easier and more efficient. There are differences though. One is that there is an entire long aisle (in any store) completely devoted to yogurt. Both sides. Greek, drinkable, for kids, gluten free, etc. etc. In the bigger stores, there are also large stacks of salted cod to go into the bachalau. It smells very nasty. I wouldn't go near this area but it is right by the wine department in my main grocery store.

Eggs are not refrigerated here. This seemed odd at first but after Googling, it seems that eggs are mainly only refrigerated in the US. They are very fresh with almost orange yolks. And you can buy them in packages of six or 12.

Before I leave shopping, I should also note that all large grocery stores and home improvement stores have coffee shops in them. So, when one is shopping for yogurt or plywood, one can always take a short break and get a coffee and a pastry. So Portuguese!

The weather here is spectacular. Every day is bright an sunny. We have not had rain during the day for a couple of months. Being so close to the ocean we get a nice breeze. Temperatures are mostly in the mid-70s during the day and high 60s at night. We've had a few days in the 80s. I am told that this is an unusually cool summer. I love it. Will wishes it was hotter so we could actually use our beautiful pool. The pool water is only in the mid-60s so I am not venturing in. Will has tried a couple of times but has not been rushing back. I just took this picture of the pool from our terrace. Pretty, isn't it? No swimmers. Not even kids. But the weather is spectacular.

Separate topic: Will wanted me to mention that we have booked a few trips over the next several months. These trips are all with Gate 1 Travel. We also are cooking up plans for some independent trips. We are booked for Spain (November), river cruise in Germany (starting in Frankfurt and ending in Amsterdam) for Christmas markets in December, and Central Europe in March. If anyone is interested in learning more about these trips and coming along with us, just let us know!