Things I Love About Portugal
Lise
Welcome to 2024!
I am wishing you Happy New Year from a new country.
Last year, quite unexpectedly, my husband and I packed up and moved to Portugal, and it didn’t take very long for us to fall head over heels in love with it. Actually, we fell a little head over heels in love with Portugal the very first time we visited, so the decision to move became a no-brainer.
Here are just a few of the things I appreciate and love about my new home.
The People
While the language is a bit of a challenge to get a proper handle on, it has been my experience that everyone is kind and go out of their way to be helpful - regardless of age – even when we have no common (spoken) language.
It is heartwarming to experience such an outpouring of friendliness and smiles. I would really like to hug everyone I meet for being so wonderful and making us feel so very welcome.
Most folks speak excellent English but seem to think their English is not very good. I don’t know how many people have tried to apologise for their ‘poor English’ when they were practically speaking fluently! It is in fact I who should be apologising for not knowing enough Portuguese yet. To be fair, everyone seems to agree this is a very difficult language to learn and many are also willing to take any opportunity to practice their English so I cannot complain about that.
Thank you Portugal for your wonderfully positive people who have all demonstrated the kindest patience with my (still) stammering Portuguese.
The Food
One of the first things I noticed (and continue to notice) is that EVERYTHING TASTES AMAZING in Portugal. I am not even close to exaggerating when I say everything. It’s really true.
Coming from Denmark – home to world famous butter, delicious pastries, the sweetest carrots, fabulous new potatoes, and most delicious summer strawberries - I truly expected it was going to be a little difficult to find produce of equal quality.
Boy, do I ever stand corrected.
Not only does everything I have tasted here literally sing in my mouth, it has almost become a bit of a quest to find something I don’t like! Fruits and veg, breads, butter, EVERYTHING IS FANTASTIC.
I am struggling to think of a single food item from Denmark that I miss. If I think of it. I’ll let you know.
The Calçada (Stone Flooring)
There is a book called the Art Beneath our Feet that describes the history of the natural stone flooring that decorates both the streets and sidewalks of the cities and urban areas of Portugal.
Laid by hand in a bed of powdered stone, calçada (pronounced Kahl-sah-dah) is an art that not many learn to master. I have found myself looking down more than up when visiting places like Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, and Funchal because there is history, stories, and art to be viewed by simply looking at the pavement. It’s impossible not to appreciate the combination of skilled craftsmanship and artistry of the multitude of wonderful designs.
And to continue on the artistry of Portuguese stonework, have a look at the picture below to get an idea of how street signs look. No 2 areas are the same, but the variety of artistic stone and tilework is absolutely delightful. The road sign below reads ‘Street of Mill’ or ‘Mill Street’.
The Nature
Coming from ‘flat as a pancake’ Denmark, it is such a treat to experience hills and mountains dotted with agricultural farms, vineyards, and more.
Olive trees grow in abundance and every view is breathtaking when driving around the countryside. The botanicals this country offers are so very plentiful, and I look forward to getting upclose and personal with them all.
The first plants that greeted us when we moved into our new home were blossoming bougainvillea and jasmine growing right over the fence from our neighbour. (Check the photo at the top of this post for a peek at some bougainvillea). This was the month of February, so seeing anything blossoming at that time of year created a lasting and wonderful memory that I will carry with me for years.
The Weather and the Sun
Waking up to blue skies and the glorious sun almost every single day - even in winter - is a soothing treat for the soul that I can hardly even begin to describe. The first words out of my mouth almost every single day when I look out of the window is ‘Yay! Look, it’s Portugal!’
Being in this warm climate has made it possible to spend much more time outdoors which enables us to enjoy both the weather and nature at the same time. I cannot count how many dinners we have enjoyed in the garden, how many swims (from as early as April) and what an absolute pleasure it is to be able to move around comfortably outside wearing short sleeves for a good part of the year.
Even when it gets cold, the amount of clothing needed to keep warm doesn’t even begin to compare to a Nordic winter.
Dining outside in comfortably warm evenings is commonplace here - what an absolute treat for a Dane who can count on one hand how many days this is generally possible during a normal Scandinavian summer. I will not grow tired of the weather here any time soon.
I am expecting the years forward will see me choosing to vacation in my new home country as I want to visit all of it.
I wish you a wonderful 2024 where I am looking forward to sharing several new projects with you - one of which will be taking place in Portugal for lovers of herbs and cosmetic making.
Happy New Year!
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