Finally, after a two-year wait, we are in our new apartment and it was worth the wait for this sunset view from our balcony. Two years ago this month, March 2019, we visited Ericeira for the first time and committed to an apartment that hadn’t broken ground yet. We went back to Washington State to sell our house and apply for residency in Portugal. We moved here on October 1st of that same year and stood in front of our bulldozed lot.
After living in a large apartment in Mafra for a year, we moved to a small rental in Ericeira. This past New Year’s Eve we moved again to a friend’s larger apartment while waiting to move into our permanent place. They will move here this month to join the expanding expat community.
Travessa da Baleia is the name of our new street. It means Whale Lane or Path of the Whale or even Whale Platter, depending on the translation app you are using. The word for dog is cão, pronounced cow. So, a cow is a dog and we all now live happily on a whale platter. More about our new dog in a bit.
Here are some shots of our building going up, brick by brick. Glancing at the advancement, second by second, is much easier than watching the progress week by week and month by month, trying to nudge it along with mental prowess.
In my previous blog, I mentioned that we were looking for a dog. We found her about a week later, before we moved to Travessa da Baleia. Her name was Sky and I added Walker because she likes to walk, so she is now Skywalker. Someone suggested Princess Leah, because she’s a lady. But Darth Vader might be more appropriate. She likes the surprise attack with fangs ready to latch on like a hungry piranha. I have had to become super alert when coming out of the shower because she also has superior leaping abilities. Oh, here is a picture of Cathy’s only pair of prescription glasses that Skywalker thought was one of her chew toys.
But how long can you stay mad at a face like this? She loves the beach and often makes friends with the surfers.
One of the big selling points about this dog was that she was seven-months-old and housebroken. Unfortunately, only one of those two things was true. Just another something that apparently got lost in translation. We didn’t want to go through the hassle of training a puppy but now we are training an adolescent, which is even harder.
Training a dog upstairs in an apartment is much harder than in a house with a yard. You need to have your shoes on at all times, with harness and leash in position. You can’t just open the door and throw her outside while you sip coffee (or wine) in your pajamas. Although, when I walk the dog in the early morning, I do see a few people walking their dogs in their PJs.
The good news is that she can hold her bladder for a long time. The bad news is that for the first few days, she would hold it just long enough to pee when she walked back up the stairs and into the apartment. She just didn’t like to pee outdoors. She was too much of a lady for that.
She’s kind of smart, I guess. She’s smart enough to untie my shoes but not smart enough to tie them. Her English comprehension is as bad as my understanding of Portuguese so we’re pretty equal in that department.
We have had to put her in a crate sometimes because it is impossible to keep an eye on her every moment. Skywalker doesn’t mind the cage most of the time but sometimes she whines. When she whines, she sounds like a seagull. We also have a lot of seagulls outside so I often can’t tell if she is whining or the seagulls are squawking. She’s no nightingale, that’s for sure.
Another Thing Lost in Translation
So one of the things Cathy just had to have for the dog was a DNA test. It cost us over 100 euro to find out whether or not I am the father. Turns out I am not the biological father but she has 17 breeds of dog in her. In other words, she’s a pedigree mutt.
Anyway, the company is in Germany so it made it very difficult to activate the DNA account even with our translation app. But we finally got through it and received a welcome email, also in German. At least the email had a link to click if we wanted it translated to English. It started out by saying “Hallo Cathy Donkeys” translated from “Hallo Cathy Burros!” They left the “w” out of Burrows so I guess that was part of the problem.
I have to admit, getting a dog was 100% Cathy’s idea. I like dogs but having a dog is like having another kid, but with sharper teeth. She has been a bit wild, so Cathy has been coming up with ways to engage her in non-destructive behavior. The other day, she decided that we should play hide and seek with her. Hell if I’m playing hide and seek with a dog! Anyway, it didn’t take Skywalker long to find me and she was terrible at hiding.
When you have a dog, you also need to alter your budget a bit. I have had to add another column to my Excel spreadsheet. So far, in this short time, there has been the DNA test, a couple of baby teeth pulled to make room for her adult teeth, spaying, an anxiety relieving bed (I might need one too), a dog trainer (people trainer would be more accurate), two crates and lots and lots of toys.
By the way, Pedro, Sky’s trainer, has been excellent and we already see improvement. He and his wife, Laura, also dog-sat Sky while we were busy moving. Laura will be starting a service soon, helping expats moving to Portugal.
