We knew winter in Portugal would be a little damp and rainy, but were hopeful that that would be contained to the great outdoors.

Turns out Portuguese apartments, like many across Europe, are lacking in a bit of insulation. Our apartment is also lacking in having any source of heat. We have nothing. Our only source of heat is the sun, on our little front balcony, when it comes out. 

So it was off to the local store to purchase an electric heater. For 24 hours, it helped, but then it conked out. Stay tuned to this part of the story to see what happens next, if we can get a refund or exchange, and if that will maybe last a bit longer.

Meanwhile we're figuring out how to stay dry, and thus warm, and not letting it get to us. We pile on the extra layers and whatever non-musty blankets we can find.

The sun came out today at least in full force, and that made a huge difference. Wandering around the local neighbourhood gives a very authentic glimpse of daily life in urban Portugal, from corner stores and fruit markets to little playgrounds and lots of graffiti. 

We're starting to feel adjusted settled. But is there anything else we can do about the damp?

* The view in this episode's cover art picture is of the National Pena Palace on top of the distant hill, from the corner of our balcony.

After 9 days of intense travel, we arrive at our new home for the next 4 weeks.

The apartment is much bigger than expected, or was reflected in the listing. No issues there! We even have 3 bedrooms, so if you're in Lisbon before Feb. 18, we may have a spare bed for you. Send me a message via one of my social media accounts.

We had some time to maximize in between leaving the Lisbon Calling hostel and catching the train out to our suburb of Rinchoa. We needed something affordable, fun and not too short. 

The fast ferries beckoned, so we found our way to the ferry terminal and tried to figure out the tickets and schedule. We knew on the other side of the Rio Tejo there would be even less English, but we were ready for the challenge!

We make it to Lisbon, and the trip really comes alive. 

Gaining an hour from Spain helps extend the day, and sunny warm weather gives a big boost of energy.

We depart Madrid, fly to Lisbon, make it into the city from the airport, check in to our hostel, and still have time to ride innumerable trams, metros and more. We explore the city centre and start piecing the puzzle together of what is this place and where everything is.

Lisbon is a stunning city full of squares, monuments and majestic buildings. It has an old-world feel that is well worn and much loved. The modern has not quite crept into the old city centre, instead it's quirky trams, rumbling through the streets, multicoloured buildings and 18th century architecture.

It is both affordable and good value. The kids had a great time on the trams, elevadors and running through the many parks and terraces.

All this in one day. 28 more in Lisbon ahead of us!

It was a bit of a hit and miss day today. We enjoyed the Hop On/Hop Off tour, even though it was €25 per adult, but you get a lot of flexibility and information too. It allowed us to see parts of the city that would have taken a lot more effort otherwise, hence we probably wouldn't have seen them.

Our plan of exploring the giant Parque de el Retiro however was unexpectedly cancelled, as you'll hear in this episode. It turns out even the day before it was shut down too, so either way we would have missed it.

But we did find our paella, and that at least brought the day to a nice conclusion.

Do you know how to order water at a restaurant that won't cost you €4? Or how to make sure that you don't get caught out in the rich upscale part of town with two hungry kids? Listen in to find out!

Madrid has been a mixed bag but we're very glad we came to see it, and understand it much better now. Tomorrow it is on to Portugal at last, and we can't wait.

It's a pretty cold, windy day here in Madrid, high up on the plateau, and we're getting the full brunt of it while waiting for the free entry into the Royal Palace, the Palacio Real.

Walking around the central city though has been fun, seeing sights like the Puerta del Sol, Gran Via and Teatro Real. We also find some great authentic tacos for a mid-afternoon snack, a solid import from Mexico.

The Royal Palace is the largest of its kind in Europe, and certainly an impressive Baroque structure. It is a glimpse into the staid and strict lives of royalty from the early 19th century, and yet it remains in active use for state ceremonies and banquets. Surprisingly though, it could use a coat of paint in more than a few places.

