One of life’s greatest gifts is the ability to enjoy simple pleasures. Walking on cobblestones is a simple pleasure to me. Although they can be impractical, often uneven and a bit slippery when wet, there is something about walking on cobblestones that makes me feel comfortable. They are a lot like life, in that they can be inconvenient and difficult to navigate at times, yet still pleasurable.
I can’t imagine women navigating cobblestones in high heels. My sneakers have the tread of a truck tire and I still stumble on the cobblestones occasionally. But I watch women in heels, moms pushing bumpy baby strollers, old women with walkers and old men with canes navigating just fine. Maybe I’m just clumsy.
Better Call Saul
In America, there would be countless lawsuits against the city for every sprained ankle. But Portugal isn’t a litigious society. I guess they figure that you need to be responsible for your surroundings. If you fall into a hole while looking at your phone, you just need to pick yourself up and move on. It’s somewhat of a life lesson, rather than a Better Call Saul moment.
The concept of “simple pleasures” implies that it is an easy feeling to command at will. But we all know that isn’t always the case. Although we are often surrounded by sights, sounds and smells that should trigger pleasurable emotions, competing factors can impede our ability to enjoy simple pleasures. We can be annoyed by external disturbances like loud noises and bad smells. More than the external, internal stress and anxiety can rob us of experiencing the joy of the moment.
Happiness is about Perspective
What I find curious about happiness is how one event might conjure up quite opposite emotions in different people. A crying baby, for instance, might drive someone to the brink whereas someone else might have warm maternal or paternal feelings. Crashing waves may keep one person awake while lulling another to sleep.
We all know that watching the sunset is a pleasurable event. But it is an overused cliché because it happens every day. Just because it happens every day, though, does that mean that we should take it for granted?
We don’t really have a sunset view in our current apartment in Mafra. That will be a treat for us at our new home in Ericeira. But if we step out onto the side balcony and lean over we can see the sunset colors at the end of the road through the buildings.
Trying new foods is a mixed bag. You’ve got to do it, and sometimes you are rewarded with a wonderful new culinary experience. Other times, it is a taste that you perhaps need to acquire from birth. I am not as adventurous as some of our friends who we dine with. But I did try octopus salad and found it delicious.
Eating gelato is always a simple pleasure. The trick is not to feel guilty about it. Or maybe you can feel guilty about it and call it a guilty pleasure. Anyway, just enjoy it and make sure to try every flavor. Not all at once, of course.
Making New Friends in Portugal
As I mentioned in my last blog, No Man is an Island. Making new friends in Portugal has been a pleasant surprise, because in the past we’ve often gone years without broadening our horizons by meeting new people. Getting to learn about everyone’s background and life experiences enriches our own.
The prospect of meeting old friends in a new place is also exciting. We are fairly new here so we haven’t hosted many familiar faces as of yet, but we do have some dates marked on the calendar. And our son and three of our grandkids are visiting in March. A few years back we had the pleasure of sharing a house with them and our kids in Mexico, and it was a blast. That was a family vacation, whereas this time they are visiting us in our new home. So that will be a new experience for all of us.
Minor Adjustments in Portugal
Moving to a new country isn’t nearly as complicated as it was in the past. Technological advancements and instant communication make distances seem shorter. Spending hours flying, rather than weeks on a ship, makes the expat route easier than ever. My first foreign trips before the internet made everything seem more foreign because I was more isolated from friends and family. Once email happened, internet cafes popped up all over. Now everything is on your phone, so you are connected 24/7!
We still like to watch TV in the evenings. Netflix, Amazon Prime and IPTV have helped with our in-home entertainment transition. We decided to stay up to watch the Super Bowl. I don’t even make it to midnight on New Year’s Eve so staying up to watch a game that wouldn’t start until 11:30pm was a stretch. Watching Patrick Mahomes work his magic made it all worthwhile. The halftime show was not bad, either! Reading people complaining about it the next day was somewhat amusing. I don’t think ballet would work for a halftime show but maybe next year.
Sometimes it is hard to find certain things that we are used to getting in the grocery and hardware stores. We’re not looking to duplicate our American experience here in Portugal. It’s just that we become accustomed to certain things over the years. Easy to make minor substitutions, though.
One small thing that I quickly adapted to was having so many coins here. Your pockets fill up fast. In the U.S. there are basically four coins (because nobody really uses the half dollar or the dollar coin). In Europe there are eight coins; one, two, five, ten, twenty and fifty cents, and the heavier one and two euro coins. I might have to put an extra notch in my belt from the weight of the coins.
