We arrived to Portugal on November 15th and again exactly one month later on December 15th. Why twice? It is explained in the There and Back Again post.
The Shift
When we arrived, it felt like we were in vacation mode. Then sometime over the month, we realized we had shifted out of being a tourist. We can’t really pinpoint the moment, rather, it is all the little things that come together:
- Knowing a route to the store becomes knowing how to navigate multiple routes to the store, and finding shortcuts in the little alleyways behind stores and across fields.
- Going from “what’s that sound?” to “there goes the daily test siren at 13:00″ or no longer getting woken when the recycling is collected in the middle of the night.
- It’s when we accept that we don’t have a clothes dryer, or a garbage disposal, and that the bathroom is always going to smell a little musty.
- It’s when we’re always carrying cash and not surprised when our favorite coffee place is randomly closed.
- It’s the feeling of being seen. It’s Flo at La Pizza Tavira saying “Hello. Pam. Hello Tom” when she sees us walking by or when the Portuguese classmates say hello in gym class.
- It’s the Portuguese folks who encourages us to speak to them in Portuguese – the shop owners at the key shop, the gym, the bakery, and the coffee shops.
- Realizing that there are layers and layers of interesting things going on in town and nearby that aren’t touristy and aren’t advertised, but the locals know by word of mouth or because they’ve been happening for years.
Shift happens. It happens once you establish a routine, find new hobbies, make connections with people, and embrace the experiences as they come.
A Typical Week
We try to balance the week so we aren’t completely running to something. We have settled on gym classes and coffee meet ups on MWF, organized sports on Tuesdays which is Netball for Pam and a walking group for Tom. We are taking Portuguese language private lessons. And on Fridays we meet up with a group called Tavira Friends for coffee.
People Around Town
There are a few regulars we see around town.
- The old man that stands on the corner of the Muxagata gelato hut in the early morning.
- The man in the wheelchair you run into everywhere often seen with a lady and a dog.
- A couple different buskers — a guy with a guitar, a few guys with accordians.
- The man selling bracelets on the the bridge.
- The guys hoping for some spare change (sitting outside of Lidl and the minipreço) .
- The dancing and clapping guy that comes to the free concerts and dances in front of the stage (mostly at the lively concerts).
- Recently we have seen some more pushy people like the guy that showed me his withered leg that had missing pieces of flesh.
It doesn’t happen a lot but anytime anyone starts bothering me, I go stand by a group of old Portuguese ladies. Usually one has a cane and I’m pretty sure she is not afraid to use it.
Presépio
Bombeiros is the Portuguese word for firefighters but oftentimes we hear it used as a place. It makes perfect sense for me to say “We went to Bombeiros to see their Nativity Scene.” What I’m saying is that we went to the firehouse. We took the short walk up to Bombeiros (pronounced Bomb-bear-oooosh) and were “greeted” by the resident german shepherd. The dog not entirely welcoming truth be told, but eventually became satisfied that we received sufficient warning.
We went inside and immediately I saw a Christmas Tree made out of fire hoses. A few more steps in and we see this expansive display! It reminded me of mini town in Legoland, complete with Easter eggs (like a guy going potty under the bridge).
Up Next
We have bikes now, so we plan to do some exploring! Our first trips were fairly close, to ferry dock and to the next village to the west of us. We are going to attempt to ride to the next village to the east of us (Cabanas) or maybe further up to Cacela Velha soon.
Follow for More
It is not so much of “follow for more” than a “check back for more.” Love to hear from you, so drop a comment on this post.
- For our day-to-day, see our weekly blog posts.
- For the confusing & embarrassing experiences check out the Daily Life post.
- Read these posts to learn about the Long Stay Process.
- For more pictures, follow me on Instagram @pama.rammy
