I feel like I am stating the obvious—of course you need income as an expat, yet so many people are sold on the idea of cheap living in foreign countries that they don’t have a realistic idea of how much income they will need. Yes, for US citizens, it is usually cheaper to live in…
One of the hardest pieces of my day is resisting the urge to run downstairs to the bakery and get something delicious. I am trying to lose the weight I gained during COVID lockdown (and pre-lockdown, to be honest) and the bakery is not helping. It sits there, like a spider in a web, just…
I have spent many hours this week just watching the water. I’m watching the boats and the cars, the “self-walking” dogs and the people, too, of course. But mostly I watch the water. The tide doesn’t roll in here on the Ria Formosa. (Sorry, Otis.) It creeps in, it seeps in. It subtly edges into…
Moving to Santa Luzia is my fourth move in five months and it should be my final move for at least a year, maybe longer. To qualify for Portugal’s D7 residency visa, I had to have six months of accommodations lined up. At the time I applied, you could have AirBnB reservations or even long…
“Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” Chinese Proverb I found this gem while researching another Chinese proverb for a book I am working on. And it resonated with me because it laid out how I have felt (for the most part) since I moved to Portugal. I am…
Growing up outside of Boston, our American history classes touched on how cobblestone sidewalks and streets came to be. In the 1800s, cobblestones were used as ballast in ships coming from Europe. They were offloaded in American port cities, making room for the cargo that was being exported to Europe. The cobblestones were repurposed to…
“But how do you make a living? Are you retired?” I wish I was retired! No. I’ll probably be working in some sense of the word until I keel over. I can only hope that I am enjoying it as thoroughly in twenty years as I am now. Truth be told, even in retirement I…
I am back to my language CDs, learning European Portuguese, starting over at the beginning because it’s been so long since I have listened. Frankly, I don’t know if it’s possible to learn any language from recordings alone, but I have A PLAN! (If this is your first time here, I always have a PLAN.…
This past week marked Portugal’s Dia de Liberdade (Freedom Day), which commemorates the April 25th 1974 military coup that toppled a 30 year dictatorship and brought democracy to the country. Many people here remember the times before the Carnation Revolution. It is recent history. Freedom is precious here; it is not taken for granted. Maybe…
Last week, many of the lockdown restrictions lifted in Portugal and, after almost three months of living here, I am catching a glimpse of the daily life I imagined when I decided to move abroad. There are still plenty of restrictions and precautions in place: Restaurants are only allowed to use outdoor seating, no more…