Move to Portugal

26/07/2022

23/07/2022

23/07/2022

Monsanto
📷

22/07/2022

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What’s Not to Like about Portugal?
by Bruce H. Joffe

“There must be something you don’t like!”

That’s the response I get from the naysayers, those who don’t believe that Portugal is a land of milk and honey, even if its streets aren’t lined with gold. After all, almost everything they read these days paints Portugal as the best, the most, the friendliest, the warmest, the cheapest, absolutely an ideal place to live—nirvana—especially for digital nomads and foreign retirees.

And, in many ways, it is!

Still, despite all the hype, hoopla, and fanfare about how this Iberian country is the closest to heaven on earth–calm, peaceful, friendly, welcoming, beautiful, easy on the wallet—there are some things that are bothersome or incur a hard time getting used to here. Of course, my likes and dislikes probably differ from yours … so, what annoys or frustrates me may be perfectly acceptable to you and others. For some, these queixas aren’t applicable. And, sooner or later, we come to grips with this stuff.

We are acculturating to another country’s norms, traditions, and expectations. Information such as this typically isn’t found in tourist or relocation guides … nor asked about and answered in most Facebook groups. Hopefully, some will read these anecdotes and be better prepared for the grit and grist, the grain of living abroad.

The Autumn issue of Portugal Living Magazine will be available to subscribers shortly. If you haven't subscribed yet, please take a look at our current issue and subscribe FREE online:
https://portugallivingmagazine.com/our-current-issue/

For those who prefer printed pages, Portugal Living Magazine is also available in full-size paperback editions from all Amazon sites. Just enter Portugal Living Magazine in the search bar.

21/07/2022

PAST TENSE ...
From Our Winter 2022 Issue

Monday's Market in Espinho
By Lois Yasay Ribeiro

As a foreigner in Portugal who has lived here for a few years, I often took the train to Espinho. I would walk to the market, with a basket or grocery bag in hand. I passed through stalls and friendly faces and bought the fruits and vegetables I recognized. A walk through this open-air market felt like the first rays of sun on my skin after a long winter. I was an outsider who spoke very little Portuguese. But the noise, the smells, and the energy always brought me comfort. I felt a kinship with people who grew things with their bare hands.

But I often felt as though I needed a key to unlock this place. A key that would allow me to find the best ingredients, get to know the local produce and cuisine, and connect with the Portuguese sellers.

Read the rest of this story, our previous issues and subscribe FREE to Portugal Living Magazine via this link:
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For those who prefer printed pages, Portugal Living Magazine is also available in full-size paperback editions from all Amazon sites. Just put Portugal Living Magazine in the search bar.

20/07/2022

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Packing for Portugal
by Mark Nash

Make sure everything is all-inclusive in your quote, meaning the bill of lading fee, documentation and handling fees, the terminal handling charge, port fees, customs clearance, brokerage fees, and (of course) delivery.

Extras that are never included might be custom inspection or x-ray charges, as these are random, and fees can vary in price; but ask for a receipt or proof that it really was paid, as some companies use this excuse for making extra money. If you receive an invoice for customs inspection charges, ask to speak to the customs broker to check that it is an official charge. There is also a chance that the shipment does not clear customs in the allotted “free” time, even though all the paperwork is correct. That causes something called demurrage which, basically, means storage which can be charged by the port to the shipping line after # # free days. The port charges for being blocked by a container and the shipping line for not emptying its container fast enough to use it for the next load. This could cost a few hundred Euros, depending upon how many days it’s stuck waiting to be cleared. And, remember: the docks are closed on national holidays—and you pay for the delay.

The Autumn issue of Portugal Living Magazine will be available to subscribers soon. If you haven't subscribed yet, please take a look at our current issue and subscribe FREE online:
https://portugallivingmagazine.com/our-current-issue/

For those who prefer printed pages, Portugal Living Magazine is also available in full-size paperback editions from all Amazon sites. Just put Portugal Living Magazine in the search bar.

18/07/2022

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18/07/2022

Let's see how much Portuguese language and culture you have assimilated and absorbed!

Pingo Doce, Continente, Lidl, Aldi, Mini Preço, Auchan, and Intermarché are the largest supermarket chains in Portugal.

In the space below, write the name of the chain that uses these words as its slogan ("branding" in marketing lingo).

