Until day 10 of this month, as a non-European, you can enter the continent and stay, live, or work here with a visa. It doesn’t matter which country or border; Europe is one, isn’t it? We Europeans don’t need this. Entering Portugal is easy with the D7 visa You can apply to be eligible for
D7 Visa and the EES Read More »
Joining the queue properly, waiting your turn – no problem because there are three counters open, staffed and all. Hurray. I just rolled off the Flixbus and ran to the train station. Became a Flixbus fan in a short time It was a discovery of nephew Bart who came by in November to help out.
Flix, Rede Expressos, Blabla Car, and people on the train Read More »
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 »
That the weather gods fart – which is nothing to them but a hurricane-force storm for us – okay, apparently it’s bad to hold it in. But what the weather gods don’t realize is that their puffing has quite a few consequences for us little people. If your roof is half blown off by their
Insurance and things Read More »
Of course, that one too. It seems we won’t be spared much from January 27th onwards (1). And what’s happening? The wind is blowing very hard, it’s pouring down from time to time, and it won’t stop until tomorrow morning. Then we’ll get a day’s respite, and on Sunday it’ll be back. They say. Is
The worst thing about our current situation is that the forecasts are so contradictory. I’m getting messages from my friend Jutta, who’s checking the German app; someone just rushes by and quickly reports that two more storms are on their way; the IPMA (Portugal’s Metoffice) says it’s only going to be 15 km/h windy with
Meteorologists are blown away Read More »
Well, it’s official: I do not like January, and I’m not alone. January 2026 sucks especially If months were people, August would be my favorite. A generous, sweet, warm, middle-aged woman who can cook like a pro and is very fertile. Sister Juli is similar, but more modest, and other sister June even more so.
January 2026 – it sucks Read More »
I don’t go to the Intermarché in Soure very often, but they have the sausage Mira likes, a real butcher, a nice senhora at the charcutaria, and their own brand of blue cheese that I like. I hear they’re having trouble finding staff Many young people are leaving the rural areas. There’s not much work.
Northerners are known for their efficiency. Well-organized societies where well-organized people live in well-organized houses and work in well-organized companies. Well, yeah, there are also things that need improvement, of course, but generally speaking, it’s a go-go-go mentality. People with Portugal-experience know it’s a bit different here Don’t get me wrong, everything is well-organized in
Little Portugal-experience Read More »
The day before yesterday, a caravan suddenly appeared on the road with a new white car pulled up in front. A very nice little caravan, a bit round with a blue underside. Unexpected camping guests are always welcome The owner walked over to ask if he could camp. Normally, the answer is: “Sure, just come
Unexpected camping guests Read More »
With a lot of bells and whistles, depression “Francis” was announced, which would mainly affect Madeira and the south of Portugal, but we already received an orange alert. For next year, so who cares? One day 2025, the next 2026 Indeed, a world of difference! I had arranged to take a New-Year-farewell-hike with a friend
2025/2026 a world of difference! 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
Cousin Bart was here a while ago. To lend a helping hand – and he certainly did! His youngest daughter, Dominique, also came over for a few days and was eager to help. That became a mural Since almost no one in our family is good at sitting still, she was also eager to help,
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 »
My nephew Bart is here for about two weeks. Specifically to help us renovate the main house, the first floor. We’re brimming with ideas, enthusiasm, zest for life, and willpower; there’s a allocation of tasks and a Plan. We all know from experience: you have a plan, and then you move on to Plan B
