It's been a while since the last update, and there's a good reason: we moved. New city, new apartment, same small white boss. At the end of the summer we packed up our life in Coimbra - the university city in central Portugal that was home for many years - and moved south to Caldas da Rainha, near the Silver Coast.

The reason is simple and very us: we wanted to be closer to the ocean. From here it's about fifteen minutes by car to some of the best sunsets in the world, and Sami's beach walks went from a special event to a casual weekday option. For a dog who was born in Portugal and considers sand a personal amenity, this is a meaningful upgrade.

The video is a proper tour of the new apartment, Sami-centric edition: where his beds landed, the balcony situation (crucial - a Westie needs a surveillance post), and how he handled the move itself. Moving with a dog who lives and dies by routine had me worried, but he adapted faster than we did. Within days he'd claimed his spots, established his new patrol routes, and started treating the old apartment like it never existed. Dogs are better at this than people.

Some background for anyone new here: I'm from Romania, I've been in Portugal for six and a half years, and Sami - born here a few months after we arrived - is the most Portuguese member of this family. Coimbra was where he grew up: his training school, his vets, his streets, his cats. Leaving a place your dog knows corner by corner feels strangely like moving a small person.

For the record and for future us: six and a half years in Coimbra, countless memories, one very good chapter. On to the next one, closer to the water.

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