Portugal Real Estate
We were very fortunate to find a good real estate agent who has gone out of his way to help us on matters unrelated to real estate. He also found us our future home, which is currently under construction. Portugal doesn’t have an MLS system so that makes things more complicated.
Once upon a time I was realtor in Hawaii. There was this old Japanese couple who lived in a plantation home in North Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii. Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi were in their mid-eighties and in failing health. They wanted to move to Oahu to be near their kids and closer to medical facilities.
Plantation homes are small houses that the sugar plantation gave to their employees after the plantation shut down. The Takahashi’s old, termite-ridden house had been on the market for two years without a single offer. We all know that there is only one major reason for this, the asking price was way too high.
A client of mine saw this on an expired listings printout and had me present a very fair, even generous, all-cash offer. The sellers accepted the offer and everyone was happy. The night before the Takahashis were moving, I received a call from the woman at my home (before cell phones).
I was happy to hear from her because I expected to be thanked for helping her and her husband live out their golden years near their children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. Instead, the first words out of her mouth were, “Sir, you are the meanest man I’ve ever met.” I said, “Mrs. Takahashi, I’m very surprised. Why do you say that?” “Because” she said, “You made us sell our house too cheap.”
Maybe Being a Landlord is Better is than Being a Realtor
I didn’t stick it out as a real estate agent. It was too much like the rollercoaster scene in the movie, Parenthood. The ups and downs were a bit too extreme for me. Several years later, I took advantage of an opportunity to buy a couple of duplexes. Being a landlord looked like easy money. You just collect the rent once a month while your property appreciates. Unless it happens to be just before a real estate crash, which was my experience.
To add insult to injury, never having been a landlord, I trusted applicants without running background checks. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, I had cops bust down a door of one of my units with a battering ram because the tenant had an outstanding warrant. Another unit was rented by a woman who was a prostitute. Not a successful one, apparently. She was always behind in her rent and I finally had to evict her. And her pit bull (No Dogs Allowed) chewed up the linoleum floor in the kitchen.
She had also stolen all the furniture from the apartment when she finally left. Not my furniture, but the owner from Rent-to-Own was not happy. I told him to be more careful who he rents to next time. Ha!
But my favorite story was the guy who planted a stink bomb in one of my units and glued the doors shut with carpenter’s glue. Needless to say, I don’t think that I was cut out to be a landlord.
Oh yeah, Simple Pleasures!
Sorry, I got sidetracked from the theme of this blog.. Simple Pleasures! Getting sidetracked does prove my point that it is not always easy to focus on simple pleasures. Life happens, and sometimes can cast a dark cloud over what could otherwise be a pleasant journey.
Simple pleasures are a priority in Portugal, as in much of Europe. You can sit in restaurants for hours without being presented with a check. Sometimes you have to practically beg for a check. Businesses close for two-hour lunches rather than maximize their profit by staying open. Expats have many examples of different priorities here.
One couple recently shared their Portugal experiences on Facebook. They were sitting in a wine bar and asked some young locals about a restaurant that they had read about. They not only recommended a better restaurant, but called to make reservations for them.
This same expat couple asked a lady for directions and she walked five blocks out of her way to get them there. On a rainy night! We have also had this happen to us a couple of times here.
On another occasion, they were sitting in an outdoor courtyard and were curious what a group of young men were drinking. The young men not only explained what was in the drink, but insisted that they sample it!
This well-traveled couple ended their Facebook post by saying they are sure others have had similar experiences. A lot of people chimed in, sharing similar experiences.
Do Portuguese Actually Enjoy Simple Pleasures More?
I do hate to generalize but it sure seems that Portuguese, and most Europeans, enjoy simple pleasures more than Americans. If this is truly the case, then why? Personally, I think healthcare is high on the list. No person here, no matter how poor, has to worry about losing their home because of healthcare costs. Insured or uninsured, it’s expensive as hell to go the hospital in America. People do not have that hanging over their heads here.
Also, I have not heard a single political argument here. The politicians, although not perfect, work for the people. Extreme rightwing and leftwing groups here are a rather insignificant force in Portugal. Football (soccer) is a different story, though. Those rivalries can get rather heated!
So you can rule out two of the two most stressful subjects that burden people in the States; healthcare and politics. That will lower your blood pressure a few points right there!
Simple Pleasures aren’t Exclusive to Portugal. You can’t walk down a cobblestone road everywhere, but that isn’t a prerequisite to happiness. Of course, the sun rises and sets where you live. Beaches, mountains, country roads, family and friends are also sources of happiness everywhere.
