We’ve lived here in Portugal for over nine months now. We really started feeling like “locals” when some of the family came to visit over the last few weeks and we got to show them around our new life. There Read more…

It is difficult to believe that our first summer as residents of Portugal is nearing the end. All the kids started back to school this week, many of the beach cabanas are down now, and the morning air has more Read more…

There are so many reasons that we love our new home town of Matosinhos. One main reason is because it is so wholesome and family-oriented. The community has so many events meant to either bring families out or to show Read more…

We continue to explore and get to know our adopted country. One of the great things about living in Porto is how easy it is to visit other towns without owning a car. In July we took two one-night trips. Read more…

We landed in our new country of residence six months ago in the cold of early January. All I can say is that I’m glad I have kept this journal. Without my notes and photos, much of the last six Read more…

As said previously, Portuguese people know how to party! One of the most notorious parties in northern Portugal celebrates the local patron saint John the Baptist – São João. The official holiday is June 24th but the infamous party starts Read more…

The Portuguese love their festivals and holidays! Most are centered around patron saints and religious events. Every town, big or small,  seems to have a special saint, or two. They have the celebrations throughout the year, but the heaviest concentration Read more…

DIY: Before & After While it was certainly not all DIY (we had professional help with most of it), renovating our apartment and terrace was a tedious 2.5 month-long project that is now 99% complete. Wayne single-handedly patched a lot Read more…

In between the endless DIY projects, we’ve spent the last few weeks exploring; near and a bit farther.  This year, Portugal has revamped their public transportation system pricing to make monthly passes even more affordable with larger coverage areas. Wayne Read more…

We routinely read the comments of other expats making the move to Portugal on the endless Facebook pages of the several groups we follow.  One constant line of questioning is “Where should we live?” Whether they plan to make the Read more…