It should also be noted that I’ve dropped one rung lower on the hierarchy chart since Sky arrived on the scene. For instance, windows in the car were never allowed to be down because of mussing up one’s hair. Now, even on the freeway, if Skywalker wants the window down, hair automatically stays in place.
So, is it all worth it? I suppose so, as she’s pretty sweet and loving most of the time. Although, I was questioning our decision when trying to wrestle a used Tampax from her mouth while on one of our morning walks. I won’t speculate as to how it was lying there in the street to begin with.
Doc Strange Vet Services
We met an awesome woman and veterinarian in Ericeira named Doc Strange who loves Skywalker (and Skywalker loves her). That isn’t the name she was born with, but someone called her strange once and she liked it. So, she became Doc Strange. We are glad we found her. I highly recommend her to anyone reading this who lives in Ericeira or nearby.
Enough about Skywalker, Now Interior Pics of our New Ericeira Digs
A lot of you have been asking to see pictures of our new domicile. We still have a lot of rearranging and decorating to do, so keep that in mind while you peruse the photos. Downstairs, there are two guest bedrooms and two bathrooms.
All the floors throughout the house have heated floors and each room has its own thermostat. The other heat source is a pellet stove which has a vent also going upstairs. A wood fireplace is more romantic, but I like the convenience of putting the pellets in a bin that is programmed to drop into the flame to control the temperature. It is also easier to find pellets than wood in Portugal. That also might be why construction here is with bricks, not wood. It takes longer but we will never have to worry about termites or wood rotting from the sea air.
We found an awesome used furniture store I call Fernando’s Hideaway. Its real name is Convento, for those of you who live here. It is located in Sobreiro, midway between Ericeira and Mafra. You can’t miss it because it has a giant wood giraffe out front.
Fernando is an incredible man with a knack for finding incredible hidden treasures. This sideboard we found buried in one of his many, many rooms in the basement of his treasure cove. When he delivered it, we were lucky that there happened to be a forklift parked outside that day and they were able to lift it over the third-floor balcony. The marble top alone easily weighs over a hundred pounds and one of the workers told me, “I’m no Popeye”. Although, he did curse like a sailor and looked as strong as The Rock.
There is a nice big balcony outside, about 6ft by 20ft. A balcony can never be big enough, but I figure this is a good size for a condo. This is where the grill will go. Again, I am breaking from tradition and going with gas. We will have a Weber gas grill and an Ooni gas pizza oven. There will be a Portuguese design housing them on the end of the deck.
Traditionalists make fun of me, but I am all about expediency and comfort over tradition. I have gotten fond of cooking since I have been in Portugal and I don’t want to add building a fire to the cooking operation. I also like fish and would rather cook it outside because fish smell fishy.
Upstairs:
Upstairs was designed to be two bedrooms and two baths. We eliminated one of the bedrooms for another living area. We also eliminated one of the bathrooms but then added it back in when we decided that we were tired of sharing a bathroom. Of course, it would have been cheaper to keep it in to begin with rather than take it out of the plans and then put it back in the plans. Building is never seamless.
The upstairs balcony is small, about 4ft by 6ft, but we are able to fit a table with a couple of stools to sit and watch the sunset, which will never be blocked by all the construction happening around us. I will wrap up this tour with a few more shots of the downstairs.
I love art and we were thrilled to add our artist friend’s still life to our walls (seen below). Jimmy “The Lip” Steere is a New Jersey boy who, along with his lovely wife, Betsy, discovered Portugal long before most of us expats.
One thing I almost forgot to mention was that we do have a lift (elevator) in the building. Normally, I wouldn’t even mention it because you would expect that if you’re living on the third floor. But you would be surprised at how many buildings do not have lifts.
The topic of lifts came up in a Facebook thread recently. Someone expressed joy when finding an apartment that had a lift. I mentioned how surprised I was to find out how many buildings didn’t have lifts. And then someone got sarcastic with me (because it is Facebook after all), due to my lack of respect for history. I couldn’t ignore his rolling eyes emoji and defended myself by stating that respect for history and a desire to push a button to avoid carrying groceries and furniture up several flights of stairs don’t necessarily cancel each other out. I guess now that the election is over, elevators have moved up a notch in the pecking order of hot topics.
Another thing I wanted was accent lights in the living room. I couldn’t figure out the remote controller for a while. A friend passing by at night remarked that he saw disco lights up there from the Continente parking lot that probably would be visible way out at sea!
