Pinch me! We now live in Portugal! And we are Retired! Less than a week ago we were enjoying our last day in the USA having Sunday brunch with two daughters and their families. Anxious about our impending flight and dealing with baggage and shipping. Now we are visa-carrying residents of Portugal. Our appointment with SEF to apply for our 1-year permit is on 2/14.
We’ve been on the ground in Porto for less than 5 days. We still frequently pause to savor the fact that we have a new and very different address. So far our days have been filled with learning the basics. How to get around on the metro & bus systems. Where to get groceries and get a store discount card. Unpacking & doing laundry. Adjusting to the humid January cold and the unusual light cast by the low angle of the sun even at mid-day. Every little thing is new and interesting.
The people are wonderful. No matter where we go at any hour of the day or night (as if we stay out past 11:00!), we feel safe. We went out Friday evening with our friend/advisor Gail and another American couple from Texas that have been here one year. The food & wine was fabulous and so affordable. Happy, polite people filled the streets.
We’ve seen 10 apartments with 6 different realty companies. It is so odd to be on the opposite side of the table for real estate. Everything about seeing properties is so much more complicated than we are accustomed to. Each firm only shows their own listings. Some never even reply to our requests for appointments. There are no lock boxes or appointment services. The seller typically has to let us all in – and follow us around. Prices in Porto are high and apartments very small. Most 2 bedroom apartments are under 90 square meters – about 968 square feet.) We are prepared to down-size, but still having trouble picturing how to make even basic things fit. We’ve looked at apartments where the whole master bedroom is smaller than our condo closet; smaller than our king-sized USA bed (not that we would expect to have one of those here.) Yet, we are confident that we will find the right place for us. We are also considering buying in Vila do Conde, 40 minutes by metro from Porto, where apartment prices are about a third less. We just have to decide which lifestyle suits us best. That will be the hardest part.
Every part of the process has happened more quickly than normal for us from the decision to getting the initial visa to getting our SEF appointments. Now we’ve learned that our 2 crates will leave the US on a ship on 1-17 and should arrive in Rotterdam on 1-28. Just one month after being picked up at our door. Then we will need to store everything until we have a permanent place where we can take delivery. Everything seems to just fall into place as if this was all just meant to be. Saude!
