July brought us the worst heatwave we have ever experienced here in Porto. Typically, our summers consist of temperatures in the 70's with a few days in the low 80's. Yes, some of you might think we're spoiled, depending on where you live, but we've gotten used to these pleasant summers, so July was another level of hot for us. The first week of the month saw days hitting the high 90's to 100, with night time temperatures staying in the high 70's to low 80's.
I attended a July 4th celebration downtown for American residents, and the day started at 97 degrees. Even sitting in the shade on the restaurant balcony was pretty unbearable. That might not sound bad to you, but consider that we don't have air conditioning in our 50+ year old condo. Due to the typical construction here in Portugal, our walls are built with concrete blocks and bricks with zero insulation. When those walls get hot after repeated days of high heat, they retain that heat, thereby keeping our place warmer than is comfortable. And, while we have great overhead fans in the bedrooms and two living areas, those weren't able to do the job in keeping us cool.
Everything we read here indicates that this is going to be the new normal due to global warming. We've decided to bite the bullet and have a/c installed and so far, of the two quotes we've received, we've learned how difficult (but not impossible) it will be to have this installed. Our neighbors downstairs are also getting bids and we're now working together with them to get three bids and make a decision. We're not expecting this will happen before the end of summer however, given that most Europeans take part or all of August off, but we will hopefully get it installed before year-end, which would give us the added benefit of finally having heat in our apartment as well. Our quick fix in the meantime is to stay in an air conditioned hotel, which is what we did a few days ago, when the temperature was going to hit 93. That will be our go-to remedy until then.
July also brought us a very pleasant surprise. Many European cities impose a tax that hotels must add to the the visitors´ bill. The tourist tax rate in the city of Porto for 2025 was 3 Euros/pp per night (approx. $3.42USD) for people age 13+, capped at 7 consecutive nights. The surprise was the surge of tourists visiting Porto in 2025, which resulted in a 54.5% increase in revenue over funds raised in 2024, bringing in 32.3 million euros to Porto in 2025. City officials, astonished by the increase in revenue, recently decided to share the wealth with residents of Porto and announced that for the next year, through June 2027, all residents of Porto get to travel free on all public transportation (buses, Metro, and even short train trips). The only requirement is that you must have a Porto Card, which is a free card you obtain by providing proof of address in Porto. My friend Cagla and I went to the municipal building downtown and waited in line for 2.5 hours just to get inside the building. Once inside we were through the process and holding our new cards within 30 minutes. Nick went the day prior to obtain his card and experienced the same wait time. Since we moved to Porto in 2022, Nick and I have had senior discount transport cards for which we each pay 30 euros/mo for unlimited travel on all public transportation. Thanks to this windfall in tourist tax, Nick and I will save 720 euros over the next year. Residents under age 65, pay 40 euros/mo for the same card, but will now travel for free. In addition, all residents age 65+ get 18 taxi trips to medical appointments and/or the hospital for 2 euros, 4 euros round trip. We were given a special phone number to call and schedule these. We love this city!
This is the line we stood in outside for 2.5 hours...the entrance to the building is all the way to the end of the street and, they only let in 10 people at a time. Nevertheless, it was totally worth the wait!
A few weeks ago we were on the Metro on our way to a free outdoor symphony concert when I noticed this sign. Surely this was a joke I thought. Then I started seeing them everywhere, at every bus stop and Metro station. Sadly, more unhealthy American food has made its way to Portugal. Are these things sold in the U.S.? I mean, I know that the Portuguese love pastries but ....
