The Portugal Papers

I am 52 years old today. The Ogan-DeLongs celebrate birthdays on the actual date. We go big. Whatever the birthday girl wants to do on her day, within reason, we do. Trips, fancy hotels, spa treatments, gourmet meals, new kitchen gadgets (me), new technology (Lisa), we are all in. So months ago, and with my input, Lisa (OTP – Official Trip Planner) planned an overnight trip to Porto, with a 5 star hotel stay and all the extras. But here’s the thing. We moved to Braga 17 days ago, after several months of chaos. The thought of packing a bag made me nauseous. Also, we heard there would be a general transportation strike in the city, so transport by train or bus would be hard, if not impossible. I needed a new plan, a quieter plan, a local plan. 

We had the best day. We did exactly what I wanted. We woke at 8 and walked to Méze, a little brunch cafe that has quickly become a favorite. Scrambled eggs and two cortados later, and I was ready for a long, leisurely walk around our city. My goodness, this place is beautiful. I’ll never do it justice with words or pictures, but I’ll add a few to this post for reference.  We walked by gorgeous churches, high-end shopping, theaters, street vendors, bookstores, and too many cafes and restaurants to count. Such a mix of old and new. I can’t wait to see where my next walk takes me. On the way home, more coffee was required, so we stopped in at Cafe Tofa (Lisa keeps calling it Tofu). Who needs birthday cake when one has pastel de nata?

I spent the afternoon reading and relaxing, and even though we had a reservation at the cozy-yet-modern, art-focused, Portuguese restaurant for dinner, when the time came to get ready, I wasn’t feeling it. This birthday girl wanted Neapolitan pizza and cold rosé, eaten in bed wearing PJs. What can I say? I like to party. Uber Eats to the rescue, and I headed off for a hot shower and the aforementioned PJs. Here’s where we took a turn. I stepped out of the shower onto a completely soaked bathmat! There was at least an inch of water covering the floor – the bathroom had flooded! I yelled for Lisa, who found more water in the hallway and under the wardrobe in our bedroom! So much for relaxing, we spent the next hour using every bath towel, kitchen towel, microfiber cleaning towel and paper towel we own, mopping up water. We called the landlord, who came right over. Apparently, the shower drains here are different than in the U.S., and require weekly filter cleaning, lest they become clogged. So anyway….it’s all been cleaned up and we are running a dehumidifier to deal with any remaining moisture. 

I’ll admit, I was grouchy for a bit this evening after the post-shower drama, but writing this post is giving me much needed perspective. Perfect birthdays are a myth. Perfect ANY-days are a myth, or maybe we just need to redefine the word. I ate my Neapolitan pizza with a cold glass of rosé, and now I’m snuggled in bed with my wife and two cats. I’m safe, I’m loved, and I’m privileged to live here. Feels pretty perfect to me.