Communities, Infirmities

On Saturday May 24 we went to the Braga Romana festival in the nearby city of Braga with our friends Maayan and Dan.  Most of the historic old town is converted into stages and booths with an ancient Roman theme, in keeping with the ancient heritage of the city.  We mostly strolled around, appreciating the costumes, the still-existing Roman ruins, and the vendors, and listened a little to a performance of Roman music.  It sounded so ancient, and reminded us of the vast expanse of time that Braga has seen.

Braga Romana street scene

And another

The following day we learned that the daughter of a friend was performing with her ballet class at the Ponte de Lima Science, Technology, and Education fair which was wrapping up that day.  So that afternoon we headed down to the ExpoLima center, where we had been for the loureiro wine fair a week or so earlier, and enjoyed the performance.  It was so moving to watch all those kids, aged about 8 through high school, in their beautiful costumes, performing the dances they had worked so long and hard on.  We loved all of it, from the fresh-faced little kids up through the grown ones.  We were happy, proud, and choked up to be there applauding for them.  

This was just another example of how close-knit the community is here, how everyone supports everyone else, and how there are festivals, parades, spectacles, and gatherings all the time.  Maybe we would have found this in the US too if we'd looked for it, but here it seems such a part of daily life.  The Science, Technology, and Education fair was really interesting too.  We wandered up and down the aisles after the ballet performance, impressed with the booths, and we had fun watching the obstacle course and the zip-line outside too.

Zip line

Rock climbing wall (with safety rope)

Obstacle course

The weather has gotten quite hot and clear here at the end of May, up to about 32 C (90 F).  Gerrit clambered back onto the roof to start patching the leaks in the skylights we found during the last rainy period.

Pat has tried her hand at pastel de nata now, that legendary Portuguese pastry which we raved about here.  It was wonderful!  Her custard and pastry were first class and worthy of Manteigaria. We will be bringing some to a pot-luck dinner coming up here in a few days (at Maayan's, who had gifted the pastry cups to Pat, so that's fitting.)

On May 29 we had a lift technician out to move the lift control box out of sight.  (When Gerrit originally told them where to put it he was not paying attention to aesthetics.)  The tech was a gentle and soft-spoken man and did a careful, good job.  He spoke only Portuguese, so Gerrit got a little opportunity to try out his language with him.

An aluminum patio chair broke, so we took it out to the metal fabricators who had built and installed our railings.  They re-welded it while we waited and chatted with the wife of the owner.  Total repair cost: 5 € ($5.67).  You start developing a real bond with people when you bring them business and referrals, treat them with respect and appreciate their work, and they are more than fair and friendly with you in return.  We're developing a list of go-to places like this, and building new friendships in the process.

Gung Ho Gerrit overdid it on the rowing machine, hyperextending his left knee with very painful results.  The pain came on gradually, as it can do in these cases, and now he can barely walk.  Time for a helping of RICE: rest, ice, compression, and elevation.  Just when there is so much to do outside!

And Pat is suffering from an allergic reaction to Portuguese mosquitoes.  Their bites swell and weep, even without her touching them (which is agonizing since they itch so badly).  They got her on the cheek, nose, and chin here.  A nurse has recommended an over-the-counter cream which we'll look for today, along with a compression bandage for Gerrit.

(As usual, you can click on any photo to enlarge it, scroll through them all, and click outside a photo when you're done.  Also, you can click on the bold underlined phrases to play the audio.)

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Springtime in Ponte de Lima

On Tuesday May 13 we went to a nice seafood restaurant in Viana do Castelo with our friends Maayan and Dan, to celebrate our anniversary.  That's the seaside city about 20 minutes away, and the restaurant was a cozy and unpretentious place with fabulous food.  We had an awesome seafood platter similar to what we had some time ago in Matosinhos, with a huge variety of seafood, and we all had a great time.  And this time we remembered to Instagram it before we dug in.

We've got a few irons in the fire right now: working on acquiring some adjoining land, getting the pool whipped into shape, remodeling the garage to add a guest room, moving the stair lift control box so it is out of sight, getting solar panels installed, starting up our post-residency applications, and hiring a gardener.  Yes, all at once, and none of it makes very interesting reading.  We'll report on whatever turns out to be photogenic (or blogogenic).

We did take the morning off on Monday May 19 to check out the Ponte de Lima biweekly market though.  It's a sprawling market very similar to the one in Espinho which we described in this post  back in September, but not as large.  Everything from clothing to crafts to sausage to vegetables was there and we had a good time browsing.

Garbage and recycling (G & R) here in Ponte de Lima and back in Vila Nova de Gaia is different than we're used to in the US.  There is no curbside pickup.  Households are responsible for taking their G & R to one of many local depositories, where recyclables are segregated into types and trash goes in a dumpster.  At first we thought that would be a messy nuisance, but we quickly got used to it.  In Gaia we would take our G & R half a block, near the grocery store when we'd go shopping, and it's similar here in Ponte de Lima but we drive instead of walking.  It's really no problem, and not much more difficult than taking your garbage cans to the curb and back on garbage day in the US.  So it's just a normal part of life for us now.  There is also no such thing as "the dump", or transfer station either.  If you have large garbage, almost no matter what, you just leave it next to the dumpster and the weekly truck picks it up (if a neighbor hasn't snapped it up first).  That's actually more convenient and less wasteful than in the US.

