It’s a wrap: First year as Expats in Portugal comes to a close

This is a different type of milestone for these nomads:  We are celebrating our one year anniversary with roots in Portugal. It would be usual to say the year flew by. But in truth, it went painfully slowly. I do not even want to rehash the painful bureaucracy we muddled through over this past year. I usually think of challenges as hurdles that we sail over with legs outstretched like olympians. But this year, in Portugal, we crashed through each of those hurdles with feet barely leaving the ground after several false starts. Still, many hurdles are behind us. 

What time has not been taken up preparing for our bureaucratic duties was spent volunteering at a local animal shelter walking dogs, a few house sit assignments within Portugal, and bicycling and my gym pursuits. This year (now that we have car) we plan more hiking. Mark has ridden his bike from the east border to the west coast. In one day. He has planned to do the other axis: North to South. That will take more than a day. 

 I have still not yet put my foot in the Atlantic ocean. We leave that and the sunbathing for the pink-bellied tourists. Seriously, they all have pink, sunburned torsos…and no shirts. Living in a tourist destination has its giggles.

Our nomad feet do not want to slow down. The nomadic lifestyle really suited us and traveling is still our passion. Portugal requires us to stay within Portugal for most of the year. Therefore, we will feed our need to travel with trips within the boundaries of Portugal. Mainland Portugal is not giant, but has some diverse territory. We have hit the big cities: Lisbon, Porto. And done some of the big tourist trips: Douro and Sintra

Portugal also have a very robust festival schedule. Carnival is the biggest annual festival. Who knew? Should not have been a surprise, Brazil was a Portuguese territory. Holy Week (Semana Santa) brings processions to all major cathedrals. We missed it all last year, being newly arrived sans car. Previously we were literally caught in it, a few years ago in Malaga Spain. While a spectacle, it was major inconvenience. Slowly moving processions of people carrying massive wooden and decorated floats, holding up traffic and all commerce for hours and hours into the wee hours. It is something to experience.

There also a lot of saints that all get their day. Last year we were fortunate enough to be in Lisbon for St Anthony’s Feast; a festival that culminates June 12, but runs for a week or two prior. Everyone eats sardines with their hands. Closer to home in the nearby town of Portimão, for several days in August we have a sardine festival. This festival is considered Europe’s best food festival. Next year we will go. Just so we get the point across: sardines are BIG in Portugal. 

Furthermore, Portugal has some interesting territories: Azores and Madeira. Madeira we just visited, but will do so again. This gives us an exotic getaway, without having to leave the country. I think the Azores are closer to the USA than to Portugal mainland. 

We have tasted several national dishes, and tried lots of wines. Portuguese wine and I were not off to a good start, but seem to be coming around to a friendship. Stay away from that Port – it is potent. Not as bad as Aguardente de Medronhos, often served after dinner. This is an alcohol made from the fruits of the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo).

After our first year settling in Portugal we are finally ready to start living here. Our adopted country has a lot to offer and we have barely scratched the surface. We hope to have plenty of stories and pictures to share in the coming year.