And yes, I had to look it up online. It started this morning when I left our flat to get some cash at an ATM (many small businesses here don’t take credit cards). The streets were suspiciously empty of commuters, but cafes were busy with locals who obviously had the morning off. Portuguese flags were hanging in every third window I passed. Here’s what I learned online:
I stopped at Café Tofa for coffee, and found most customers were enjoying theirs with wedges of crusty bread, sliced from round loaves that looked like giant bagels, toasted with or without cheese. Bread and cheese and coffee for breakfast? Yes please!
The woman in the café just called it bread when I asked, but another Google search named it Regueifa, sometimes referred to as “Sunday bread”. I don’t know if today’s bread was made in honor of Portugal Day, but it sure was yummy. I continued my morning walk, fueled by caffeine and carbs, enjoying the sunny and cool morning. The Praça do Municipal was dressed for a party! I took a few more pictures, and headed home to unpack…
In other news, our shipped boxes arrived yesterday! We were thrilled at how quickly everything arrived, but nervous about the condition of our items, given they had traveled across an ocean by ship, then across a couple of countries by truck, only to be uncrated and packed into another truck for delivery! I will say, we had a great experience with the delivery company. They arrived promptly at 8 AM, and had everything moved upstairs and into our flat in about 2 hours. We did have two damaged pieces of furniture, but fortunately, they were insured. So far, I’ve unpacked about 10 boxes, mostly kitchen items. I’m taking my time, breathing, and finding several items I don’t really need here. I have already started a donation box. Lisa and I agree that if we had it to do over again, we wouldn’t ship so much stuff, but when you are moving across an ocean, you don’t know what you don’t know.
I hope you all enjoy your day! 🇵🇹
The Portugal Papers 
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