We kept a relaxed pace to the day, and look forward to the bus tour tomorrow and exploring Parque de el Retiro. And hopefully finding some authentic paella! For the moment though, we made it ourselves, and found a very solid €2.60 bottle of wine to go with it.

The past 24 hour stretch has taken us from Avignon to Montpellier, Barcelona and Madrid.

If it sounds like a lot, it is, and I reflect frequently on whether this itinerary was a good idea. Looking at it from a larger perspective though reminds me that of all the options we had for getting to Portugal, this one made the most sense. We're tired, but we are enjoying ourselves, and now we have a couple full days, three nights, in Madrid.

In today's episode there is everything from trains through Provence to brunch in Montpellier, InOuis and Ouigos, floodlit towers and surprisngly affordable taxis.

Also, if you loaded up yesterday's clip expecting the ambient sounds of the day, as it turned out I uploaded the file from the day before by mistake. It's fixed now, so I highly recommend listening to Jan. 14 audio interlude, it's only 3:44 long and it will really set a nice tone for today's summary.

Another steady travel day as usual, with multiple trains and long walks, most with heavy backpacks but one blissfully without.

Alas, duty calls, and real, paid work must be done tonight. I got it completed but it's 1 am and I must get to bed.

So I share with you this temporary audio interlude of today's happenings. I'll fill in the rest of the story tomorrow, from Madrid.

We awoke to birds chirping in the quiet city streets of Avignon, clearly audible from our apartment overlooking Place d'Horlage, the central square.

Then we bypass a tram jam in Montpellier, and enjoy the acoustic guitar of a talented busker in Place de la Comédie, the main square of Montpellier, while we had a surprisingly delightful brunch.

The day caps off with the long-awaited return after 15 years to la Sagrada Familia. The bells ring on the quarter hour, so we stayed to the top of the hour, 8 pm, to capture the sound.

This was immediately followed by a very unexpected and whimsical carillon performance by the Sagrada Familia itself. You'll hear the real bells ringing out over Plaça de la Sagrada Familia, the square to the west side, on a warm and quiet winter's evening in Barcelona.

We head out of of Paris and through the rolling French countryside, all the way to the south of the country and the medieval town of Avignon.

A journey that would take weeks in that era, and 7 hours by car these days, is much faster by TGV train. So fast you barely notice the time pass until suddenly you arrive.

Avignon is in low season, which means a lot of restaurants and shops are closed. But we were here for a quick stopover and to see one important sight: le Pont Saint Benezet, inspiration for the song. 

However we wouldn't arrive in town until 4 pm, and the tickets stop being sold at 4:30. We would have to walk to our Airbnb, check in, run towards the bridge and find the ticket office all within 30 minutes. And with two kids reaching their limit. Would we make it?

Our full day in Paris turns into a half day, but we still have enough time to do some good exploring.

Along the way we become experts at navigating the Metro/RER/Tram system, find 2 crêpes for €5 and ride perhaps the world's greatest escalators to the top of the city, for free!

We make it to Paris, after a wonderfully smooth and comfortable flight. 

It's comforting to know that air travel can still be reasonably pleasant, and not just sardines packed into a can. The plane was quite new, clean and well-lit, with seats and rows just that extra little bit larger to make a difference.

However, it was still an adjustment to the internal clock. We landed at 7:30 am local time. This felt like 1:30 am in Québec. The kids managed to sleep an hour and a half or so, at least. The parents not so much. It was relatively straightforward getting from the airport to the RER train and into Saint-Denis, followed by a 15 minute walk to our Airbnb apartment, but at this point we had two very tired kids and parents carrying not just two mega backpacks but the kids' as well, in our hands.

We were happy to get to the place and collapse, and super fortunate that we could check in so early, around 10 am. I've heard of people booking accommodation for the previous night for an early-arrival flight, so that they have a place to check in to perhaps mid-morning. We were lucky though in this case.

At that point it was a question of seeing how long we would need to sleep, and then how much time would be left in the day.

As you'll hear in this update, it was all very spontaneous and tuned to our instincts and limits, but a good practice for the weeks to come!