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Had my sister and I known that there was a storm alert in Coimbra, Portugal, maybe we'd pick another day to buy some knickers and socks. It was my first time in Europe, my parents and my sister had just moved to Coimbra, and I thought it would be nice to visit them and other friends living in countries nearby. My sister and I were at Shopping Forum, where you have one of the city's most beautiful views, and when we got there it had just started raining. After we had a bite of a delicious Pastel de Nata (custard tart) - one of Portugal’s greatest wonders -, and bought some clothes to keep us Brazilians warm (considering it was December in Europe), we decided it was time to head back to our parent’s place. My sister and I thought it would be nice to take the bus so we could live the true Coimbra experience, but when we left the mall, we noticed the rain was getting heavier. When we reached the bus stop it was just us two mortal souls and no bus to be found. We still waited about fifteen minutes to realize that no buses or taxis were going to be out on the street with a storm alert in sight. So, we decided that those 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) to our parent’s house maybe weren’t that far away. What harm could a little bit of rain do? The problem was we were both carrying umbrellas, purses and huge paper bags filled with new clothes. Our parents lived near the University of Coimbra, so we decided to cross the Mondego River at Ponte de Santa Clara, the city’s main bridge. The precipitation kept getting heavier and heavier as we headed down towards the bridge. When we passed Portugal dos Pequenitos - the cutest theme park to visit with kids -, our paper bags were already wet. The beautiful Coimbra postcard was almost unrecognizable when we got to the Santa Clara bridge. As we crossed the bridge, the thick raindrops and wind almost blew our umbrellas away. That was the time we realized maybe we were walking through a storm, specially when one of the paper bags lost it’s handle to the pouring water. All we could do was laugh imagining us both diving in the cold river to retrieve some new panties and hoodies. When we arrived at Largo da Portagem, Coimbra’s downtown at the other side of the Santa Clara bridge, stores, cafés, restaurants were all closed. It was just the two of us and some few brave college students heading out to get some drinks in Praça da República, the city’s most popular square. Back at their place, our parents wouldn’t believe that their daughters decided to do a “walking tour” back home in that tempest. They probably thought we were still at the mall whilst we were passing Sé Velha, an ancient church, almost losing our umbrellas and new socks to the rain and blast of cold air again. When we reached Mercado Municipal Dom Pedro V, the city’s central market, the rain started to calm down and all we could do was chuckle. We were all wet, paper bags falling apart, new clothes threatening to fall on the floor. - I can’t hold this bag like this anymore. I need something else to carry all this. – I told my sister in desperation, while hugging the bag. - Look! There are some cardboard boxes there. – my sister pointed towards the market doors. - Do you think they have trash in them? - You won’t know if you don’t look. We checked and there were just some old wrinkled flyers. So, we through them in the trash and put the paper bags in the box and carried that box all way up Praça da República, towards our parents’ place. My sister and I giggled during the whole journey home and I don’t blame her. The situation was hilarious, which was reinforced by our folks’ laughter! It may not have been the best way to live the Coimbra experience, but it was truly unforgettable.