November was an eventful month. Front and center was the U.S. election, which drew considerable interest even all the way here in remote Portugal. American elections are typically an example to the world as to how a functioning democracy and a peaceful transition of power work as seamlessly as a Swiss clock. However, the proverbial Swiss clock was replaced by a sundial on a cloudy day.
The clouds began to part when Pfizer announced, one week after the election, that a successful vaccine was on its way. The world’s worst pandemic in a hundred years was about to be eradicated by the company who brought mankind the hour-long erection (bringing boundless joy to grandmas everywhere).
Not to be outdone, a few days later Moderna came out with their own vaccine, claiming it to be even more effective than Pfizer’s. But Moderna does not have a little blue pill, so maybe their vaccine might not last as long.
Hearts soared on news of the vaccine competition, as did the stock market, and all was good. For about a day or so. Then a bit of reality set in as people remembered that Covid-19 was going to be here for a while longer and was still being treated as simply an inconvenience. And apparently, some governors were not going to be allowed to distribute the vaccine because they were not deemed worthy. However, they would be first in line for lumps of coal in their stockings.
But hope springs eternal and Thanksgiving was just around the corner. This year, the election was to be in the rear view mirror, bringing peace and harmony, once again, to dysfunctional families everywhere. There would be no mashed potato fights this year! Unless, of course, someone decided to use this holiday of gratitude to announce their change in sexual preference or their decision to leave their family to join a cult.
Seeing that this is still the year 2020, the Grinch just had to arrive early to announce that even Thanksgiving would be canceled. This time last year in Portugal, we celebrated our first expat Thanksgiving with new friends in our newly adopted country. This year, it has been called off due to necessary precautions.
However, we did celebrate a safe Thanksgiving with a very small group of six of us in Óbidos, and it was very enjoyable. We walked through the decorated streets inside the castle walls and it was rather festive. However, it was eerily quiet due to Covid. Very few people were out walking and only a few restaurants were open. Hopefully, next year will be much better. Unfortunately, I fear that some of the businesses will not survive that long. Small business owners have taken much of the financial brunt. Here are some pictures taken while walking around Óbidos.
The next day we walked along a beautiful lagoon to walk off some more calories from the night before.
Then we stopped at an outdoor restaurant to put some of those calories back on. I ordered spaghetti. Not at all what I expected (black spaghetti?), but it was tasty.
What Happened to Cheering the Healthcare Workers?
Earlier this year, while every country was racing to the top of the misery chart, a lot of people were finding heroes to lift their spirits. The courageous healthcare workers were being celebrated and cheered around the world. In one of my blogs I showed people cheering from balconies for those who were risking their lives to save ours. Even minimum wage grocery clerks who were stocking shelves so that we could remain well-supplied with toilet paper and hand sanitizer were finally being shown the respect they deserved.
That didn’t seem to last too long. It was like a rubber band that had been stretched too far. It didn’t take long for people to start treating everyone like crap again. Was it because everything became politicized? Or was it just because being nice to people is just too hard? I have lots of respect for caregivers, mainly because I could never do what they do.
After a year of living in Portugal, I had my first visit to a medical facility here. I woke up with bad back pain and it felt like I might need more than a massage to fix it. I speculated that it could be a kidney or something like that, so we drove to the medical facility the next day just to be safe.
Turned out to be just a cramped muscle from sleeping the wrong way. The bill was 20€ for the appointment and injections and less than 2€ for the prescription.
The nurse stuck me twice in the butt with a muscle relaxer and an anti-inflammatory, and told me to relax for the rest of the day. I told her I could do that. She said, “Of course you can, because you’re a man.” I didn’t take offense because all I heard was something about my manliness.
Stereotypical Men
Men sometimes get a bad rap, and I suppose much of it is deserved. All one has to do is look at old advertisements to see how men’s attitudes have changed in the past fifty years or so. But there are still some Neanderthals out there. I recently read an article about an innovative hiring technique used by a manager for a company to weed them out.
An applicant arrived for his interview and first encountered the receptionist sitting at the desk in the lobby. The applicant was unpleasant and dismissive to the receptionist. Turns out that the receptionist was actually the hiring agent. She wanted to catch a glimpse of the applicants before they switched into their best behavior mode. Naturally, that applicant failed the test and was shown the door.
Peaceful Portugal
One of the reasons I bring up the respect factor is because it is one of the things I love about Portugal. It’s not just the cobblestones. Portugal is a relatively peaceful and polite society. Respect and kindness seems to permeate the culture here. It seems to take priority over making lots of money.
