Less than 3 months after coming to Portugal, we are back. This trip spans 24 days and is very much a scouting expedition to see if we could live here. When we booked this trip, I was nearly confident I would be unemployed by now and fleeing the US. I’m not unemployed, thankfully, but that’s only because I managed to jump ship and find a new job before the ship that is federally-funded global public health sank entirely. Nevertheless, we are still here scouting because: a) the US is in deep trouble and heading toward an authoritarian autocracy that I may still find too hostile and dangerous to stay in, and 2) even if the US turns things around, I’m retiring at some point and there is NO WAY that will be in the US.
The cost of living in Porto is less than half of what it is in Boston. That’s the difference between retiring at 59 1/2 and at 72. While the US has many good qualities, Portugal sees those qualities and raises them all with ease. Safety? Portugal is one of the safest countries in the world (leave your sliding doors open overnight in a ground floor apartment level safe). Healthcare? It’s universal here, and you can buy up for premium care if you want to be fancy. Food? Portugal – quality is amazing and prices are super low. Wine? That’s not even a conversation! Ease of getting around? You do have to walk most places here (although there is a metro), but everything is close by. I think there are 3 big grocery stores within half a mile of our apartment, and probably 20+ within 1 mile.
What I like most is the wildly conflicting vibe of this city. A fancy new hotel will be wedged between an apartment building that’s probably 150 years old and a municipal building that has at least one exterior wall that’s older than the US. Craft beer bars are next to traditional bakeries which are next to tiny cafes filled with locals passing the evening with a glass of port. This city is young and old, high brow and crumbling, classic and contemporary, and vibrant and quiet all in one. I’m not sure what Porto is, exactly, and that is what I love most.
Week 1 included a walk to where we stayed last time (to get oriented), a walk to a major cemetery, and a walk to the main city market (disappointingly tourist-focused, like the Boqueria in Barcelona).
Vacation Days 