On our way to do some shopping the other day, we pulled up to a G & R depository just as the garbage truck was about to leave.  We jumped out to leave a large, heavy box of cardboard scraps with them.  As Gerrit began dragging it to the back of the truck, the driver motioned for him to wait.  He pulled the truck up a little, and the guys on back jumped off to take our stuff.  "Tudo cartão" (all cardboard) Gerrit told them about the big box, and they took all our other stuff from Pat too, with smiles as they drove off.  Just a nice little snapshot of how things work around here.

The big box of cardboard actually came from a barbecue which Gerrit just got.  He loved his Weber in the US (he says they really are better), and when Pat saw one come on sale we scooted down and bought it.  We really made good use of our new lift getting the monstrously heavy box upstairs, and Pat put it together while Gerrit wept over the hideous forms needing filling out to get our goods shipped from the US.  The BBQ is a beauty, and Gerrit is looking forward to roasts, chicken, ribs, and fish this summer.  It's a Portuguese tradition to grill whole sardines, or larger fish which have been split lengthwise, with nothing but olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Gerrit has been using the broiler in the house oven to simulate that, with tasty results, but a real grill with real wood smoke will be ever so much better.  He will try to resurrect his favorite America's Test Kitchen rib rub with local ingredients too.

And the guest room project, which started off as a bungalow and morphed into a garage remodel, is out of gas again.  We had a project manager working on it with us, but we just couldn't make it work to our satisfaction.  We do have two guest rooms available now in the main house, but we want to convert one to an office and hobby room and still have a second guest room available so we can host two families at once, but the plug has been pulled on all that again.  Next time we'll get it right.

And it is springtime in Ponte de Lima!  Here are some photos of our garden.	Beautifully colored succulents we have in several places
This vine is wonderfully fragrant in the late afternoon	Our ipê tree had gorgeous yellow blossoms which led to these furry coffee-colored pods
This tree is at the upper end of the driveway and is beautifully fragrant in bloom	Also in the front is this yucca-like plant which is now producing lovely big fluffy seed pods.

(As usual, you can click on any photo to enlarge it, scroll through them all, and click outside a photo when you're done.  Also, you can click on the bold underlined phrases to play the audio.)

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Loureiro Festival

On Friday May 9 our official Portuguese residency cards arrived by registered mail, exactly one week after our immigration authority meeting!  Don't let them tell you otherwise: Portugal has the fastest bureaucracy ever.  Well, at least this time.  Now we can start on the other things requiring residency, like moving our belongings from the US.

Saturday and Sunday May 10 and 11 were two of three days of a vinho verde celebration at the Ponte de Lima expo center.  We went down for some Portuguese street food and a little tour of the offerings from a dozen or so regional vineyards.  The Ponte de Lima area is serious about its vinho verde grape growing and wine making, specifically the Loureiro grape (celebrated here).  There are several grape varieties which can be used in vinho verde, often blended together, but Loureiro is king in Ponte de Lima.  There are at least 40 winemakers in the Lima river valley, all making vinho verde, and about 20 of them were represented at the event.

The first day we didn't realize we could just get little tastes at the winemaker booths.  The offerings listed were only for glasses and bottles, so it didn't take long for us to be done with tasting.  We saw others getting little tastes though, so the next day we asked for that and tried many other wines.  Most of them were very good, and there was a surprising difference between vintage years.  But sadly the wines from our home village of Calheiros were the most disappointing.  We bought several bottles of our favorites, and had these dishes of a mixed grill for lunch.  Vegetables were on the menu that evening at home.

Part of the fun of the day was approaching a vendor and starting off in Portuguese.  Then we nodded and pretended to understand their reply from the occasional word we would get.  Usually that led to a mixture of Portuguese and English and a warm reception.  We tried pronunciation and got coaching, we asked what things meant, and the vendors really appreciated our efforts.  There was an older American guy there who just shambled up to the booths and started speaking English, not asking if they spoke it, assuming that the world revolved around him.  Embarrassing.

About 3 PM on both days the entertainment began: cooking shows, an accordion band, an ABBA tribute band, an excellent classical guitarist, and many others.  Fortunately we missed the ABBA band, but Gerrit was quite overcome by the guitarist and had to sit for a while trying not to cry at the beauty.  Pat captured a little snatch of the guitarist's performance here:

Ponte de Lima is a famous equestrian center also, with horse enthusiasts coming from all over Europe, and there were shows on the days we were there.  We watched some of the beautiful animals for a while.  Here are photos (from Facebook) of the equestrian center from the air and one of the competitors there.

