For earlier posts of the Journal, go to the link, Mary Lou's Portugal Journal, in the right-hand column →
Greetings from Porto and hoping that you are all healthy and off to a good start for 2023.
Nick and I flew out to California for a short visit at Christmas, arriving on December 18. Our luggage was delivered on December 22nd. I won't go into the craziness of this because some of you already know about it. However, for anyone planning to travel and check luggage, I encourage you to purchase the Apple Trackers and put one in each bag. While I could see where our bags were, United never had a clue. As I watched them travel between three terminals at SFO and make at least three trips over the San Mateo bridge, United was convinced the bags were lost. They were even at a Best Western Motel one day, at which point we had to file a police report, thinking they actually were stolen. Nick actually drove there but of course, no one at the motel knew anything about it. Turns out United had turned them over to a delivery service but apparently didn't even know it. Moral of the story, buy Apple Trackers and, make a list or take photos of everything you've packed just in case your bags are lost.
We arrived back in Porto on January 1 and both came down with horrible coughs/colds that seemed to linger for weeks...actually we're still not over it completely. When we left San Francisco on December 31 they were experiencing record rainfall and we weren't sure our plane would take off, but thankfully it did. A few days after we arrived home, Porto was experiencing record rainfall as well. Much of the historic downtown area flooded. Thankfully we weren't out and about in it getting any sicker. It was very rainy here the first three weeks of the year but now the days are bright and sunny but very cold. Granted, we're not getting snow, however it's still very cold. And we've learned that the apartment we are currently renting is very cold during the winter! Yes, we have radiators, however they don't put out much heat. We've been told that most Portuguese people wear lots of layers while inside their homes because many can't afford to heat them, which is very sad. For those who rely on natural gas for heating I must say that it's become very expensive. Natural gas prices just recently tripled for winter. Thank goodness that winter doesn't last very long here, or so we've been told.
Two weeks ago we met with our contractor to discuss some work that we wanted done before our move and a few days ago we met the foreman for the project. We've lived through building two new homes over the years and renovating four historic homes. In all we've had 8 different homes and lived in at least 3 rentals (yes, 11 moves in our 40 years together) and yet somehow, this small apartment is so exciting to us because living overseas is a dream come true. In the past week we've gone with Ron (the former owner) to change the electric and water/garbage to our names. It took three tries before we successfully changed the water/garbage over, all because we didn't bring the correct paperwork. I've mentioned the bureaucracy before...it can be a bit trying at times. He's also taken us to a little cafe that's just around the corner from our building where we had lunch one day. And, there's a bakery almost hidden in a building across the street. Much to explore in our new 'hood.
Last week some friends of Ron's were throwing him a goodbye dinner and we were invited. Manoela, who hosted the evening, is an architect and lives very close to our new home. She had enlisted the help of a good friend of hers who is from Lebanon. It was truly a spectacular meal that this woman and her friend spent 6 hours preparing. Manoela and another guest, Christina, both paint in oils and have invited me to join them as soon as my arm is feeling better. They are both Portuguese and will be helpful in learning to carry on conversations in Portuguese. Christina barely speaks any English but wants to learn, so we can help one another. Bruno, another guest, owns a Douro Valley tour business that we'll try out next time we have guests. Yet another guest, Jose, is a physical therapist and began examining my arm after he learned about my fracture. Natalya, Manoela's sister, is an engineer and recently started driving part-time for Uber. It was a great evening, especially considering that we only knew Ron when we arrived.
Our Resident Cards arrived on January 20th, exactly 3 months after we were accepted, so now we are officially residents of Portugal (it's never official until you actually have the cards). Now we are eligible to join the national healthcare system, but that's a bureaucracy as well so we have to go through a process to get registered. In the meantime I just obtained a supplemental insurance plan as a back-up. Of course the supplemental insurance doesn't cover pre-existing conditions for the first year so now that I'm ready to start physical therapy, I will be paying out of pocket. Last week I had an appointment for an x-ray of my arm to make certain it's healing well before I start PT. The receptionist at the hospital was very apologetic when she told me it would cost 35 Euros (for a set of 3 x-rays). I managed not to laugh. Then I was informed that my PT treatments would be 15 Euros each and they recommended 10 sessions, each an hour in length. Those aren't my co-payments, by the way, that's just what these services cost.
Saturday we got together with Andrew and Nicole, a couple we met at the Thanksgiving dinner we attended. I mentioned them in my last update. The four of us took a bus to an Italian restaurant in Matosinhos, which was the first time either of them had ridden a bus here. Given they are a family of four, with a dog, it's easier and typically less expensive to take an Uber. Uber is very inexpensive here. On our way back from lunch we were stuck in a lengthy traffic jam and finally discovered that the route was jammed with illegally parked cars because so many people had come out to walk along the waterfront. It was a bitterly cold day and quite breezy yet the waterfront was filled with people enjoying the sunshine while apparently taking the cold weather in stride.
For the next 25 days we'll be preparing for our move. Lot's of things to do and purchase as we count down the days. Here are a a couple pictures from our balcony off the den. We actually see a lot more ocean than what shows up in the photos...not sure why the photos don't reflect that.
In February our new friends Karin and Paul will be returning to Lisbon for a few months so we look forward to getting together with them again. John and MaryLou, the couple we met at a bus stop, are returning to Porto for another extended stay and we're excited to get together with them as well. Lot's to look forward to!
Adeus, abraços e beijos,
MaryLou