Mais para si

17/07/2022

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My Story--Descendants of the Soil
by Dexter Tyson

Later in life, I heard rumors, from an uncle, her son and my father's brother, that "her people" were from Portugal; but I was not terribly interested back then. I knew where Portugal was on a map, but at the time [*yawn*]. For the record, I eventually discovered "her people" came from Madeira. Today, because of the Internet and sites like Ancestry.com and DNA testing, her link, as well as mine, to Portugal, were indeed accurate. Her ancestor was a Mary de Jesus from Madeira who migrated to St. Kitts in the mid-1800s.

Some years later, I was prodding my mother about her father (born in Nevis), who I met twice, but never really knew. Eventually, I learned that "his people" also came from Portugal (Madeira), also in the mid-1800s. My mom's ancestor was da Costa from Madeira, with Jewish descent, proven through my DNA test.

The Autumn issue of Portugal Living Magazine will be available to subscribers in August. If you haven't subscribed yet, please take a look at our current issue and subscribe online:
https://portugallivingmagazine.com/our-current-issue/

For those who prefer the feel of printed pages, Portugal Living Magazine is also available in full-size paperback editions from all Amazon sites. Just look for Portugal Living Magazine.

16/07/2022

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Are you setting yourself up for… expat failure?
by Deborah Dahab

To say that a move abroad is a major life-event is an understatement. Pretty much everything in your life as you know it will change. Your address, the language you speak, the food you eat, the water you drink, the bedroom you sleep in, the channels you watch on TV … and the list goes on and on.

There’s a lot on the line, too. Being away from family and friends—relationships that took a lifetime to build. Expenses with packing, shipping objects, paperwork.

I think it would be fair to say that when we move abroad, the investment is enormous—financially, emotionally, physically, and energetically. And it’s hard sometimes to measure if it’s worth it—if our move is successful or not.

I knew very well what expat failure meant in my own life. Having had a terrible experience the first time I moved to Portugal, I knew first-hand what it meant to feel completely out of place and unhappy. I knew all about the toll it took in my life—on all levels—to feel unhappy with where I was living, not having a clue as to WHY I was feeling so unhappy or how to make it better.

Th Autumn issue of Portugal Living Magazine will be available to subscribers soon--in August. If you haven't subscribed yet, please take a look at our current issue and subscribe online:
https://portugallivingmagazine.com/our-current-issue/

For those who prefer the feel of printed pages, Portugal Living Magazine is also available in full-size paperback editions from all Amazon sites.

15/07/2022

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Same Song, Different Verse
by LaDonna Witmer

I returned to the States late last week to accompany my parents to two memorial services for relatives who have died—a great aunt well into her 90s, and my dad’s favorite cousin who was felled by COVID on New Year’s Eve.

Days before I boarded the plane in Lisbon, the news from the US was grim. First, the uproar of the impending Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and decimating the right of women to own their own choices, their own bodies. And then, in rapid succession, a mass shooting on May 14th targeting black people at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, then another the very next day, at a church luncheon in Orange County, California.

As I folded clothes into my suitcase, I wished for reasons not to go. My 11-year-old daughter tried to convince me not to make her go. But it had been nearly six months since I last checked on my parents, and nearly a year since they had set eyes on Filha.

This (Autumn) issue of Portugal Living Magazine will be available for distribution to subscribers soon. If you haven't subscribed yet, please take a look at our current issue and subscribe online:
https://portugallivingmagazine.com/our-current-issue/

For those who prefer the feel of printed pages, Portugal Living Magazine is also available in full-size paperback editions from all Amazon sites.

14/07/2022

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Belmonte is quickly becoming one of our favorite places in Castelo Branco ... and, maybe, in all of Portugal.

Tradition has it that the name of this town in Castelo Branco region’s northernmost district came from its location (“beautiful hill”). Near a 13th century castle is Bet Eliahu synagogue and the Jewish zone, with its own special museum.

Home to Portugal's last remaining community of marranos (known as the Belmonte Jews), who opened the synagogue in 1996, the American Sephardi Federation founded the Belmonte Project--designated to raise funds to acquire Judaic educational material and services for the community, which numbered 160-180--in 2003, and opened a Jewish Museum of Belmonte (Portuguese: Museu Judaico de Belmonte). There's also a Jewish radio station and numerous Judaica shops. What makes it so special for us is that it's an especially charming municipality, with discoveries and treasures found around every corner.

And its restaurants!!!!!

It's not often that we drive 60+ kms (each way) to eat in a particular restaurant. But we do ...

The (Autumn) issue of Portugal Living Magazine will be available for distribution to subscribers soon. If you haven't subscribed yet, please take a look at our current issue and subscribe online:
https://portugallivingmagazine.com/our-current-issue/

For those who prefer the feel of printed pages, Portugal Living Magazine is also available in full-size paperback editions from all Amazon sites.