An example that took me a little while to get used to was how every conversation starts with a warm greeting and there are many polite words sprinkled throughout a conversation. Portuguese people generally don’t jump into a conversation stating their business. That may be one of the reasons why everything takes so long here.
Common courtesy leads to a safer society. Of course, you will find theft here like you do in any country, but there is relatively little violence in Portugal. I know there is abuse behind closed doors and that is a problem in all cultures. Portugal has social programs to help alleviate that problem and I hear that they have been somewhat successful.
The Safe, Sleepy Village of Ericeira
The safety factor is something of which I am consciously aware of when I walk the streets at night.
Walking along a narrow, dimly lit alley, similar to the one above, doesn’t raise an ounce of concern in most people’s minds. You can walk the streets of Ericeira at any time and feel completely safe.
The feature photo of this blog was taken by Carlos Rodriques after the Christmas decorations went up in the Ericeira town square. Below is a picture I took a few nights before of the same square.
Ericeira, being a town on the ocean, often has a bit of fog in the evenings and the streetlights take on a mystical glow.
The other night I had to walk up to the bus station to deliver a used cellphone to someone I communicated with online. Cathy was nervous for me to go up there in the dark to meet a stranger at a bus station. All I could say was, “Honey, this is Ericeira!”
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Speaking of Cathy, she joined a local choir group. Although, nobody in the group speaks much English and most of the songs are in Portuguese. But she is in her element when singing in a group and it makes her happy. Wings are optional.
Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way
Safety or not, we all die eventually of something. And I will wrap up this blog on this cheery subject, mainly for the benefit of those planning on becoming expats. The subject of drafting a will is something that needs to be considered because if you die in Portugal without a will, it can get complicated.
Under Portuguese law, your spouse doesn’t automatically inherit everything. Here in Portugal, the surviving spouse gets half of the estate and your children will get the other half divided among themselves.
Traveling around Portugal, you will see many abandoned properties because of this law. Either the multiple owners can’t come to an agreement or they can’t be found. So, the properties can’t be transferred and often fall into disarray.
The problem gets even more complicated when the properties get further divided every time someone else dies and the inheritance splits into further pieces of the pie. You could imagine how this could get quite messy after a couple of generations.
Here is a fixer-upper our Realtor would say has “good bones”.
The Portuguese government is trying to clean up this inheritance mess because it becomes a bigger problem as time marches on. I am pretty certain it will be cleaned up completely before the next ice age.
Seeing as the next ice age isn’t around the corner, my wife and I decided to visit a Notário to clean up our own potential quagmire by writing up a proper will. A Notário in Portugal is not like a notary in the US. Here, they also serve the role of attorneys.
We drew up our own will and had it notarized here, but the Notário who stamped it told us that it might not hold up in Portugal unless a U.S. attorney could authenticate its validity under U.S. law. Fortunately, Cathy was able to visit an attorney in Washington State while she was visiting there a few weeks ago. For $150 he typed up an explanation as why our will notarized in Portugal was valid in the U.S. We visited the Notário once again to review everything and he confirmed that everything was perfeito!
To make a long story short, if you are an American citizen, your U.S. will takes precedence over Portuguese probate law. But save yourself a headache and get your will drawn up and notarized in the U.S. before you become a Portuguese resident, especially if you plan on owning property here. Having a will drafted and notarized in the U.S. will be recognized here as valid. It is a more direct and cleaner way of doing it. And try to hold off dying until you get a proper will done.
A Typical Portuguese Meeting
In the past year, we have had many meetings here in Portugal regarding real estate, residency, wills and so on and so forth. As I mentioned previously, encounters and meetings in Portugal start with greetings and often end with camaraderie. The Portuguese love to mix business with pleasure so we usually leave meetings smiling or laughing.
However, because Portuguese meetings don’t always traverse a straight line, somewhat like the cobblestone alleyways, Cathy and I sometimes have slight differences in interpretation after the dust settles. Now, what did he say? And what are we supposed to do now? Naturally, like most married couples, we discuss these differences of opinion calmly and rationally before deciding on a prudent course of action. And in the end, everything works out just fine.
I wish all of you a healthy and peaceful holiday season and a very happy new year. 2020 has been one for the history books.
Excellent writing.
You reminded me about the will again!
I have to tell you a story sort of related to the hiring agent you wrote about.
True about the care givers!
At CUF T.V. they were extremely kind and attentive, even though I knew that they were over worked and under paid.
Honesty- I left my phone on a table at InterMarche. It was turned in. The man who turned it in was long gone. I had a reward in hand for him. I tried to give it to the desk manager and cashier who handled the situation but they refused to take a reward.
