Traveling with Cats
The cats did not like being in their carriers for 22 hours. To be fair, they got to get out before the flight during their TSA inspection, again in a family bathroom in Washington D.C. (where they refused food and use of litter box) and again at the controlo veterinário in the Lisbon airport. The flight to Lisbon faced a headwind yet the gentle lulling of the plane did not quite lull them to sleep (nor did the moments of more expressive turbulence). Melody decided to fully demonstrate her name and meowed frequently for the 7h flight, the sound etched into our ears akin to images burnt into one’s retina. After getting to our apartment we thought we heard meowing 5 hours after arriving.
Lisbon to Tavira
We hired Nuno Miranda Alves of Tra fa Tours to transfer us from the airport in Lisbon to our apartment in Tavira, roughly a 3 hour journey.
Partway, we stopped at Colibri, a roadside haven that is part gas station, part rest area, and part restaurant. At Nuno’s recommendation I got the Bacalhau com natas which is a codfish and potato casserole. I also got my first of what will be many Pastéis de natas and many espressos.
Apartment
Our Portuguese isn’t where we envisioned it to be so communicating with our landlords is a challenge (few useful sentences can be constructed with my vocab of yes, no, thank you and good day). When I texted our landlord that we arrived to Lisbon and didn’t get an immediate reply, I didn’t think too much about it. When Nuno asked if we had keys to our apartment and I said no but our landlord said they would meet us. He waved off my story saying that he has seen the ending of this many times. The possibility of arriving with 3 huge bags and two stressed out cats with no way to enter the apartment we rented sent my anxiety soaring. Just as if it were a Hollywood screenplay, cue the rain as we pull into town. Racing up to our 2nd (3rd) floor apartment, our hearts nearly stop. Was Nuno’s prediction coming true? Heading back outside, we see our landlord’s car and all was well.
As much as we adore our landlords, they speak to us in rapid Portuguese that even google translate can’t keep up with. When we enter the apartment, we see evidence of projects just finishing. Not quite sure what to think, anxiety decides to cue up the feeling of my heart sinking. Thanks anxiety. Within minutes, everything was resolved and the ladders, and various tools were whisked away. The apartment did not have heat or air so we asked for it to be installed as part of the lease agreement. It was mostly done but just like in the U.S., there’s always that 5% that seems to take forever. Talks of an electrician coming were confusing, the electrician would come at 17h but on which day was unclear. The sound of the doorbell answered that question. The electrician has arrived and I watch the animated conversation ensue, the shaking of heads telling me that it was not going well. Fast forward to the next day, the electrician and landlord return and all is resolved.
Sleep
As we unpacked and settled in for the night, a storm had set in. Lying in bed, I heard the usual unfamiliar sounds that come standard with a new place. This one sound was a thundering and then I realized we were having a thunderstorm — thunder, rain, wind. And it felt good to be tucked under warm blankets flanked by cats. Woke suddenly at 1am disoriented and then wide awake despite what should be extreme fatigue. Next thing I knew it was 7:30am, then 9am. And the electrician was arriving at 10am so we peeled our bodies out of the warm bed.
Bloopers
TSA
In San Diego, TSA found a suspicious item in Tom’s carry on and we had to go to a secondary inspection. The bag of white substance was cat litter and they tested with a test kit. Meanwhile, Tom went with the cats to a private room where they were removed from their carriers so the carrier could be scanned. All the vet at the Lisbon airport did was scan their chips while they were in the carrier.
First Shopping Experience
Our landlords offered to take us to the nearby mall to get the essentials. Tom stayed behind to help the cats get acclimated. Communication was hard again, my phone didn’t have a good enough connection most times for Google Translate. Several items I tried to put in the cart were vetoed by my landlord and I don’t know why. Why did I have to get the small-sized bottles of water vs the large-sized? Why did I need to get the largest spool of paper towels vs regular size? I thought I was supposed to buy my own bed linens and towels when I got here, but then why did she wave them off? I may never know. But I know she means well, and is looking out for our best interests.
- Landlord Approved: Clothes hangers, jumbo spool of paper towels, toilet paper, shampoo, coffee pods, corn flakes, milk, cooked chicken, small-sized bottles of water, cat litter boxes, cat litter, cat bowls.
- Landlord Vetoed: Bath towels, bed linens, regular sized paper towels, body wash, large-sized bottles of water.
Oooh that smell
One bathroom smells like it has free access to the sewer line. And in general the bathrooms are very small with little counter & storage space.
