The Women's March and a visit to the hospital

January 21, 2017

The Woman's March

For the first time in my life I participated in a protest event - the Marcha das Mulheres - a sister event in Lisbon to the Women's March in Washington. Although the crowd was relatively small, the enthusiasm was high. The march was held outside the American Embassy, which is a bit isolated from the rest of Lisbon. Our taxi driver had a hard time finding it. Among our fellow marchers were a honeymooning couple from San Francisco, and two couples from the states who now live in Portugal. I was interviewed by a reporter but I don't remember who she represented. It was still fun and we were happy to have been a part of such an important event. Of course, we may not be admitted back into the country when we try to return home in April. ;-)

A particularly relevant sign at the Marcha das Mulheres

Being interviewed at the Marcha das Mulheres

January 23, 2017

Our trip to the hospital

John's cough has gotten worse so, on the advice of our cousins Manuella and Armenio, we went to the emergency room of Hospital Luz - a private hospital about a 20-minute taxi ride from the apartment. We walked in to a modern reception area where a very professionally-dressed associate directed us to the registration area.

We had been in touch with the international rep for our insurance and knew that we are not covered, but might be able to be reimbursed once we return home. So imagine our pleasant surprise when the cost of the ER visit was only $95. Our co-pay at home would have been $75.

From there we were seen by a nurse then, after a short wait, by a doctor. Dr. Diniz, who spoke perfect English, examined John and diagnosed a viral issue complicated by John's fibrosis. He prescribed an antibiotic as a precaution against the virus becoming bacterial, as well as two other meds to treat the raw throat and help reduce the phlem production. We were VERY impressed with the service and overall quality of the care.

As we were leaving we expressed our satisfaction to the woman who had met us at reception. She asked us to write our comments in the "book of compliments" that is reviewed by management. The following day we received an email thanking us for our comments.

From the hospital we walked to the huge Colombo Mall next door. After an excellent lunch in one of the food-court restaurants (it's hard to have a bad meal in Portugal), we found a pharmacy where the prescriptions were filled. Total cost was only $18, including a package of lozenges. We are really getting ripped off by health care in the States.

January in Portugal? Why not?

We have been coming to Portugal pretty regularly since 1983, but always in the late spring or fall. During all those visits we always wondered what it might be like to live in Lisbon. So, this summer while visiting Lisbon with our grandchildren we decided that we would spend this winter in Portugal. And here we are until late April.

January 4, 2017
Our flight from Miami on Air France included a layover in Paris. A Dutch couple we met while checking in to our flight warned us that the Paris airport could be intimidating, so even though we had two hours between flights, we were just a bit nervous. However, all went well - with a little help from Air France employees. After taking the train to the next terminal and going through security again, we hit a long line at immigration where there was only a single person working. The people behind us in line had already missed their connecting flight. But we did not share that fate and boarded our flight exactly on time - only to sit at the gate for two hours waiting for the fog at the Lisbon airport to clear. We had to stay on the plane in our seats because the plane needed to be ready to fly at any moment.

We arrived in Lisbon on the afternoon of the 4th and checked into our favorite hotel - the Tivoli Lisboa. Much to our surprise, we were escorted to the 9th floor where reception is located while the first 6 floors of the hotel are undergoing a major renovation. But the service remains excellent and we were up-graded to an executive suite. That evening we had dinner at As Velhas, our favorite restaurant, with Brytta Byers - the daughter of Sherris Moireira. Brytta used to spend her after-school hours at the Herald while her mother worked, so we have watched her grow up to the beautiful young woman she is today. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening!

Lisbon is still decked out in its holiday lights and here is the view on Avenida do Liberdade - where our hotel is located.

January 5 - 19, 2017
Vale do Lobo, Almancil, Algarve
After an overnight in Lisbon we're off to Vale do Lobo for two weeks. We used to own a partial share of a villa here and visited almost every year in April/May until our unit was sold in 2013. However, over the years we accumulated "points" for those years we were unable to visit. So we used those points to spend these two weeds in January. Quite a contrast to late spring! Not much traffic and no reservations needed at our favorite restaurants. However, the sun shone every day. With temps in the 50s & 60s, the golfers were out and there were even a few beach walkers - although no swimmers. We had  a lovely reunion with Bella, the woman who was our housekeeper for all those years and is again our housekeeper. We also enjoyed reunions with the proprietors of our two favorite restaurants - Iberico and Casa dos Pinheiros.

This trip we took the time to visit the center of Quarteira - a resort town through which we usually drove en route to Villamoura. Now, in the off season, we joined the locals strolling the beach and enjoying a bica and pastry in the local pastaleiria. Even the local grande dames were gathered there every afternoon - just as the Faro ladies have been gathering is a pastalaris there for coffee, a pastry and gossip for over 40 years.

Holiday welcome to Vale do Lobo

The beach at Vale do Lobo

Vale do Lobo beach - another view

As much as we enjoyed the weather and accommodations in Vale do Lobo, we looked forward to returning to the livelier atmosphere of Lisbon and moving into our home for the next few months.

January 19, 2017

Lisbon!

So here we are, moving into 43 Praca Martim Moniz, Apt 5B - our home until April 25. The apartment is exactly as advertised - beautiful view of the castle and the square below. The building is new and the apartment beautifully decorated. According to the maitre 'd of the nearby Hotel Mondial restaurant, this area was formerly a high crime area until a few years ago when Chinese, Indian and Muslim families began moving in. Now it is a vibrant, diverse neighborhood in which we feel very safe. It is also a short walk to all of the major sights of Lisbon, lots of restaurants markets and public transportation.

Today the square is resplendent with red lanterns as preparations are underway to celebrate the Chinese New Year - the year of the rooster. This is especially appropriate in Portugal, whose national symbol is the rooster. After the parade on Saturday, we were entertained by Chinese singing and dancing performances on the large stage at one end of the square. Vendors of various merchandise set up shop all over the square.

Most mornings we see people doing Tai Chi on the square. Between that and the regular comings and goings of the trolleys, we are quite entertained.

The downside is that John has a terrible cold and very bad cough that is keeping him up at night. So we are going to take things easy for a couple of days to let him get better.

To be continued...