October 7, 2018
We are finally back in Lisbon, after 17 months during which we cruised the far east, endured three operations (two major) and more hospital stays than we have ever previously experienced.

We arrived on Monday, the 1st, and here are a few observations::

• The apartment at Martim Moniz remains delightful, although there is some evidence of wear and tear after almost two years of AirBnB guests. We have the apartment confirmed through the end of  February and plan to shop for a permanent Lisbon abode until then. 
• The weather is very hot and the apartment is not air conditioned, so we are surrounded by fans.
• October is still the high season and tourists abound. At one of our favorite restaurants - Maria Catita - the place was full on a weeknight and, I suspect, John was one of the few Portuguese-speakers in the crowd. We did, however, meet a nice couple from Seattle who is considering moving to Portugal.
• A dinner with our cousins elicited a funny question about the American custom of taking home "dog food" after an evening out. Doggie bag is not a term common in Portugal.
• We have been pleasantly surprised to be remembered by staff at several of our regular haunts. It adds to the feeling of coming home. This was especially true last night when one of our favorite servers at Da Vinci, Marisa (AKA Sophia Loren) spotted us at the door, recognized us and welcomed us warmly.
• October 5 is Republic Day in Portugal. It's a national holiday celebrating the end of the monarchy via a bloodless coup in 1910 and the creation of a republic form of government. Unfortunately, that republic lasted only a few years before a military take-over, followed by many years of a repressive dictatorship. The Republic was restored in the '70s, again via a bloodless revolution, and continues to this day.
• October 5 is also World Teacher Day. Hundreds of teachers from all over the country marched by our apartment protesting 9 years of frozen pay, promotions and missed credits towards teacher pensions. These concessions were made when the Portuguese economy was struggling. Now that things have improved the teachers are not happy with the government offer to only partially restore benefits.