The Portugal Papers

Pieces of furniture we have in the flat: 6 (the table is only temporary, as it is too big for the space). Previously, I reported this number as “1”, but I decided that a mattress alone does not equate to a piece of furniture. By this time next week, we should have a fully furnished flat!

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Number of words I feel comfortable using in conversation: 6 (we’ve signed up for Portuguese classes that start in June).

Recent achievements: Last week, we took the train to Porto. Sara went to the Mercado Municipal (a giant farmers’ market) today. I got a haircut.

Things I’m looking forward to: Our crates arriving! Getting the rest of the furniture that we ordered. Also, that stocking of the flat will finally be finished, and with that, the spending of so much money.

Location of our shipping crates: They arrived in Rotterdam about a week ago and will be delivered to us on Tuesday! We are thrilled about this. We expected 2-4 months for delivery, but it looks like it will have been about 7 weeks.

What we’ve been up to: I’ve been catching up on work. The months before we left were very busy. Sara has been going to lots of different markets to get the lay of the land.

What we’re thankful for: The weather is so beautiful this week. It’s going to warm up again next week, but for now, it’s in the high 60’s (or 17-20c).

Challenges: Trying to figure out which store sells the thing you need. For example, packing tape. Where does one buy such a thing? Each store carries different things, so it’s a matter of just finding the right store.

This happened: When I went to pick up the chairs/footstools at IKEA (it’s inside a mall that also has a hospital!), I asked the guy for the easiest way out so I could get an Uber. He told me to go left just after the doors. So I did. I ended up by some deserted shipping bays, with no way out.

Cat acclaimation: Good. They seem much more relaxed, and they are getting used to random “flat sounds.” They love sitting in the sun on the terrace.