I have relatives that live in Tampa and your description of making a trip to the beach is completely accurate. I've been visiting them for 20+ years and have been to the beach maybe 5 times. It's too exhausting. Also, I love my new grocery shopping routines here. I adore the mercado and every time I leave that place with my bag of meat, vegetables and bread I just feel so content with life. It is a lovely experience.
Yep! 👍🏼 it is about the experience. I always loved Publix and thought nothing could beat it, and somehow—even though it’s way less convenient—I feel better about buying local. Not just supporting the local businesses, but also getting to know everyone.
Omg! I relate sooo much to your article! From the drying, to buying local, to going to the beach! I have so many similar stories about how much Portugal has taught me and why I’m so grateful to be here. Thanks for sharing yours!
Good for you and I'm glad you're enjoying your life here in Portugal.
Being that all of your experiences are so normal to me and common in a way that maybe I don't value them as much as I should, I always find refreshing that these "little" things are the ones that make people fall in love with this country, even if they don't realize it at first.
Sometimes it’s hard to appreciate what feels common until you experience life without it or differently. It’s the things you *don’t* have here in Portugal that I love most.
Yes, yes, yes to all of this. I love the person Portugal is allowing me to become! We walk everywhere. Food is fresh. The wine is affordable. The beach is never too far away. And slowness allows space for "happy little accidents" as we like to say when we get to have a meaningful conversation with a neighbor, a tourist, a shop owner, an artist, or discover something or some place amazing and unexpected along our day. I even enjoy laundry now...yep I said it lol.
Honestly, I would love to be inconvenienced by a produce truck that pulls up on my street once every few days. And walking a few blocks for freshly-baked sourdough? I may actually run there! LOL I'm in suburbia and I feel both suffocated and disconnected simultaneously. Thank you for sharing your corner of hard-earned bliss. xoxo
It’s funny, I think before moving here I felt like more errands/stops/parking/retail lines = more stress… because it did. Here, there is still parking and waiting-in-line to be done, but somehow it feels less offensive. I can’t explain it.
Wonderful thoughts, Heather. One of the greatest tricks (gifts) is settling in and fitting in. Finding your comfortable place in a new place. You’re winning… and so is Portugal.
I'm in Spain and your post resounded with me completely. I am/was also an organised, methodical person (I do love spreadsheets - sad). Life has gone from being over-organised, to almost completely disorganised, and I love it! BTW, Portugal has become our home away from home, I sometimes wish we had moved there...
We moved here from Devon, the rainiest (?), greenest county in the UK. I most definitely do not miss the rain, in fact, I have been known to say "OMG, we need some rain!" 🤣
That was a beautifully written column and fun to read.
My family moved away from Key Biscayne and Florida in 1955, so your comments about the state are interesting.I had no idea what a breeze blocker was or how the beach situation had changed.
It was a paradise when I lived there in the 1980s and 90s too. Very different these days. But so if everywhere I guess. I supposed everything thinks things/places/events/people were better “back in the old days”.
I loved all of this! I do miss a nice fluffy towel from the dryer here in Greece sometimes, but there is nothing that compares to the fresh-dried smell of my sheets I bring in from the sun. and the 5+ shopping trips I do a week now (I'm off to the weekly farmer's market and the butcher in a minute) are so much more pleasurable than a weekly enormous grocery store run.
They are, aren’t they? Never thought I’d welcome *more* errands, but somehow here, all the stops don’t feel like chores as much. Maybe it’s less traffic. Maybe it’s that I know I don’t have to put on makeup because I’m not gonna see anyone I know 😝
You have me wondering if I could live without a dryer in Spain. But still thinking I need it.
Love the sunset pic. Portugal is beautiful. I don't know if it was just me but every restaurant I tried was sooo good. Don't get me started on desserts.
One of the things I love most about our village is the variety of restaurants. And all of them are good. But I have to agree that bread and pastries is where Portugal really shines.
Your Petty Betty comment made me laugh - That could have been me in that exchange! 😆 I was in Portugal last year and made a surprising discovery. For years, I’d felt like absolute garbage after even a glass of wine. Didn’t matter what kind. (Not that it stopped me) But vinho verde…what is that magic??! A glass of that at sunset? Perfection!
We’re from opposite coasts and in different countries, but have so many similarities. I think the main difference between those that sink or swim is being adaptable and open to change.
We arrived in Tavira five days ago, planning to stay for only five nights. The town’s vibe struck me immediately, and we have extended our stay here for at least another week. I’m also a Capricorn, and also prone to wanting things planned and organized, but we’re doing slow-ish travel and we’re winging it. I’m pretty happy just wandering the streets, stopping for a cool drink or a gelado, absorbing the sunshine.
Granted, we haven’t had to deal with bureaucracy yet, and getting along without a dryer works fine because we’re only washing small loads of clothing—no towels, jeans, or anything else heavy. I definitely think this is a better way to live, though, and I raise my copo de vinho verde to you!
I have relatives that live in Tampa and your description of making a trip to the beach is completely accurate. I've been visiting them for 20+ years and have been to the beach maybe 5 times. It's too exhausting. Also, I love my new grocery shopping routines here. I adore the mercado and every time I leave that place with my bag of meat, vegetables and bread I just feel so content with life. It is a lovely experience.
Yep! 👍🏼 it is about the experience. I always loved Publix and thought nothing could beat it, and somehow—even though it’s way less convenient—I feel better about buying local. Not just supporting the local businesses, but also getting to know everyone.
Omg! I relate sooo much to your article! From the drying, to buying local, to going to the beach! I have so many similar stories about how much Portugal has taught me and why I’m so grateful to be here. Thanks for sharing yours!
