And On We Go…

The preparations for the move are in the past! The movers are here, Thursday, July 31. They’re taking everything except for a few last-minute items. Our friend Shashi kindly agreed to help us move the last-minute items the next day, Friday, finishing our move to Setúbal. Donald and I left our furnished one-bedroom apartment clean as a whistle. It had served us well since we had moved into it in the latter part of 2019. We will miss the view from the 11th floor looking towards the Sintra mountains, over the roofs of Laranjeiras. During clear nights, I enjoyed the illuminated Pena Castle, glowing like a star. Dr. João, our sweet landlord, is someone whose kindness we will always appreciate. He is a dear friend.

This Friday is our last night in Lisbon. We are to move into our cute apartment on Monday afternoon, August 4. But before then, on this first weekend of August, we are staying two nights at a small Setúbal hotel near Avenida Luisa Todi, because our move-in coincides with the scheduled arrival of some new furniture on Monday afternoon. It’s close, don’t you think? After all, the bed, sofa, and chairs are necessary. We are also thankful to Dr. João for gifting us a small white table we will use for eating, and later, it will become a serving table nestled next to the dining room window.

Today is early Sunday evening in Setúbal, we’re strolling along the Avenida—the principal thoroughfare of the city, featuring a pretty park, eateries, and shops. The small restaurant Na Pas d’Quois near the hotel caught our attention for dinner. By the way, the hamburger was finger-licking good, and the cinnamon cookies—well; I had to buy a dozen.

We like Setúbal being a walkable, compact city. During our first walks prior to finding our apartment, we were heading towards the barrio we were interested in, and discovered three parks, making my heart sing. On another visit, we strolled through the city’s historic area going through the quaint, narrow cobblestone streets, when we came upon a couple of nice little shops and a few eateries. The closed sign on the doors let us know it was late, so we agreed to revisit.

Locating this smaller city and our new apartment took over one year after assessing other potential locations. Our real estate agent, Flavio, whose friendlyness and patience we appreciate, gave us information about the process and anything we asked. During the search, I made sure the amenities we often visit were nearby, within walking distance from our building. Once friends and acquaintances knew we were moving to Setúbal, the first question always was, “Have you gone to the beach.?” Our answer, “Not yet.” “It’s easy,” someone mentioned, “just take the local bus to the beach, and you’ll be there within 15 minutes.” Besides that bit of news, we found that a major bus station was just a 7 minutes walk from our building. It’s great! From the station, we can catch the bus to Lisbon and other cities instead of the train, so we had to try the bus. The comfortable 40-minute ride took us to Sete Rios, within walking distance of where we used to live. We can visit friends easily!

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Monday is here. Move-in day, and Uber has deposited us in front of our building. After saying goodbye to the nice, chatty driver, we entered the small lobby, pulling our weekender suitcases. The tiny, quirky elevator came quickly, lifting us to the first floor. An immediate right took us to the hallway leading to our front door. The distinct, heavy sound of the huge, old-fashioned key rotating the inner parts of the lock let us know we had unlocked the door. As we entered, bright light poured in through the windows. The Portuguese tiles lining the corridor beneath bare walls brought a quaint, pretty touch of Portuguese culture. The warmth of the wooden ceiling and the wooden floor with its subtle shine had a welcoming ambience. After rolling our luggage next to the living room entrance, every step we took through the apartment brought joy and a sense of belonging. A peek into the back bedroom showed the boxes placed there by the movers quietly waiting for the ritual of unpacking. The room had worked very well as a temporary storage solution.

Day one in Setúbal. We had gone outside, standing at the street corner next to our building trying to get a sense of the immediate surroundings when a bus went by. Our gazes followed it to see where the next stop could be. “There, or there,” we pointed toward the bus moving away in the near distance. Just then, a sweet lady from across the street approached us. “Do you need help?” She asked in Portuguese. “You are new to the neighborhood?” She inquired. “Yes, we live here,” pointing to our building. With a smile, she said, “Welcome.” “I live across the street.” “Where do you need to go?” Comboio (train) sprang to mind. This way, she gestured for us to follow, talking while crossing the street. Mixing Portuguese and Spanish, made it easier to understand her during our light conversation. “They have wonderful bread.” She glanced at the coffeehouse/bakery we were passing by just up the block. We had been to that bakery once before, and we knew it had tempting cakes and pastries, excellent coffee, a small lunch menu and delicious ice cream. As we walked on, Donald and I became distracted, noticing our apartment building was a block and a half away from the bus stop we were approaching. A second later, we heard, “Here we are at the bus stop,” taking us out of our distraction. Then, the sweet lady surprised us by asking the people at the stop to help us get to the train station. They all huddled briefly, then the lady seated on the bench raised her hand. “I will make sure; I’m going that way.” We said thank you in Portuguese to show our appreciation. The bus came; a line formed, and we all boarded. The friendliness we received in our new community was lovely.

We are thankful to have found Setúbal and our new apartment on the edge of the Setúbal peninsula, on the north bank of the river Sado estuary, 31 miles south of Lisbon. From now on, it will be a delight to transform our new apartment into a cozy home. We will check out the local stores and the mall as well. Setúbal was worth the wait. We feel happy about the upcoming discoveries and more opportunities to immerse ourselves in the Portuguese culture and its people. Wishing you health and tranquility.

Ciao until next time.

Kami

This small area by the window makes a nice breakfast nook.