New News! (IYKYk)

We were going to write about the Visa process, but, as Hamilton tells Burr, things are happening over there. We have a signed lease for an apartment in Portugal.  It's in the neighborhood we wanted, on one of the streets we wanted with an outstanding location/view.  Our apartment is on the 1st floor, the balcony with the brown french doors. Those who are eagle eyed will note we will live above a coffee/pastry shop. Pastel de Nata (the official custard tart of Portugal) for everyone - well, only if you visit! Yeah, I'm talking to you David M!

It's a one bedroom, one bath and appx 750sf. We are looking forward to living in a smaller space (really our square footage at the condo minus the 2nd BR/BA and laundry. It comes with a fully equipped kitchen, which in Europe means oven, hob (stove top), dishwasher and if they mention it, a washing machine. It also comes fully furnished including a bed, sofa, wardrobes/built ins, and dining room table and chairs. The view is of the absolutely gorgeous Chapel of Santa Catarina, also known as the Chapel of Souls. The Chapel is particularly noted for the over 15,000 blue (azulejo) tiles on its exterior walls that tell stories of Saint Catherine and Saint Francis of Assisi.

Here is a convenient map:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ppCwiW6YkWtj5pmx5

It's about a 20 min walk to Old Town and the Duoro River (downhill). There's a funicular we can take part of the way back up. There are numerous grocery - both specialized and regular - as well as markets, gyms, pharmacies, and no shortage of restaurants and shopping. JR should be able to sit on the balcony and sketch to his heart's content, or go downstairs and sit at the coffee shop and draw from ground level.

Here's an overall view of the Dining/Living Room. The front door is to the right and the kitchen is behind. The bathroom is on the other side of the dresser (you can see a bathrobe hanging there) and the bedroom is just beyond that to the right of the living area.

Typical European Kitchen - Washer IN the kitchen; Fridge OUTSIDE the kitchen.

We will have just enough room for two small desks so we can continue our Portuguese lessons and perform all those other computer-related tasks. I suspect we will need to get ourselves some noise cancelling headphones.

We are quite excited to live in this new environment while simultaneously anxiety ridden 😉  OK, maybe that last part is just me.

We will write about the Visa process soon.

Boas Festas!