Rain, Rain, Go Away (Dec 17-18, 2024)

We've had great luck with the weather, but it was bound to run out eventually.  It's been a steady rain with some pretty heavy downpours at times these past two days so we are just staying in the apartment for the most part.  It does give me a chance just to post some thoughts on the trip so far.  I'll break it into topics to keep it organized.

Portugal - It's a great country--we really like it here.  I can tell the pace of life is more relaxed and that people take the time to enjoy themselves with little things: having a coffee in a street cafe, taking a walk around town, sitting on a bench in one of the many small parks.  I'm sure I'm not seeing the whole picture, but it's the vibe I get.

Food - Cod (bacalhau in Portuguese) is a huge thing.  It's on the menu everywhere we've been in various forms--fried, baked, croquettes--and in stores you can even get it dried for later use.  Other than that, you'd have no trouble finding anything familiar: steaks, pork, chicken, hamburgers, pizza, etc.  There's Mexican, Indian, and Chinese restaurants as well, though we haven't been to any of those yet.  Grocery stores are very similar to American ones.  We haven't had any trouble finding the things we want.

Money - Regular readers know I was going to talk about this sooner or later.  Portugal uses the Euro, and right now it's worth about 5% more than the dollar (1 EUR = 0.95 USD).  It's still one of the more affordable countries in Western Europe, but inflation has hit here just like everywhere else.  I've noticed that prices are higher than when we were here two years ago.

Slow Travel - I keep mentioning this term but I bring it up here as a follow-up to the money topic.  I am still in "vacation mode" and I should be in "living mode" if that makes sense.  In other words, we're spending more than I expected so far.  Fe keeps a good eye on the budget so I'm mostly to blame but I'm like a kid in a candy store.  The overruns tend to be on food (eating out), so I'm hoping that with some time I can adjust.  Staying in due to the rain helps!

I could go on but you're here to see pictures, not read a book.  The rain should end tomorrow, so we'll be back out and about soon.  We're also planning a couple of day trips, so stay tuned.  Yes, they're going to cost--don't judge me.