“Well, I have a bit of a strange question for you,” says K. when we run into each other in the morning. “I have a spot on my leg, it itches, maybe an insect bite, a tick or something, but I can’t see it. Would you mind taking a quick look?” It could indeed be […]
We have three electricity connections here, and twenty-five solar panels. Installed years ago, it seemed a nice offer from the EDP – you pay off the installation in five years, and in the meantime, you can immediately start using the solar power. Electricity is expensive here, so it seemed worth it The EDP is the
Current expensive electricity Read More »
Excuse me, dear readers, we’ll have to generalize here… whether or not the Portuguese read My experiences here in the rural areas suggest they don’t. When we were still an “Alojamento rural,” before the COVID pandemic hit, I rarely saw a book on the bedside table when I went to do the room. Quite a
Do Portuguese people read? Read More »
We have a new one. Since the second round of elections on February 8th, it’s been clear: António José Seguro is the new president of the country It wasn’t clear enough in the first round, because a presidential election must end in a majority of at least one vote more than 50%, which he didn’t
Viva the president! Read More »
The police officer on my side of the street is still busy with his last client. The young, blond officer on the other side walks a few steps in my direction, but doesn’t look at me and doesn’t signal me to stop. So I calmly drive to the stop sign to turn right, and have
It’s busy in the supermarket. Two checkouts are already open. I’m just last in line when it’s announced that the next one is opening, and that we can go to checkout 3 in the correct order. The man who has just arrived, with a few items in his hands, nods at me, because I’m allowed
The portuguese way Read More »
If you’re going to a small town in Portugal, you might start with the highway, but eventually you’ll end up on those lovely, winding little roads. You might encounter the typical portuguese potholes there The smaller the settlement, the less settled it’ll be. Portugal struggles with spending on “the man on the street.” All European
Portuguese potholes cause flats Read More »
Elections are always held here on a Sunday. Then everyone has the day off — well, almost everyone … with illness and fires, there are always people at work, and without problems, you’d still need train conductors and coffee makers anyway, but you can’t take that into account, so: Portuguese elections are always held on
Choice Stress – the portuguese elections of 2025 Read More »
We’re off again with four wheels this week, dear readers! When returning the rental car, we passed an estante, a car dealer of which you have many in Portugal. Often many together. Handy if you want to buy a second-hand car Now I wasn’t immediately looking for pre-owned wheels, but my eye fell on a
Buying a second-hand car? Read More »
This week less words and a lot of notes.To show how much my fellow countrymen love portugese music. The titel of this video: spontaneous singing This was the first one I stumbled upon. A father and a son at home on the couch. Just another day. The portugese society is drenched in music! Another one,
The portugese love portugese music Read More »
The first one dates back to a long time ago when we were taking lessons in the beautiful portuguese language and suddenly came up against the imperative. We haven’t done that in the dutch language for a long time. I only know the famous slogan just after the war: “Help each other, buy Dutch goods!”
Portuguese-Dutch culture shock Read More »
“Oh dear!” I say anxiously after I hobbled from one bed to the other, “Where is my arm?” “Look at that, you found it there,” the nurse says to me with a smile. My left arm is almost lying across my head. Completely numb. Very friendly staff at the hospital in Figueira How did I
How does it work at the portugese hospital? Read More »
The last time I was there, the ground floor was still full of old rusty fridges, and the stairs to the tower were closed because it was too dangerous. A stork had made a nest in the tree growing on the tower. The Monastery of Seiça has been empty for a long time It’s a
The Monastery of Seiça Read More »
My friend Anja is staying here for a few days. We’re going on an adventure, looking for a little lake that was recommended in the newspaper, the Diário de Coimbra. It looked like a fairytale in the photo, but on the way we suddenly see something else fairytalish. Abandoned and neglected houses are quite normal
Abandoned and neglected houses in Portugal Read More »
The building we live in is more than a hundred years old. The core was built as a bathhouse, with fifteen bathing cubicles. The water is medicinal and good for skin diseases. It was done according to good old Portuguese building traditions That building tradition is called: piecemeal. First the core, the bathing area. It
Portuguese building traditions Read More »
Did you know that there are more than 30,000 saints? I would never have thought of it, pagan that I am, if I hadn’t seen a pop-up shop in one of the small alleys in the heart of Coimbra, selling beautiful kitsch clothing. Specially for the occasion of one of those Saints birthdays, it seemed
I had already spoken to her on the phone about how to get there. “Can you please send that description by email and on the phone, because we are not very good with computers,” and of course that is possible. “I will send you the link in the confirmation email,” I answer, but no, that
Visit of a renown sculptor Read More »
The itinerary was there, the mood for it was certainly there, and so the reservation had been made. On a beautiful day in February, the following email arrived. Whether I could organize a fado evening as a surprise for her birthday “Hi Ellen,Would you like to do something for us?We will arrive at your place
Fado and in the King’s Sleeve in Coimbra Read More »
Carnival and Valentine in one week. Even better: right after each other. If you went completely crazy during Carnival, you have to go romantic the next day – perhaps with a huge hangover. Oops. In Lazarim they celebrate a special kind of carnival In Lazarim – in the north between Vila Real and Viseu –
Carnival and Valentine Read More »
I once worked for a portuguese estate agency. That was in the Dreamtime, when we were still dreaming of a better future in Portugal. Working for the agency was an excellent introduction to the portuguese culture. What I found striking then, and what has changed a lot in the 20 years that we now live
Portuguese culture: your own private junk yard Read More »
