Unfortunately, my cold has continued to linger after almost 3 weeks. I’ve promised Victoria I’ll call the doctor if I’m not 100% better when we get home on Wednesday.

Not as bad as the days I was trying to figure out how to get through the next 30 kilometers, but not great, either. No Covid symptoms—tastebuds, sense of smell, etc.,—but I’ve certainly never had a cold like this.

Of course my body is still recovering from my long hike, so the cold is lasting longer. While I’ve had all of the shots, my theory is that I’ve gone 3 years without meeting a single microbe, and am now meeting them from all over the world.

We took Kevin’s advice and followed the coastal route to Lisbon. It was longer, but we got to see a succession of small, New England-style beach towns bustling with surfers and skateboarders.

The beard is staying for a couple of weeks, mostly to amuse my mom.

We have a family story about the time we joined Mom, with baby Micheline, in Kauai for her 50th birthday in 1990.

I had been living in Europe, and had grown a beard (then brown).

I strode across the airport to give Mom a big hug, which she enthusiastically returned.

Having no idea who I was.

The Intercontinental Hotel in Lisbon is as lovely as you’d expect. Amex gave us an upgrade, a $100 credit, and parked our rental car for us. Good thing, as we learned you don’t want to be driving around Lisbon if you don’t have to.

It had been a long day of driving, so we ordered room service and turned in early.