This Is It!

The boxes are packed, the internet’s about to go dark, and we’re almost ready to hit the road.

After months of dreaming and planning, and a couple of preliminary visits to get things ready, it’s finally happening: we’re leaving Lisbon and heading to our next adventure in Valencia.

The move itself is a mix of meticulous prep and glorious, last-minute improvisation. We’ve already packed up a few things to make Monday a little more manageable, but the heavy lifting (literally) will be handled by the movers. They are supposed to arrive bright and early, armed with labels and dollies and that professional-level calm that comes from moving other people’s lives every day.

I’m pretty sure that they’ll be able to accomplish everything in one day, but we’ve got Tuesday reserved for any finishing touches. The representative from the management company will be here Tuesday afternoon for the final inspection, and we’ll give him all but one set of keys at that time.

I’m expecting that there will be no major problems getting back our deposit, since the owner and his family commented on how nicely we’ve kept the place. Yes, the apartment will need to be painted, but they DIDN’T do that when we moved in, so it falls under the category of “normal wear and tear.” Portuguese rental rules are pretty clear: they can’t deduct anything from your deposit without a darned good reason. Not only that, but we’re leaving them our old washing machine since there’s a brand new one waiting for us in Valencia.

Even better – when we move out, we’re leaving the light fixtures. Don’t laugh, it’s actually very common to have to install fixtures when you move into an apartment here, and people typically take them with them when they move out!

In the meantime, we’ve been staging everything that’s going in the car. It’s all in just one closet in the guest room, clearly marked with blue painter’s tape like a do-not-disturb sign from a very practical ghost. It’s the “this-comes-with-us-no-touching-please” zone.

Lexie the cat  will be spending most of Monday (and possibly Tuesday) safely tucked away in the guest bathroom. It’s not going to make her happy, but it beats her trying to pack herself into a box labeled “kitchen.”

As for internet? We’ll be dropping off our Vodafone modem and remote on Sunday, which means no more home Wi-Fi. We’ll be living off our phones and camping out at the hotel across the street Monday and Tuesday nights.

But amidst all the sorting, labeling, and unplugging, we’ve also made time for a few final memories here. A few last get-togethers with David and Sarah: steak at L-Meat on Friday, and one last meal together on Monday at their place. (We’ll be gifting them all the wine we haven’t managed to drink, which tells you just how focused we’ve been on logistics.)

And our final dinner in Lisbon? We’re closing the loop with a visit to Italy Caffé on Duque D’Avila. This was one of the very first places we ate at during our very first trip to this city back in 2017. A full-circle moment, and a reminder of how much Lisbon has given us over these past years.

Wednesday morning, bright and early, we’ll load the car up with cat, birds, and a minimal amount of stuff, leave the last set of keys in the mailbox, and hit the trail. We should be rolling in to our new garage sometime in the late afternoon. We’ll drop off the animals, head to the hotel in Valencia that will be our headquarters for a few days, and collapse.

So, this is almost it. The last few days in a city that’s been home, teacher, refuge, and launchpad.

Next stop: Valencia.

Stay tuned. Things are about to get muy interesante.