Finally, we have an actual parking garage with assigned parking. Anyone who lives in Ericeira knows that many apartments have very limited parking on narrow streets with short, hidden poles that pop up out of nowhere, so this is a big treat for us.
Super Bowl Miss!
I would be remiss not to mention my big miss in my Super Bowl prediction in my last blog. I blew that call, but then, so did the refs a few times. I don’t think that the game was close enough to be decided by the refs, however. I predicted Mahomes would humble Brady but it was the other way around. Although, it could be argued that it was the Bucs defense that did the humbling. The injuries among the Chiefs’ offensive line didn’t help their cause.
I could have edited my prediction, hoping that nobody would notice, but I decided to leave it in to remind myself why I don’t gamble much.
The only reason I was happy Brady won was expressed by Jimmy Kimmel. He said that if you have ever wanted to tell your boss to take this job and shove it and then you go off and succeed while his business got flushed down the toilet, well, that is what Brady did to Belichick.
New Features to my Blog
I added a couple of new features to the blog. By now you may have noticed that monster profile pics have been added to your comments. They are completely random. I don’t actually determine which monster suits you best. Once in a blue moon, someone has their own profile pic they have created for themselves. But if you haven’t created one then you will be assigned a unique monster of your own.
The other feature is a box to check to be alerted when I post and respond to your comment. I like this feature because sometimes, due to the time difference or being out walking the dog, I don’t get to your comment right away. I have to approve comments because I get many spam comments which would otherwise flood the comment section.
So that wraps up another lockdown edition of Portugal Expat Life on this fine Spring Equinox. Yes, we are still under lockdown and Europe has fallen behind the US in the vaccine distribution department. I expect things to be lifting soon, and that we will soon be seeing family and old friends on Travessa da Baleia in Ericeira. But a warning in advance… beware of the dog!
I thoroughly enjoyed this write up.
I honored to have been mentioned.
The pictures of the construction progression underscore what a leap of faith all this moving to Portugal business entails.
Well done!
Yes, it was a leap of faith and it paid off. And we love seeing your artwork every day!
Your new home is amazing! What a spectacular view!🌄🌊 Skywalker is a cutie.
Thank you, Rita! We will have you and Rob here soon!
Mazal tov on your new digs! It’s beautiful!
BTW, when you ask, “How long can you stay mad at a face like this?” did you mean Skywalker’s or Cathy’s?
I suppose I did leave that open to interpretation. 🙂
Welcome Skywalker! Nice writing here, Bob.
Good things from Fujairah,
-Eric
Thank you, Eric! Can’t wait to meet you and your family!
Adorable Skywalker!!!! You obviously are enthralled with her!
Of course your new place is gorgeous,,so glad for Cathy and you.
Keep writing.
Enthralled? Hmm.. maybe 🙂
Mazel Tov on the new place. It’s beautiful. Live there in good health! Skywalker is a famous cannabis strain in the states btw.
I didn’t know that! I hope she lives up to her name and mellows out.
Having our own 10-month old puppy, and living on the third-floor (what, no lift?)… I had to shed laugh-tears at your oh-so-apt descriptions of SkyWalker. Ah, the life of a puppy-parent-while-building-moving-into-a-new world! Well done, and btw beautiful apt and view…and lift! 🙂
Thank you, Bob, and so glad that you can relate to the trials and tribulations of puppy-parenthood.
Mazel tov on your beautiful new home with your lift! Brings me such joy to see you and Cathy moved into your new home. Becoming parents to your new dog adds loving and fun Opportunities to your new life!
Thank you, Judi. And I know that you are one of the biggest dog lovers on the planet!
Enjoyed reading your blog !
So happy for you guys to finally be in your condo !
It looks really nice and love the huge balcony !
Can relate what you are going through with Skywalker
Been there done that ! Now we have a kitty that I love so much . She adopted us at 3 weeks old. But she can be sooo sweet but all of the sudden she attacks me like a little lion . I think she wants attention and play. She only does it to me ! Keep waiting for her to outgrow it !
Now she is 2 and a half .
Hope you keep enjoying this journey ! Maybe we will come to visit when COVID is much better !
Silvia, I don’t remember seeing a kitty at your house. Please change “maybe” to “definitely” once COVID is in the rear view mirror.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this blog post. I would love to see you, Cathy and Skywalker here in the mountains when we’ve been vaccinated.