Thanks Sabrina! Glad it resonated. Portugal definitely isn’t for everyone; but for folks with the right mindset, it’s heaven
Good for you and I'm glad you're enjoying your life here in Portugal.
Being that all of your experiences are so normal to me and common in a way that maybe I don't value them as much as I should, I always find refreshing that these "little" things are the ones that make people fall in love with this country, even if they don't realize it at first.
PS: By the way, I have a laundry! 😉
Sometimes it’s hard to appreciate what feels common until you experience life without it or differently. It’s the things you *don’t* have here in Portugal that I love most.
Great! That's a good choice to move to Portugal! I am looking forward to being in this gorgeous land and feeling like you now!
Yes, yes, yes to all of this. I love the person Portugal is allowing me to become! We walk everywhere. Food is fresh. The wine is affordable. The beach is never too far away. And slowness allows space for "happy little accidents" as we like to say when we get to have a meaningful conversation with a neighbor, a tourist, a shop owner, an artist, or discover something or some place amazing and unexpected along our day. I even enjoy laundry now...yep I said it lol.
lol—Ive always enjoyed laundry (I’m a weirdo, I know) but I do now also enjoy those “happy little accidents” too ☺️
Honestly, I would love to be inconvenienced by a produce truck that pulls up on my street once every few days. And walking a few blocks for freshly-baked sourdough? I may actually run there! LOL I'm in suburbia and I feel both suffocated and disconnected simultaneously. Thank you for sharing your corner of hard-earned bliss. xoxo
It’s funny, I think before moving here I felt like more errands/stops/parking/retail lines = more stress… because it did. Here, there is still parking and waiting-in-line to be done, but somehow it feels less offensive. I can’t explain it.
Wonderful thoughts, Heather. One of the greatest tricks (gifts) is settling in and fitting in. Finding your comfortable place in a new place. You’re winning… and so is Portugal.
Thank you 😊
I find that most things some immigrants complain about in Portugal are just examples of why life is better here. Except the dryer. I miss my dryer.
So true—you can tell who didn’t do their research before moving when they complain about things that are pretty much what makes it great here.
I'm in Spain and your post resounded with me completely. I am/was also an organised, methodical person (I do love spreadsheets - sad). Life has gone from being over-organised, to almost completely disorganised, and I love it! BTW, Portugal has become our home away from home, I sometimes wish we had moved there...
❤️🇪🇦🇵🇹
Spreadsheets are my love language. And tbh, sometimes I wish we lived in Spain (like when it’s cold and rainy for 4 months straight here)
We moved here from Devon, the rainiest (?), greenest county in the UK. I most definitely do not miss the rain, in fact, I have been known to say "OMG, we need some rain!" 🤣
We are in Almeria province, 50km from the only 'true desert' in Europe....
That was a beautifully written column and fun to read.
My family moved away from Key Biscayne and Florida in 1955, so your comments about the state are interesting.I had no idea what a breeze blocker was or how the beach situation had changed.
I grew up in Miami and my mom lived on Key Biscayne for a bit. I miss Old Florida.
It was a paradise in the early 1950’s. Gone, but not forgotten.
It was a paradise when I lived there in the 1980s and 90s too. Very different these days. But so if everywhere I guess. I supposed everything thinks things/places/events/people were better “back in the old days”.
I loved all of this! I do miss a nice fluffy towel from the dryer here in Greece sometimes, but there is nothing that compares to the fresh-dried smell of my sheets I bring in from the sun. and the 5+ shopping trips I do a week now (I'm off to the weekly farmer's market and the butcher in a minute) are so much more pleasurable than a weekly enormous grocery store run.
They are, aren’t they? Never thought I’d welcome *more* errands, but somehow here, all the stops don’t feel like chores as much. Maybe it’s less traffic. Maybe it’s that I know I don’t have to put on makeup because I’m not gonna see anyone I know 😝
the stops are part of the fun for sure!
You have me wondering if I could live without a dryer in Spain. But still thinking I need it.
Love the sunset pic. Portugal is beautiful. I don't know if it was just me but every restaurant I tried was sooo good. Don't get me started on desserts.
One of the things I love most about our village is the variety of restaurants. And all of them are good. But I have to agree that bread and pastries is where Portugal really shines.
Your Petty Betty comment made me laugh - That could have been me in that exchange! 😆 I was in Portugal last year and made a surprising discovery. For years, I’d felt like absolute garbage after even a glass of wine. Didn’t matter what kind. (Not that it stopped me) But vinho verde…what is that magic??! A glass of that at sunset? Perfection!
Wine here never gives me a headache or a hangover. I’d say it’s dangerous… but clearly it’s much safer! 😝
We’re from opposite coasts and in different countries, but have so many similarities. I think the main difference between those that sink or swim is being adaptable and open to change.
100%—you cannot do this kind of move without a growth mindset. ;)
We arrived in Tavira five days ago, planning to stay for only five nights. The town’s vibe struck me immediately, and we have extended our stay here for at least another week. I’m also a Capricorn, and also prone to wanting things planned and organized, but we’re doing slow-ish travel and we’re winging it. I’m pretty happy just wandering the streets, stopping for a cool drink or a gelado, absorbing the sunshine.
Granted, we haven’t had to deal with bureaucracy yet, and getting along without a dryer works fine because we’re only washing small loads of clothing—no towels, jeans, or anything else heavy. I definitely think this is a better way to live, though, and I raise my copo de vinho verde to you!
Saude! 🍷 Enjoy Tavira. We went for the first time in February. It was lovely.
I’m still addicted to my dryer after 18 months here, but all the rest is the same for me. So glad I’m here.
Aproveite!