The movers have come, packed, left, returned and took away all the boxes.

They arrived early.

Twice.

How could I have been living in such a dirty apartment? There are tufts of cat hair drifting across the tile floors like tumbleweed, and the state of the now-empty shelves is terrifying. No matter, however, as the Company is sending in some professional cleaners.

Inventories have been completed.

The apartment has been inspected, and all but one set of keys (to be deposited with the news kiosk tomorrow morning) handed over to the Company, who carries the lease.

Food has been donated or thrown away, aside from a final two bags that I"ll drop by the church on my way out this evening. The same goes for old or ill-fitting clothing. A friend has relieved us of all our surplus booze.

Calliope has been inspected and injected, and I hauled out to Bonola this morning to get her official traveling papers that will allow her to leave Italy, and presumably return within thirty days. Whatever it is, it's very EU and cost 5 Euros and 68 cents, for which they would not accept cash.

Not that she'll be needing to get back in, I suppose.

My bags are packed, except for one duffle of various items that I'm hoping to turn into two, depending on the luggage policies of TAP.

I have our passports and plane tickets. (Business class! What a treat!)

We have reservations for a month at a fancy hotel right on Parque Eduardo VII. We've stayed there before, and it's very nice. I'm disappointed, though, because I would much prefer a residence with a tiny kitchen and more feline roaming space. Unless, of course, they've given us a suite.

Yeah, right.

Although they're flying us business......

Parties have been had, and dinners and lunches.

Farewells have been made, and hugs and kisses.

Our final party is tonight, at the Pub. And tonight, at the Mardi Gras.

Tomorrow, we shall all be very crabby, cat included.

Especially if they haven't fixed the elevator in our building, which gave up the ghost (yet again) sometime this afternoon, while I was at Bonola.

The air conditioner is spewing water all over the floor, and I don't care.

This time tomorrow, we shall be in Portugal, checked into our hotel, letting the cat out of the bag.

I'm ready to go.