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Evil Cats Destroy Lives In Europe

Author: Michelle

  • Bye Bye B Levels

    Bye Bye B Levels

    Although Andrew and I finished year 1 of Portuguese language class with good results, I felt overstimulated and my brain pleaded for a respite. Despite this, Andrew encouraged us to enroll in B levels for the subsequent year, primarily because we adore our professor and wanted to ensure that we would study with him again.…

  • We Traded That For This

    We Traded That For This

    Our 2 year anniversary of living in Portugal was June 20th! We desperately wanted to change our lives and here we are. Let’s celebrate with a slice of life comparison of then vs. now. Two Cars For No Car: We like the freedom of not worrying about parking, paying for insurance, and planning never ending…

  • Olhão House Tour – Update

    Back in August of 2022 the estimated “2 weeks” to arrange our bounty of American belongings in our tiny Portugal house was a pipe dream. We had done a decent job of Medford packing Step One – sell, donate, gift, or keep and ship. Unfortunately we still had a lot of work to do with…

  • The Perfectly Imperfect Day

    The Perfectly Imperfect Day

    “Where is the jazz concert?” was the question that Jorge asked most frequently on the perfectly imperfect day in May. He had proposed a light dinner out and a concert in Faro and we say yes to almost any outing with him if we are free. Our time together always consist of speaking Portuguese, a…

  • Thursday The Miracle Cat

    Thursday The Miracle Cat

    It was day 5 of the New Year. Out of nowhere we received a call that our cat had been found. WHAT?! How is that possible? She had been missing 40 days. She was being taken to a veterinarian in Faro by firefighters and was found in an abandoned house in Estoi almost 6 miles…

  • Wrapping Up 2023

    Wrapping Up 2023

    October: We headed back for Year 2 of Portuguese language class. With any luck, at the end of the course we will have a B2 (upper-intermediate) language level, and hopefully a bit more ease with conversational Portuguese. Our favorite neighborhood kid Bianca needed help with a school project and it was Halloween themed, so definitely…

  • Sintra: Pena Palace, Petiscos, And Playtime In The Garden

    Sintra: Pena Palace, Petiscos, And Playtime In The Garden

    Sintra is a town nestled in the Sintra Mountains about 15 miles northwest of Lisbon. It was once a summer holiday haven for Portuguese royalty and is a very popular day trip for visitors. The region is chock full of palaces, castles, mansions, viewpoints, a convent, a sanctuary, and multiple beaches. When limited to a…

  • Casa De Chá Da Boa Nova

    Casa De Chá Da Boa Nova

    On almost every trip, we try to book a meal at an upscale restaurant. We aren’t food snobs, we’ll eat street food and sandwiches without a single complaint, but we like fancy food too. I love collecting cookbooks, reading about food, experimenting with new recipes, and watching shows like Top Chef, Iron Chef, Chef’s Table,…

  • Pinhão And Port Wine

    Pinhão And Port Wine

    Port tastings and vineyard tours was another request made by our visitors and Pinhão, a gorgeous village in the Douro Valley about 80 miles from Porto, is one of the best places to indulge in this endeavour. In Oregon we frequented many a vineyard, and were long term wine club members with more than one…

  • Bom Jesus Do Monte

    Bom Jesus Do Monte

    Cousin Susie had this sanctuary on her “must-see” list and we wanted to visit different regions, specifically the north of Portugal, to scout locations for a future relocation. Could we really trade 300 days of sun and bright blue skies in the Algarve for a rainier, cooler climate in the north? We couldn’t even remember…