2023 Christmas Letter Traveling as Europeans

As the year closes, and we start receiving Christmas letters from others, I realize I have done very little to my blog this year and we have been living anonymously like most folks. I lost interest in the blog a little bit. It was set up when we were true nomadic travelers, when every week there was something epic to report and as many foleys. I know you all, if being honest, got more entertainment from the follies than the epic experiences. So as we got better at the traveling thing, and made fewer mistakes, our posts started sounding more like bragging than entertainment. Still a lovely catalog of our experiences for us in the form of postcards home. 

Residents In Portugal

Then, when we finally got tired of dragging all our belongings like tortoises, 100kg to be exact, and elected to make a base in Portugal, we then devoted a lot of words to the move-to-Portugal residency process. Words, words and words, all saying the same thing: Portuguese bureaucracy is formidable. It still is challenging, but I am more than tired about telling you about it and you probably could care less. In case you aren’t, here is a synopsis of our first anniversary in Portugal, second anniversary is right around the corner. 

We moved to Portugal so that we could continue to travel, just with backpacks and not full-sized American suitcases. We have managed a fair amount, in and around all the bureaucratic mumbo jumbo; more on those experiences below. Unfortunately Portugal requires us to be in Portugal more than not, only a total of four months outside the country per year. As Americans that sounded like plenty and not an imposition at all. Unfortunately, by the time we landed here, we were very used to our full-time travel lifestyle and are finding this requirement most chafing. They want to make it impossible for us to claim that we are not tax residents. Yes, we pay taxes, here in Portugal, in the USA, and still in California too. Still, probably all in, our expenses are still less living here. 

Another Trip to the ER

For another year we made good use of the European medical system. Another emergency, also again in Spain (you may remember my emergency ovariectomy two years ago to remove cancer just in the nick of time; that was also in the swanky Spanish city of Marbella). To revisit this episode, here. This time I broke my ankle and most of the associated ligaments and tendons. When I do something, I go all in as anyone who knows me knows. Same goes for injuries. That was in May. Early June I finally figured out it was not a little sprain and had it taken care of. We found concierge medical care in the hoity-toity community of Soto Grande, where we were hand-held through the Spanish private medical system seamlessly but at the associated price. Worth it, to have translation along the way, and as it turned out, two ensuing infections. Here at the end of December, my ankle is still giving me trouble with pain in about three different ways and five different places, but I am running (okay jogging), back in the gym, and hiking to my hearts content to get ready for our hiking vacations in Switzerland and Norway coming in 2024. 

Travel both In and Out of Portugal, by Car, Bike, Horse, Plane, Train, and Ferry

Mark is his usual stalwart picture of health and fitness. He bikes about a thousand kilometers a week it seems like, all over Iberia. He and his buddies have done some epic rides. First they rode from the Spanish side of the river Guadiana near Alcoutim, over every hill and mountain in the Algarve to the west coast of Portugal. Since then they have also done it back and forth in one day. They rode to the highest hilltop in Portugal, Sierra Estrella from the cheese capital of Seia. I tagged along, still on crutches and a boot, but the town was perched on the side of a hill and not maneuverable for me at all. I spent three days in a so-so hotel while the guys rode. The hotel had a pool and it looked nice, but it was about 200 stairs down the mountain (ADA not big here), it would have taken me half a day just to get there. Then they rode to the highest paved road in Europe which is in the Pico del Veleta, Sierra Nevada near Granada Spain, 3,369 m (11,053 ft). It is so steep, even the Vuelta (Tour of Spain) skips this road. Pictures looked awesome. 

Horse Trekking

I have been able to do a lot of horse riding, while we care for our friends’ horses, dogs, cats and chickens in Spain. We are there a lot (currently actually). I was able to join a horse trek where we rode to another town, put the horses up and checked into an inn for the night, to do it again the next day. This is not possible in most parts of the world. Logistics had to be sussed out before we set off, evolving lots of hiking to check river crossings and unexpected fences. Still we traveled with wire cutters that came in handy, and bailing string to repair our damage. See more about this trek

Madeira

For travel we managed a fair amount, divided between inside Portugal and out. We flew to Madeira, an island off the coast of Africa that is a territory of Portugal. The capital, Funchal hosts to biggest New Year’s Eve celebration in the world (we weren’t there for that). Madeira is a beautiful island, young geologically which means steep craggy mountains. You guessed it, we did a lot of hiking and will definitely return for more. It is one of those hike-above-the clouds places. And since it’s a pretty small island, you can see the blue atlantic from anywhere (when the clouds part). See more about our Madeira trip and pictures

Iceland

Seeing the Northern Lights was a goal we’ve had for a long time. 2023 was supposed to be a good year for catching this illusive show. 2024 is expected to be even better. There are lots of places where you can likely see auroras, Norway, Canada, Iceland and even the UK, plus the Southern Auroras have been going off nightly in New Zealand.  Because it was a quickly planned trip and we wanted to cover some ground in likely bad winter weather, we opted for a tour to Iceland through Intrepid. It did not disappoint. The best thing about these outfits is how they handle plan B when things do not go as planned. Thing’s didn’t. And the tour guide, with plenty of help from the back office, kept us safe and comfortable and a seamless transition into plan B. We travel a fair bit, and know how to navigate foreign countries. Sometimes though we opt for the package. There is no way we can get as much done on our own in the same amount of time; everything is ready when we need it and the tour runs smoothly. There were only 4 other people on the tour with us.

We saw reindeer, trolls and icelandic horses, frozen waterfalls and black beaches; went in an ice cave, tramped on a glacier, soaked in a mineral bath. And yes, saw the Northern Lights more than once. Boxes checked. We thought we would just get a taste of Iceland and want to return for some hiking. But probably not. There is so much wilderness we have yet to glimpse, and we will probably opt for somewhere with trees higher than us. Besides, Iceland has just recently resumed hunting fin whales. The second biggest whale on the planet. I cannot in good conscience give them any of our tourist dollars out of protest. Hopefully the biggest revenue category in Iceland will have some influence in this distressing recent decision.

The highlight of our year was having friends from the states visit. You always appreciate your home more when you share it with others. Funny you do things you never do alone. We spent a couple days in our hood, and a few more in Lisbon before they set off for Tuscany and Rome. Of course the best part is the friendship shared. Hopefully more trips to follow.

Our 2024 trips are in the planning stages, a little bit of everything. 

Train Trip

We got Eurorail passes through a black friday sale. Yes, hysterically, they have black friday sales in Europe. No one knows the significance of the day, since there is no Thanksgiving, but retail marketing directors have brought the concept to the rest of the world. Travel business: airlines, tour companies, hotel chains all jump on the black Friday, or as it usually seems, black November sales events. So we jumped on the hype and got Eurorail passes. We do not know where exactly we will go on our train trek, but Switzerland, Northern Italy, possibly eastern France are on our radar. 

Norway

Norway this summer. We have been trying to get to Norway for 5 years. This summer my broken ankle put the kibosh on our plans. So next summer, we are very keen to go. Probably three or 4 weeks. We are looking into a sail boat trip for a week or so, hiking, possible hut-to-hut type treks, and some kayaking in the fjords. 

Canal Barge

Barge trip in France. Picture floating slowly down a centuries old canal, past, or in some cases under, castles from the time of Louis XIII, XIV. Stop for wine tasting, or farmers markets for produce our chef will make into french inspired canapes and meals. This is the other side of the coin from our hiking/camping excursions. When we get tired of lounging, we can take a bike and ride along the boat on the paths the horses pulling the barges used to trod. 

These three trips and some shorter weekends are in our plans for 2024. Anyone want to join anywhere? We would love to meet up.