It’s a beautiful November evening in Lisbon. I just had dinner with a few guys that I had never met before. We enjoyed typical homemade Portuguese food: caldo verde (vegetable and sausage soup), risois (pastries stuffed with meat or shrimp), a dish made of chicken and vegetables – I don’t know if it has a name, fruit for dessert, and coffee. Water or juice for drinks, because alcohol and drugs are strictly prohibited.
As I’m typing these words on my laptop, using the internet connection from my phone hotspot while I still have signal, my dog Cash is watching me as he lies on the bed where I’ll sleep for two nights. The guys I had dinner with are dropping the bow and stern lines, and the engine of the “Funchalense 5” cargo ship is revving up, sailing away from the docks of Lisbon on the river Tejo (Tagus), heading towards the Atlantic Ocean port of Caniçal on the island of Madeira, northwest off the Canary Islands, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Hi, I’m still Djape, your favorite puzzle author, and the dog I mentioned above is the same dog that you see on the covers of my puzzle books for adults and kids. I’ve been living in Cascais, Portugal, for the past 3 years, and now I’m moving to Funchal, Madeira – also in Portugal. I intend to stay there for the next 6 months, if not more, so if you happen to be there, feel free to drop me a note, and we can meet and have a glass of some fine Portuguese wine. Or two.
I will write more about my voyage when we disembark in Madeira. This is it for now, as I think my internet connection is about to go off. It’s a 2-day, 520 nautical miles journey (960km or 600 land miles).
Port of origin: Lisbon, Portugal.
Port of call: Caniçal, Madeira, Portugal.
Crew: 11 + 1 in training.
Passengers: 1. And Cash the Dog, of course. Where I go – he goes.
Oh yes, and I’ve published 3 new puzzle books for adults (sudoku, kakuro, and picross) in the past month. And there will be more in the next few weeks. A bit later than usual. Sorry. It’s been super busy and hectic the last month or so, moving house and all. Hope you understand. See you soon!
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