I love the folks at CUF medical facility. Every one of them was patient even though there was no break in their work load. The doctor and nurse who took care of me were expert and attentive. I also lost a phone when it dropped out of my pocket in front of a restaurant. Someone turned it into the kitchen staff and I was able to retrieve it safely.
Another good read! We are fascinated with Portugal and are anxious to visit as soon as we are able. Living in Cuenca Ecuador for the last year and liking it very much but missing the ocean. We are originally from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.
Yes…..a year for the history books. Love the first and last photos especially! Thanks!
Cuenca was on top of our list of retirement places. I like that they use the dollar as currency. No surprises in fluctuation between currencies. But then we discovered Portugal! 🙂
Another fun read, and excellent photos. The one of Cathy with her wings needs to be enlarged and framed! I felt personally toasted to in your last photo, and that is exactly how I will picture you two this holiday season – toasting to the great life you have created in Portugal!
Actually, that picture was taken last year shortly after our arrival in Mafra, overlooking the Mafra Palace. Now we need to take one in Ericeira overlooking the ocean. And we could have been toasting you and Dave for being so supportive of our decision to move here!
And we will toast right back to you for accomplishing your bold decision to JUST DO IT! Life is short, and it has been a great move for both of you. Think of all the people and places and experiences you would have never known if you would have stayed in Washougal!
I love reading your stories…it makes me want to say…”next year in Portugal!” Though we couldn’t be In a sweeter spot where we are in Oregon…we are getting a little cabin fever and your blog transports me. Warm regards to you and Cathy.
You are in a sweet spot in Oregon. When Portugal starts allowing visitors from U.S. again, I hope you and your husband will come visit us.
Great update. I get to enjoy ex-pat living vicariously from Santa Monica. Thanks. Warm regards to Cathy and you and the kids. Onward to 2021! Best, Robert
Thanks, Robert! Looking forward to a great 2021!
Bob…so good that you’ve settled in, including your first ‘injury’ and trip to the hospital. Thanksgiving here was quiet also…ordered dinner from my favorite restaurant for me Ari and a friend. Gave a portion of the outstanding dinner to a neighbor and just relaxed with this years Beaujolais Nouveau and Ice Wine with dessert. I kinda’ liked the quietness of the day.
Would love to see pictures of your new home.
Will look forward to your next update…
A quiet Thanksgiving is nice, too. Our new home isn’t ready yet but I will post pictures when we move in.
Mahalo Bob..this was a great read..I just love the architecture there, so different than Maui! lol The tourists are slowly trickling back, hotels are at about 30%. Many businesses are closed for good though and Harley Davidson pulled out which is a bummer for all the dirt bikers who got their equipment there. Most of the galleries are closed and the streets are still pretty empty. It’s been like Maui in the 70’s! Tough to have aloha smiles when it’s mandatory that everyone wear masks. Now they are saying we have to wear them at the beach..that’s gonna make for some pretty comical tan lines! First thanksgiving in 30 years that I didn’t cook and have dinner at my house. Mom, being 98 wants to stay isolated so we had a grateful, quiet tilapia with vegis feast and my son’s girlfriend made it at her house for her first time! Worked for me!! LOL
Economies that center mainly around tourism are usually most at risk. It could be a long, hard road back for Hawaii. I’m glad you and your dear mom are staying safe. A few months back I saw a picture of a nudist colony where all they were wearing were masks and flip-flops. Pretty comical indeed!
Delightful read as always. Wishing you and Cathy a happy and healthy holiday,and New Year.
Thank you, Lynda! Wishing you and your large, beautiful family the same!
Hey hey, Bob. Fabulous writing. You’re an amazing ambassador for Portugal. Thanks and happy holidays! We miss you both.
Thank you, Dave! We miss you and Karen and we hope that you can visit in 2021.
Finally read your blog and found it delightful!! The photos bring back marvelous memories of Obidos, Ericiera and the magical moments of Portugal. Happy New Year and enjoy the journey!!
Welcome to my blog, Marcie! Hope to welcome you back to Portugal in the near future.
Anyone living in Tavira area, I would like your thoughts on this area.
Cathy sounds like my kind of person – Happiest when singing in a choir! Is it common in the towns there to have community choirs or is that more just a local Ericeira thing?
Hi Becky. I think that it is common in the larger local communities. Cathy drives to Mafra to participate. It is about a 10 minute drive and practice is once a week from 9pm to 11pm. The Portuguese are somewhat nocturnal. 🙂
Wow! Yeah definitely nocturnal. I may have to adjust my sleeping schedule! I’m glad to hear that community choirs are fairly common. That is one thing that I must have – an outlet to sing! I have been a church choir section leader/soloist for the past 15 years and have participated in high quality community and professional choirs and would miss it terribly.