Immigrating To Portugal During A Pandemic
Hello Darlings! We made it safely to Portugal! It has been a wild couple of weeks. As you can imagine, moving across the world during a pandemic with two children is quite elaborate.
We first arrived in Lisbon after an overnight flight across the Atlantic from Boston. Because of covid restrictions for travel, we had to obtain a ton of legal proof that we were traveling to reside in the country and not going for tourism. We also had to provide negative covid tests 72 hours prior to arrival. To say it was stressful with so many unknowns ahead of us before departure is an understatement. Despite the hurdles, we finally arrived in Lisbon, jet lagged and relieved.
Our stay in Lisbon only lasted for two days. I fell in love with the city immediately. There was green grass and blooming trees in the midst of February! We walked the streets and took pictures and ordered lots of uber eats. They are on a total shut-down of non essential services so we didn’t get to experience Lisbon to its fullness, yet there was a unique calmness and emptiness about the city that I’m sure one will never experience again (hopefully). Their lockdowns are strict but effective. One can even be fined for breaking curfew or not wearing a mask.
I believe one can learn a lot from a culture at their most trying times. Despite a total shutdown, the Portuguese culture is so relaxed that I have heard no objections to the strict measures being implemented. This is not to say this is easy for their country and there aren’t objections, but only to prove that there is a sense that we are all in it together, and tomorrow is never promised. So, why be at odds with each other? They do what is necessary to keep themselves and others safe. The people we have encountered have been nothing but kind and accommodating. They tend to go out of their way to help others. It’s almost as if they have been a friend for years.
After two days in Lisbon we then drove about 3 hours north to Porto. Porto is a labyrinth of cobblestone streets and beautiful old buildings with elaborate architecture and tiles. This city varies from Lisbon due to the fact that Lisbon was mostly rebuilt after a catastrophic earthquake in 1755. Porto seems to be a grittier but older and more familiar city. We have quite enjoyed walking the streets and going to the local markets for essentials. The refrigerators are small here, as the food is fresher and not typically ever bought in bulk. It is quite normal to stop by a small shop on your way home from work for some fresh fruits, veggies, seafood and bread.
We have spent two weeks in Porto and as much as we have fallen in love with it, it has been very difficult to keep the children occupied. Our two and four year old are so full of energy and adventure, most of our days are spent walking the streets just to get them out of the house as a distraction. This sounds delightful as the weather is 50s-60s here. Believe me, we have had some beautiful days here and the cities, to me, seem to be as safe as described. But, making sure the kids don’t touch everything in a city or run out in front of a car or motorcycle is truly exhausting. Did I mention people drive very fast here? The Portuguese way of life is very relaxed and slow paced, except when driving.
Things that have made us feel less homesick and helped us push forward to acclimating here far outweigh the negatives. The groceries are super affordable and the quality of food and ingredients is incomprehensible to me. The most expensive and best bottle of wine I have had here costed 11 euro. A bottle of vintage reserve port is about 55 euro. I have often found myself at a loss for words when describing the food and wine. I openly admit to eating their signature breakfast egg custard pastry, Pastéis de Nata, every day for the first week and half we were here.
Our favorite snack is freshly made bread and olive oil, with a little salt and pepper and garlic powder. Or a simple cheese board with anything we could grab at the market. The simpler the better here. Though heartbreaking to see the closed up restaurants and chained up patio chairs where there would normally be people enjoying each others company over coffee or wine, it makes us appreciate the smaller details of the city and the resiliency of the culture as a whole. We continuously seek out local restaurants to support during these trying times.
So…what now? We quickly have decided to leave Porto early to apartment hunt in the Algarve region. I have my sights set on Lagos or Ferragudo, a charming fishing town right across from Portimao. I’ve heard and read that Ferragudo has maintained the charm and culture of the Algarve without so much tourism. It is only a short water taxi ride away from Portimao for city needs. Our goal is to find a place as close to essential places and the beach as we do not plan on the added expense and climate impact of a car. We realized, after much research and speaking with locals, that the Algarve sounds like the place in Portugal where our kids would thrive the most and, in turn, where we will be more relaxed.
The language barrier has been more difficult than imagined. Most people in the cities so far speak some English. There are definitely a lot of people that speak none, though. I have still managed to communicate with what little Portuguese I learned before coming and some I’ve picked up here. I had to google translate the washing machine instructions, guess on a card reader at the grocery and have bought some interesting groceries without time to translate everything in a store with two little kids “helping” with the shopping. I am almost embarrassed I don’t speak Portuguese. It evokes nothing but empathy from me to understand what it is like to be away from your home country and not speak the language well. It is nobody’s fault but my own. I find the Portuguese language beautiful and enthralling so I’m hoping to take classes once we are settled. The boys are picking up language well so far. They quickly learned the basics like hello, thank you and counting. Maybe they will be teaching me before I know it!
Well that about sums it up. I have shared some pictures. Forgive the lighting as most of their winter days are cloudy and I have yet to unpack my Cannon. But, if you’re interested to see more please visit my facebook page or instagram. It is updated very often with both live reels and posts. If you are tired of living vicariously through me (hey no shame, I did it too with travel blogs and shows for years) please check out how you can achieve the Golden Link Lifestyle and obtain true freedom here Until next time, see you in Portimão, Darlings. xo
