Frank & Stephanie in Portugal
Trip to Portugal
November 1–25 2022
Portuguese flag
We embarked on this extended visit to Portugal with the intention of moving there if it felt right. We were seeking a greatly reduced cost of living, and Portugal is said to be very affordable. If we did decide to move, we would have to return to the U.S. to arrange our affairs and obtain the necessary visas (which could take several months) before returning to Portugal.
At the Jerónimos Monastery, Lisbon
Unlike our previous trips to Europe, this trip was not mainly focused on sightseeing, museums, and seeking out jazz clubs, but instead we looked at possible places to live, and we tried to get a sense of how everyday life proceeds in Portugal. We looked at the cost of living, especially for housing, food, and transportation. We evaluated the places we visited for their suitability as expat destinations.
We visited two regions of Portugal: Lisbon, the capital, and Faro and the Algarve in the south. We considered visiting Porto in the north and even the island parts of Portugal: The Azores and Madeira, but time and circumstances did not permit it. We began our trip with a nonstop flight to Amsterdam, where we stayed for three days before flying on to Lisbon.
Portugal is a country of about 10 million people, about the size of western Oregon. Throughout history it has been occupied by Celtic people, Romans, Germanic tribes, and Moors, before the Kingdom of Portugal was established in 1139.
The Portuguese language shares many words with Spanish, but the pronunciation is quite a bit different. There are several significant differences between Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese.
For links to all of our previous trips to Europe and elsewhere, go to fstravels.travel.blog.
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