Those vaccinations can’t come fast enough. We want to get on the road again and are looking forward to seeing you there and here!
Hey Bob,
Your place is incredibly beautiful and your descriptions make your place come alive! Skywalker has become a member of the family. I look forward to meeting her! Congratulations on all the new changes in your life. It’s exciting!
Thanks, Dave! Your room will be ready when you and Karen are ready. Hopefully, Skywalker will be a little better behaved by the time you get here.
Ricky and I really enjoy living vicariously through you and Cathy! Thank you for sharing your lives with all of us. Your new apartment is gorgeous and we are sending you our best wishes for many happy and healthy years there. Having gotten two puppies at the same time, we can definitely relate to Skywalker’s antics, but with training and patience (lots and lots of patience), you will soon not be able to imagine your lives without her. Enjoy!
Shelley, I can’t imagine having two, like you and Ricky do. You are right about needing lots and lots of patience. She likes the new apartment, especially running up and down the stairs.
Oh, those heated floors will be so wonderful in the winter months! We had a home with them once, and they keep you feeling toasty, even when the air is cool. Excellent choice. Good luck with the pup – she sounds like a handful (but adorable)!
Thanks, Laurel! Yes, the heated floors are a must, in my opinion. The weather here is rather pleasant most of the time but the winters can get a bit nippy.
I am SO HAPPY you have moved into your lovely apartment at last! Great job sharing so many photos. It looks fabulous, and be proud, you put us to shame in the speed that you filled your house with furniture and art. You are ahead of us and we have been in our house going on two years. The bright light coming in the windows with views of the ocean will always make you happy! Sunsets will always make you feel that all can be right in this world. I can hardly wait to arrive at Travessa da Baleia and soak in that sea breeze with you and Cathy. We will even help getting Skywalker out for his morning pees!
I hired someone to hang everything because the walls aren’t drywall and wood here. They’re bricks and plaster, so everything needs to be drilled into concrete. And still, afterwards, Cathy wanted this one three inches lower and that one three inches to the left, so the patchwork has already begun. But it’s all good! Can’t wait for you guys to come here and walk the Walker! 🙂
I was mentioned… I’m touched 🙂
Ricardo, haven’t I always said that you were a little touched? But thank you for making me aware that my accent lights were being used as a lighthouse by ships at sea. 🙂
What a fun read. What a beautiful condo. And jeez, what a view! I’m so happy that you and Cathy are finally in your home. (I’m living vicariously through you, but because we have two dogs, we’ll be renting a house with a yard for the very reasons you stated. I hope.) Thanks for sharing the pix.
Skywalker is just adorable. I know how hard it is with puppies, But it’ll be worth it. Really. It will. Seriously.
A yard would be heaven with a dog. I’ve never walked so much in my life. And I hiked St. Helens!
Love reading your blogs; your descriptions bring it alive!! Skywalker is a cute little thing and you gotta love her!!
Your place is amazing and such views; I’m always amazed at how you and Cathy can make life so beautiful ( and funny!).
Hope to see you one of these days and have Skywalker take me for a gander in your community ❤️
Air hugs to you, Cathy, and SkyWalker
Air hugs and kisses back at ya. I am sure you would love Sky. And Sky would love you back tenfold!
Aloha Bob!
Loved catching up with you and Cathy along with your new addition Skywalker. Sanoe was given a 5 year old gentle pup named Luna for her last birthday. Best idea ever! So we know personally how your lives has been enriched by Skywalker already. It’s a plus that she has that sweet face!
Love your digs! Lots of stairs….love the outside living that accompanies a beautiful interior. Please take a pic to show your view from the balcony. Listening and living near the ocean there in Ericeira will be reminiscent of living in Kohala….you’re closer to the ocean there.
Love reading your blog! Give hugs and aloha to Cathy, Skywalker and have Cathy hug you for me!
Aloha, Tammy! The picture from the balcony is the feature picture for the blog. There are also a couple of view pics in the blog. It is a bit reminiscent of Kohala. Loved it there and we love it here also. I am always happier near the ocean! All my best to you, Sanoe and Luna!
It looks like all is good Bobby.
Thanks for the pics. A new house to furnish is a very exciting time. The writing is captivating, as always.
BTW, getting your glasses chewed up has a short shelf life for funniness….so I hope you and Cathy will be able to teach an old cao new tricks…QUICKLY.
Use the house in good health!
