Although I am not religious, I LOVE the winter holidays…and since I was raised Roman Catholic, I adore Christmas. I love the food, I love the time with family, I love singing villancicos, and above all; I love decorating my tree. I brought over most of my ornament collection, and I’ve been researching the stores …
As an American, I love Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite holidays mostly because I love to eat…in all seriousness, Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family and loved ones. Since I moved to Lisbon, there’s not so much family around. It was Antonio and me for the first year, and my mom …
Before we decided to move to Lisbon, Antonio and I came here year after year. This was not a decision we came to lightly, and we spent a lot of time in Lisbon before finally deciding to become expats in Portugal. Throughout that time we could only stay 3 months at a time because of the …
As many of you already know, Antonio and I adopted a dog, so we have been learning everything there is to know about having a dog in Portugal. One problem we have is that I don’t drive stick. Antonio does, but he doesn’t always want to lug us around (and who can blame him – …
Every time I go to the doctor I am SHOCKED at how much better healthcare is in Portugal compared to the USA. SHOCKED. The healthcare prices in Portugal are significantly lower. I have not tested out the public healthcare system in Portugal and my Portuguese friends say that it has plenty of problems. This post …
(I’ve just updated this for 2020 pricing. The process was exactly the same) I’ve worn glasses since I was about 11. Contacts since I was about 13. Before I moved to Lisbon I went to the optometrist and ordered a year’s worth of contacts since I knew I would not speak the language and was …
I moved to Portugal last year and I have learned a phase which will sum up every time you were cut in line by the woman with the big hair. In Portugal, she is called “Tia de Cascais”. What is a Tia de Cascais? Tia de Cascais (noun): A wealthy woman who lives in the Portuguese …
My days of renting cars for pennies (€45 – €85 per month) are over sadly. The price for rentals has recently skyrocketed in the last few months. For the past year, I had a great system for renting cars in Lisbon cheap. In February, I was able to rent a car for €45 with insurance …
Blanca and I have always dreamt of getting our perfect Frank Lloyd Wright style home. Somewhere near the beach, not too far from the city and near the mountains. It’s a dream we have been researching like crazy and now that we moved to Lisbon, got a dog (a beautiful Portuguese Podengo) we have the …
If you’re coming to visit Lisbon and want to take home your not-so-average souvenirs, then you need to visit the Feira da Ladra, Lisbon’s Flea Market. Most people think it’s named after thieves, but it’s actually named after the ladro a bug that is found in old furniture. This is the place where you can find a …
Firm bodied. Smart. You are a Portuguese’s avó’s first son. I love you, but please let people pass. People are trying to walk by you but we cannot because your in the middle of the street, road, or beco. Sadly, this plead won’t happen because this is Portugal and people stand in the middle of …
Now that we have residency in Portugal, we’re trying to get to know as much of Portugal as we can. That means we’re taking tons of day trips from Lisbon. Our latest was a day trip to Obidos. If you’ve heard the name, you have probably tried their signature drink, Ginja de Obidos, but that’s …
I’ve learned plenty of languages. I am fluent in English and Spanish. I speak French quite well and I will never go hungry in Italy. I’ve also learned enough Croatian, Mandarin, and Hungarian to at least order a glass of wine. I will tell you right now that Portuguese has been one of the most …
If you’re making the move to become an expat in Portugal, you may think of shipping your furniture over. Our advice, don’t. It’s a wasteful stress of time that I have not yet written about because I still get angry about the whole process. Our relocation company when moving to Lisbon sucked, big time. Anyway…if you …
If you want to find an apartment in Lisbon, prepare to be frustrated…and to shell out some dough. Lisbon is no longer the cheap place to live. Due to its gorgeous climate and everyone gushing about how amazing it is, it is no longer a value when it comes to housing. I did a lot …