I’m curious. What is on your list of simple pleasures?
Bravo, Bob! I’m loving your blog and insights. I really zoomed in on the photo of you and Cathy sitting with the large group of what looked like really nice people. It made me happy! We are looking forward to strolling cobblestones with you soon! Save me some octopus salad!!
Seafood doesn’t keep well, we will order fresh! I just scrambled up a couple of eggs with garlic, onion, mushrooms and sardines with Mafra bread and a glass of wine. Yum! That is very perceptive of you to notice at a glance that it is a group of really nice people. Are we refugees or expats?
Well done, another interesting take on the expat experience!
Bob…thanks for the blog…I am enjoying your take on life in Portugal and it continues to be intriguing. I have friends in Hawaii (he’s a realtor!) who I’ve forwarded the blog to because they are thinking about a relocation, maybe checking out Portugal. I think your good nature and resilience is helpful when changing cultures like this. Not everyone is so gifted!
Thank you, Leslie! I emailed your friend and told her to email me with any questions they might have. Happy to help. Like yourself, I am resilient and tenacious, two necessary survival skills, right? Good-natured only my good days. 🙂
Bob, I am enjoying reading your blog. I don’t have the gift of eloquence that you have in order to write such an enjoyable blog. We have had the same experiences here in Colombia as you are describing, (although we don’t have the beach). Cobblestone streets, friendly people, good restaurants, people that will go out of their way to get you to the right place and more.
Purchasing our home here was fairly easy here, although it was much different than the states as the people selling the house wanted to meet the buyer to make sure they fit well with the neighbors. Meeting the buyer in the states either doesn’t happen at all or maybe at closing. We did have fun with renovation on our apartment, which you may have in your construction phase. What was to be a month job, turned into 5 months. My project management background and having done build outs for companies I worked for, had me going crazy with the contractor. I even offered to teach him project management for free to help him. Too proud to take me up on it.
Politics here are as you described you are seeing. Health insurance here is similar, although they have mandatory insurance for everyone which is wonderful. The world health org rated Colombia 18th on the list and the US 27th. I pay approx $60 US per month for insurance. Doctor visits are $1 and medication are also $1.
Keep writing. Life is to be enjoyed
Hola, Sandy! You do have the gift of eloquence! Good to hear from you and happy to hear that you are enjoying the good life as an expat in Columbia! Portugal is 12th on that list and I believe that the USA has dropped to 37th. And that is a very expensive 37th! 🙁
Love reading your posts Bob!!
Hi Bob, Thanks so much for posting your adventures in Portugal. I’m coming in June/July to open my bank account, secure my NIF and look for a place to live. If you have a recommendation for a realtor, I’d love to hear it! I hope I have time to venture over to Mafra and have a drink with you guys. In the meantime, I enjoy reading your blog.
Hi, Jayne. We would love to meet up with you this summer. I will email you tomorrow with my realtor’s contact info.
Aloha Bob,
A mutual friend Laurie Launda Taylor turned me onto your blog. We are traveling to Portugal in May and would love to speak with your realtor about the possibilities for us to purchase something over there and spend some time in beautiful Portugal! I also sent you a message on Fb about getting his email. Mahalo for posting your adventures, love your perspective on things and I believe we will also find it enchanting as well. Look forward to hearing from you!
Mahalo,
Marianne & Gary
Aloha! I will be in touch with you via Facebook and we can definitely meet up in May when you get here. Let’s continue on Facebook and figure out what works for you guys. Laurie is a dear friend since forever!
Our favorite Maui Boy..Kai Lenny just get back from surfing in Portugal! You sound like you are settling in and enjoying life. Lovely that you have each other…like taking memories of home with you wherever you go. I see that Marriane and Gary are going to meet up with you in May…someday that’ll be me!
Aloha and a hui ho
Laurie, I am going to hold you to that! By the way, we drove up and watched Kai in the Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge. Your local boy did good! It takes nerves of steel.
Well after about a hundred years and you moving to Portugal I am finally reaching out to reconnect. Great that you and Cathy are loving your new home. Will that be the penthouse suite in the new building? My better half is Portuguese from the Azores but tells me Portugal is beautiful. Looking forward to hearing from you and reading more on the blog.
Hey Alan! Not quite 100 years but at least half that! We haven’t made it to the Azores yet but it is on our list. Penthouse sounds fancier than it is but yes, we will be looking out at the ocean from the top floor. We expect to be moving in before the end of the year.
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