It has been over one year since we moved to Portugal and I think it is safe to say that the feeling I had after the first six months here has not worn off. It is the second best decision I have ever made (the cheesy first decision being marrying Josh, of course 😌).
We spent the first four months in charming Porto and the last nine in exciting Lisbon. It has been everything from emotional ups and downs to moments of calm and serenity. I can’t explain the amount of gratitude I have for the opportunity to make my dream of moving to Europe a reality with the support of my incredible partner, encouragement of my friends and family in the states, and the backing of the design agencies and clients I work with. We have also come back to Seattle twice for a wedding and funeral (hence the emotional ups and downs) and have traveled to France, London, Spain and throughout different parts our new home country. We have met new friends and continue to learn more about the Portuguese culture everyday (though the learning of the language has been a bit slow - but I will get to that later). Oh, and our latest form of transportation is our new orange Lambretta scooter, named Ginger.
All that being said, moving abroad has not been without its challenges. We have had to jump through a lot of hoops and it is definitely not the end of the road of dealing with the bureaucracy. The more we make mistakes though, the more we learn, and meeting people to help us navigate the challenges has been our greatest aid.
I figured the best way to give some insight to our first year here so far would be to do the most Portuguese thing – compare Porto and Lisbon. We lived in Porto first, and its charm truly stole my heart. After six months here, I thought I may have been in the honeymoon stage during that time, but the more we visit other parts of the country, the more I realize what I liked so much about Porto. It is walkable, clean, has great infrastructure, the people are warm, and it’s beauty is undeniable. We moved to Lisbon in January and though the difference of the two cities was stark, I grew a love for the capital for different reasons. After living in Lisbon since January, I can say that the light is unlike anywhere else. The way the sun hits the city almost all year long, making the vibrancy of the city even higher, made it click for me as to why people from all over the world are flooding to live here. You are never without a new music show, bar, restaurant, gallery opening, street party, or park hangout. It is filled with life and love and beautiful beaches at your fingertips. It has been easy for us to make friends in Lisbon, though a bit more difficult to practice the language. It has become such an international city with a diversity of people from everywhere. This also means that the universal language is english so you will find more people speaking english to you than portuguese (or at least when you have red hair and green eyes 🙃). This is no excuse though, as I know my determination and motivation for learning the language is on no one but myself. In July 2022 we took a two week intensive in-person Portuguese course, every day for three hours. It was a great introduction and refresher to learning the basics of the language, but at the end of the class we caught COVID (for our first time), so between recovering from that, followed by many more visitors and trips, we fell off the bandwagon of the learning momentum. I am excited to focus on learning more on my own though, and hopefully get back into meeting with a tutor again soon, so that I can practice in a comfortable space.
After an incredible busy first year here, I have been looking back at the adventures and different seasons of our time as we decide what is next. Lisbon has provided us with new friends and fun nights out, plenty of sunshine-filled park or beach days, and Josh with a foundation for his new coding career, through the course he took from January to March. However, we have both come to realize that though we are grateful for our time in the capital city, it is most likely not for us long term. For one, it has sadly become very expensive to rent (especially for the locals whose income does not match that of other wealthy countries). Also, along with the influx of tourism and immigration, the city has felt more dirty and claustrophobic (though this may be something that is more prominent in the summer season). However, Lisbon has brought us so much joy and we will continue to visit here no matter where we end up.
Since we moved to Portugal, we have been interested in a smaller surf and fishing town called Ericeira (though for better or worse, it is a place that has also become more popular with foreigners). We have visited there several times, but have never been during the off-season of tourism, to see if it is somewhere we would like to be. So we put our notice in for our current Lisbon apartment and for the month of November, we will be renting an Airbnb in Ericeira, which is about a 45 minute drive north west of Lisboa. We are excited to have a little R&R after such a packed last 14 months.
All things considered, Josh and I have a underlying idea that we will end up back in Porto. I felt most at home there, which I think is probably the best indicator of where to land. With it being much smaller size than Lisbon, it is more affordable, easier to get around, and a bit less overwhelming. Yet it still has the feeling of a good sized city with fun restaurants, bars, and parks. But for now, I am trying to stay in the moment as I know every step along this new journey is something I will always look back on and treasure.
Thank you for listening to my ever ongoing thoughts, contemplations, and observations. Until another six months from now, when I decide to blabbel again, you can follow along with the photos I post on my Instagram page. Love you all!