Day 87 - Taking Care of Biz

We are now in Step 3 of a 5-Step, intricately orchestrated travel plan to get to the Canary Islands on Thursday. We had a little setback leaving Sagres to come back to Lisbon, where our flight departs, because Sagres implemented a regional lockdown on our last day there.* This prevented us from taking a train or bus out of town or hiring a driver until Wednesday morning when the ban is to be lifted.

This wouldn't have been a big deal except that we had appointments for COVID testing on Tuesday. Trying not to panic, we contacted our Airbnb host in Lisbon to ask him for advice. He said we could rent a car, an option we didn't think was possible. Turns out, we were legally allowed to be on the road if we had a receipt to prove we had paid accommodations.

Though concerned about driving a car for the first time abroad ever, Clint made the calls and found a rental car that would be delivered the next morning—phew! Little did we know how good it would feel to be back behind the wheel in our own bubble and on our own schedule! We haven't minded traveling by train, especially because they are usually empty, but it was refreshing to set our own pace and have our own space. The four-hour drive through rolling green hills, sleepy small towns and forests of cork trees was beautiful. The roads were empty and we didn't have to show our papers to the police. Yay, Step 2, complete! And bonus, Clint had fun driving a stick shift again!

A magical pit stop on our road trip. The scenery was out of this world!

Step 3 involves taking a COVID test and receiving results within 72-hours of our arrival in the Canaries. There were surprisingly very few sites for foreigners to get tested in all of Portugal's southern half. Luckily, the Red Cross took appointments and we got those out of the way today. Now we will continue to cross our fingers to get on our flight and connection without issues.

We knew by going on a trip during a pandemic that we would encounter inconveniences and stumbling blocks. So far, we feel so thankful for our health, for only a few setbacks and that social distancing ourselves from people has been relatively easy. Traveling during these times feels like we are playing a game of chess. Each move has to be well thought out, sometimes multiple steps ahead but we have to be willing to react quickly when our opponent surprises us.

So now we are in Lisbon awaiting our test results and flight...

It feels good to be back here after our detour south for a week. The city has more Christmas decorations up and we have a new view from our new apartment. Even though we adored our last Airbnb here, we decided to explore a new neighborhood and save some cash with a cheaper place.

We are checking off our list of places we want to revisit. There's the bakery with the best cherry muffins... the restaurant that serves (an almost) traditional American breakfast which is very rare in Europe... the Asian noodle place and the basketball court.

Back to tiled buildings. It never gets old seeing the variety of colors and patterns.

The kids each had conferences with their teacher and parent—both being me! They are doing well and I don't think I've ruined their education yet—fingers crossed!! They both totally surprised Clint and me with their new elective choice now that their health class is finished. Out of all the courses the online school offered, they both went straight to German without any hesitation! Hmmm... Spanish AND German... why not?! My knee-jerk reaction was to talk them out of doubling up on languages, but then I bit my tongue. If they are remotely excited about any class right now during this awkward year of learning, I’ll take it!

And for our big news... we have a Christmas tree!!! We couldn't wait to get one until after the Canary Islands, so we purchased a mini tree that can fold up in our suitcase. Heck, I'll strap it to my body on the plane ride if I have to. Anything for Christmas cheer!

Kate put the lights on. Handmade ornaments to come once we settle into our Christmas destination.

* The lockdowns in Portugal are so sporadic. They will have two half-day lockdowns in a row, then fully open for a week, then lockdown for three full days while most businesses remain open and then the next day, everything will close at 1 pm. I'm all for locking down, but this piecemealed system sure keeps us guessing, especially when we are in a foreign land.

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