Well, she can sit on command. That’s about it for now. We were mostly furnished already because we bought a lot of furniture for our Mafra rental when we anticipated the kids and grandkids visit. Of course, that never happened due to COVID. So we had to store all the furniture while we moved around. Still a lot of things to buy, though, whenever you move!
Great reading as usual Bob, and the photos are wonderful.
It has been great seeing and hearing about the progress on your home, and to also get the chance to meet Sky, and to hear about your trials and tribulations. We can’t wait to get back down there to see you, the house and Sky.
Yes, we are all ready for life to return to normal so we can all enjoy each other’s company again!
So excited that the house is done and came together so nicely! It’s beautiful. Can’t wait until we can visit. Love the blog, as always. Helps us feel connected to you guys even though we’re far away.
Love,
Dustin
Nothing would make us happier than to have all of you here!!
Mazel Tov on your new home Bobby and Cathy! Such wonderful views and fabulous space! It looks like it was worth the wait.
My sister’s dog was trained to ring a little bell when she wants to go out. Don’t ask me how it she tells me it really works.
Our border is still closed in Canada and we are still waiting for vaccine but We’ve been told it will be soon. One of our first trips will be across the pond so perhaps we will see you soon. Who knows?
Enjoy your new digs in good health and with much love!
It was definitely worth the long wait. I didn’t want old, uninsulated construction. Anyway, I think Sky might eat the bell. I would love it if she would ring the bell. Or stand up and dance or bark in Morse code or drag me toward the door. Anything at all would make me happy. Hope to see you here soon!
“Hallo Cathy Donkeys” made me LOL!! 😂😂
Great blog, gorgeous place and kinda naughty dog. We’re glad you two are living your best life.
Thank you, Diane! I hope you and Jeff are doing well!
Thank you!! Amazing write up! Extremely funny and little Sky conquered me as soon as I saw her! They change our life first and then they change us, you will see!
Thank you, Sofia (Doc Strange)! You are her favorite person, even when you are sticking her with a needle.
Wow guys….. just WOW! You’ve come a long way baby! The manifestation of your vision is fabulous! Absolutely love your Fernando’s Hideaway find. A unique treasure for sure! Can’t wait til we can safely “feel free to move about the cabin” and visit… if only for an afternoon sooner rather than later! Big hugs and lots of Kudos for a job spectacularly done!🤗👍♥️♥️
I love it when a plan comes together! See you very soon!
👍🤗😘♥️ We truly hope so!
Congratulations on your new home (and additional occupant). Thoroughly enjoy your posts.
Thank you, Gerry! Our additional occupant is happy with her new surroundings.
What a great blog post Bob, hilarious!! Skywalker is definitely a handful.
Congratulations on the new place, you are living my life! This is just what I’ve been wanting, new place with an west- or south-facing ocean view so we can watch the sunset. It’s beautiful and you’ve done a wonderful job of furnishing and decorating it. 🌅
Hopefully the third time’s a charm for rebooking our trip to Portugal and we will finally be able to go in July and August. We would love to finally get together in person! 🇵🇹
All the best. 🍀😀
Yes, she is a handful, but we are seeing some progress already. July and August sounds promising. See you then!
Oh, how exciting! So glad for you, Bob! Parabens! Now, I’ll have to come and visit you for sure!
I do see a lot of visitors on the horizon. It will be like a Miami Spring Break, except without the COVID.
I love the name Skywalker, though it occurred to me that Princess Leah and Luke Skywalker we’re brother and sister so likely had the same last name. Princess Leah Skywalker?
Good point! Then maybe when I am very upset with her I can use her full name. 🙂
Oh my gosh! It looks great 🙂
Incredibly stoked you got to move in and forklift beautiful furniture in, haha!
We hope to visit someday and take in the sunset with you and Cathy.
Love you two,
Sandy + Sander
If they had brought it the next day, then they would have been greeted with rain and a lot of stairs. The elevator isn’t working just yet. We are looking forward to having both of you visit. We miss you and hope that everything is going well for you in New Mexico!
Another installment of Bob and Cathy. Well done. Great looking house and view. Enjoy it for many years. Our rule no kids or pets in the house unless just visiting. Like the freedom to go somewhere at anytime. Enjoy Sky, hope she doesn’t eat too many pairs of glasses.
I hear you on the freedom front! And she has also reeked havoc on my phone stylus pen and vacuum cleaner attachment.