My most popular posts
The top 5 plus 3 runners-up.
Over the summer and fall of this year, Our Portugal Journey passed a milestone with over 600 new added subscribers who are now along for the ride that Paul and I started in Portugal in 2021. I know other Substack writers have surpassed this milestone a long time ago, but I never expected my newsletter to be as successful as it has become. I am truly humbled.
Muito obrigada (many thanks) to my long-term loyal readers and welcome to my new ones – I hope you’re receiving value from my work. Thanks also to Substack – the platform that hosts Our Portugal Journey for creating a unique space for writers and for finding ways to support and promote creators large and small on the platform.
Since there are so many new readers of my newsletter, I thought now would be a good time to revisit some of my most popular posts (so far) in case you have missed them. You can always find everything I have written by checking out my Table of Contents.
If you haven’t already downloaded the Substack app, you may be missing out on some of my posts, notes and chats, plus the work of many other talented writers.
Here are the all-time top 5 most popular posts from Our Portugal Journey (plus 3 runners up posts):
Have a Nice Life
Where we originally come from in New England, most people don’t move to places like Arizona, let alone another country. If they move at all – which is pretty rare - it’s most likely going to be to Florida or maybe the Carolinas – you know – staying within the safety net of being on the same coast, in the same time zone – easy to get back home if you have to – not too far from the kids or grandkids, etc. So, in 2003, when Paul and I packed up and moved from Rhode Island to Arizona, many friends and family members were surprised. We were asked why we wanted to move to the desert where there are no seasons (there are seasons in Arizona, just different than New England). We were asked how far away from the Mexican border we’d be (about 300 miles). There was some concern by a few people about Arizona still being the ‘wild west’ and weren’t there still a lot of cowboys carrying guns in their holsters (yes, we’ve seen a few, but usually in the tourist town of
What are all these Ceramic birds?
It’s early – around 4:00 am and the sun is not yet up, but I’m awake. A swallow is perched on the windowsill of our bedroom window calling to another swallow who eventually arrives on the sill. The two of them start chirping away – a sort of serenade ritual that I’ve come to look forward to nearly every day (although I wish they wouldn’t start so early). The arrival of the migratory swallows in Portugal after spending the winter in Africa marks the start of spring. That’s about all I knew about swallows.
Carnival in Portugal. It’s a big deal here.
While living in the United States, I always thought it would be fun to go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but I never made it there. I didn’t realize until I moved to Portugal that they have something similar called Carnival (or Carnaval), and it’s a big deal here. As I researched this topic, I also found out that
Holidays, Celebrations, and Festivals in Portugal
Portuguese people work hard. But they also play hard and frequently! This country prides itself on holidays, events, and festival celebrations. As a foreign resident in Portugal from the United States, I am not accustomed to frequent holidays or festivals where quite often, everything closes down in observance of the celebration. As I’m not always aware of a public holiday or a local celebration in Portugal, I usually suspect something’s up when I see the parking lot packed with the cars of commuters in our apartment community during the middle of the week.
Online Grocery Shopping 101 in Portugal
When we initially contemplated a move to Portugal, Paul and I decided that we didn’t want to own a car (this has now changed) and hoped to live within walking distance (or a short train/bus ride) to restaurants, services, and shopping. We thought the exercise we got by walking would do us good and keep us healthy, and for the most part, that’s true – we walk much more in Portugal than we ever have, and we feel better for it. So, when we first moved to Portugal, we decided to walk to the local grocery store to do our shopping. The walk to the store was fine – about a 15-minute walk. BUT…the walk back was tough – we had purchased much more than we anticipated and of course, we had to haul the bags of groceries (and bottles of wine) back to our condo. I wasn’t happy and my arms hurt.
Three runners-up:
What I learned from Steve McCurry
I had heard of Steve McCurry – the photographer who is most noted for his incredible photography for National Geographic and other major publications. I was more familiar with his famous photographs than his name. Truthfully, I never really paid close attention to his work and more importantly, why his work matters. So, when Paul and I had the opportunity to see the
Shipping your things to Portugal
Note: This post was updated in June 2024 to reflect some of the more important changes to the UPakWeShip website.
Frustration, frustration, frustration
One of the first questions a Portuguese citizen will ask a newbie resident like me and Paul, is how long we have lived in Portugal and if we like it. The next thing they will mention is “the bureaucracy.” They say it with utter distaste as if it’s doggie poo on a shoe. When I mention that the United States has bureaucracy as well, they don’t believe it –
Thanks for being on this journey with me!
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Also a special Thank you to Tibby G. and Vicki S. and Shelley C. and M. Price and Jan S. for supporting Our Portugal Journey by becoming Supporting Subscribers. I truly appreciate it!
Until next time…
Obrigada!
Carol.
Well done, Carol. Happy Thanksgiving! Tricia
Love your posts- all of them! So grateful we connected! I ALWAYS look forward to hearing from you! All the best to you and Paul always!