Day 1: Terceira to Lisboa — The Storey Fam

Today we begin the crazy journey! I continue to get a kick out of the reactions I get when we tell people what we're doing. At first it seemed like a 50:50 ratio of "that's awesome" to "what the...?", but lately the pendulum seems strongly in favor of the incredulous crowd.

Today was the beginning of our journey- we woke up at the TLF(Temporary Living Facility) on base in Terceira, finished packing, fed the boys and loaded up in a borrowed van(thanks Richards!) to drive the 10 minutes to the mercifully small local airport. Check was a breeze, security was the friendliest you'll ever find, and we were the last to board the plane. Saying goodbye was gut wrenching, as it always is.

One of the notable things about travelling internationally is that the airline staff seem nicer in foreign countries(with some exceptions, I'm sure). The SATA staff and crew were exceedingly helpful and kind to our cumbersome cadre as we navigated an overseas flight with 4 little boys.

The flight from the islands to the mainland is only a couple of hours. The boys were awesome- it's a blessing to see the excitement and joy they bring to the travelling process- it's infectious!

Goodbye sweet Terceira!

Finally asleep after a good fight

We arrived in Lisbon around 1:30pm and waited in a VERY long taxi line for a taxi big enough for the whole family. We finally loaded into a sweet Mercedes Benz van and made our way to the port.

No joke, the port is just that- in industrial port. You have to wander around and find someone who understands enough of your lousy Portuguese to explain that your car is there somewhere and hope they decide to help you.

We loaded in the van and made our way to the apartment rental we had arranged through AirBNB. Thus began the first snafu to the trip. Due to the long taxi wait and delays at the port, we arrived an hour later than expected, and no one was there to let us into the apartment! We called the owner(in southern France) who was able to get a different friend to come let us in after about an extra 2 hour wait. In this time we walked around the corner and had a delicious traditional Portuguese meal. Here are some crappy lighting pics of our place: