Best Fishes*

A Cat in Rabat update:

Hola from Andalucía . Mr. Cat in Rabat & I arrived on Monday, a little green around the gills after sharing perhaps too much Christmas cheer with Mr. N et al. and effectively eliminating several bottles of vodka and a blanc de blanc from the world´s supply of alcohol. As a wise woman once said, never ever drop by for drinks with Mr. N the night before travelling. We are such morons.

Over the past few days, there has been much drinking, eating in honest-to-goodness vegetarian restaurants, (where chicken & tuna are not considered meat substitutes) , and fits of giggling when cars stop for us at crosswalks. Tomorrow, Mr. Cat in Rabat and & I will be on the road again, this time to spend the holidays in Lagos & Lisbon, which for the geographically challenged are in Portugal. If you check the average December temperature for Lagos and find that it´s a balmy 34 degrees, then you´re probably looking at Nigeria like I did. Jeez honey, pack the sunscreen! Now, this is my first visit to Portugal and my general accummulation of knowledge about the country thusfar is:

a) it´s not Spain and they take umbrage at being confused with their Hispanic neighbours,
b) my dearest childhood friend´s dog was rumoured to eat Portuguese people (or more specifically, individuals of Portuguese descent who had moved into her neighbourhood),
c) Steve Martin had once referred to Portugal when he listed the Atlantic Ocean as one of many things he was thankful for, because if it were not there, the Portuguese would walk right into the United States,
d) I can probably get pie-eyed on port for pennies.

I suspect that my view of Portugal will change significantly (although hopefully not #D).

It is unlikely that I´ll be able to blog on the road, so I´ll take this opportunity to wish everyone a fab holiday & a healthy, prosperous New Year. General snarkiness will return in January. Cheers all!

*Yes, I know that dolphins aren´t fish. When I was 11, I wanted to be a marine biologist. I know everything a 11 year old can know about dolphins & whales. I have acquired no additional knowledge about sea creatures since that time.