(As usual, you can click on any photo to enlarge it, scroll through them all, and click outside a photo when you're done.  Also, you can click on the bold underlined phrases to play the audio.)

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Integrating, Moving In

There is a different feeling now that we are residents.  We feel more legitimate, like we're part of society.  It makes us more eager to learn the language and integrate more.  It makes us want to talk to people more.  

We introduced ourselves to the shepherd who grazes his sheep on our lower property and the neighbor's.  He has been doing some mysterious hoeing on the land nearby too.  We understood from him that he is foraging for some kind of edible, and that he is originally Swiss.  Didn't catch his name though.  But it's a start!  He is part of the neighborhood and we now have made his acquaintance (and know what the hoeing is all about).

On Saturday May 3 Gerrit had a coffee date with a friend from one of our expat groups, Christoph, at the local hangout Café Martins.  They had a great time together, and Gerrit brought him up to the house afterwards to show him around.  At the café Gerrit was joking and conversing a little with Manuela, the proprietress there.  There was much bungled Portuguese from Gerrit, but they made a connection and had fun.  Gerrit also learned that "Dona" is a term of respect only for old ladies.  His greeting to "Dona Manuela" was met with disdain, as Manuela insisted on only "Manuela".  "Menina Manuela", she joked, or "girl Manuela".  Gerrit had a great time (and he has so much to learn).

On Tuesday May 6 our lift finally arrived for installation, and it's a beauty.  We had a dentist appointment while the installers were at work, so as we left Gerrit said "Everything okay here?  We go to dentist appointments.  Do you need anything?  We will return in one or one and a half hours."  All in Portuguese, all from memory (but silently rehearsed beforehand).  Woo hoo!  He finds it rewarding when someone nods their head after he says something.

At the dentist we were told the doctor wasn't there today.  Just the day before we had replied to a text from the office to confirm our appointments, but today there was no doctor.  Sick?  We don't know.  So we headed back home and told the workers in Portuguese "No doctor!  Sick today." to which one guy shook his head and replied "This is Portugal."  Hah!  We're rolling with it.

The installed lift looks and works great, and it will be very helpful getting heavy loads up and down the stairs.  Pat and I joyrode on it for a while as the installers explained how it worked.  We all joked around in a pidgin of Portuguese and English too.  The wind doesn't exactly whistle through your hair on the trip; it takes about a minute to chug along from one end to the other.  It's got a nice large platform for big loads (even wheelchairs), or a fold-down seat and safety belt for passengers.

We've noticed on many occasions now that the Portuguese tend to explain everything three or four times.  We nod, give thumbs up, repeat it back, and say we understand, and then they explain it again.  Maybe it's a cultural thing, they think we're just being polite, or maybe they worry that they're not getting through the language barrier.  Their concern is very sweet, and by the time they're done we really really really understand.

The evening of Wednesday May 7 we went to our expat gathering at the lovely craft beer bar in downtown Ponte de Lima.  The weather was pleasant and we all sat outside, having a great time.  Suddenly a pigeon dive-bombed the back of our friend Maayan's head (we think it was trying to land there), and she cried out and swept it away.  It fumbled down onto the table and took flight, directly toward Gerrit, crashing into his dark beer and dumping the whole glass in his lap!  Clumsiest pigeon ever.  Too bad everyone was too shocked to take a picture, it was quite a sight.  Even after mopping up the mess with napkins, Gerrit had a cold and sticky, er, lap the rest of the evening.

Thursday May 8 was our 15th anniversary, so we went out for a nice lunch.  We are adopting the southern European style of a substantial dinner-like lunch and a light dinner, which is suiting us well.  We headed to a new restaurant for us, but couldn't find it even with the help of Waze and Google Maps.  The closest we got seemed to require an approach by footpath, too, so we gave it up and returned to a local place which is about to become our favorite go-to.  We had delicious horse mackerel and stewed goat (which may not sound appetizing, but it was wonderful) and a delightful conversation with the regular waitress Gabriela.  She spoke excellent English, which made it easy on us.  Here is a shot of our lunch.  What, you're supposed to do that BEFORE you eat it?  Oh, how embarrassing.

(As usual, you can click on any photo to enlarge it, scroll through them all, and click outside a photo when you're done.  Also, you can click on the bold underlined phrases to play the audio.)

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RESIDENTS!!

We had a huge thunderstorm the night of May 1, bright flashes and great crashes.  We were both awakened by it about 2 AM and didn't get much sleep until 5, when we got up to get ready for our big immigration meeting in a few hours.

We drove an hour and a half to the city of Vila Real and met our friend and fixer Rita there, who was to interpret for us and negotiate on our behalf if necessary.  Remember that we didn't know whether our appointments for May 2 were actually valid or not.  At 9 AM the AIMA office opened and the security guard at the door began checking people in by name.  We presented our emailed appointment notices to him, and Gerrit nervously peeked at the list of names he held.  We were on it!  He let us in, to our great relief.

The office consisted of only four little workstations manned by AIMA agents.  After a short wait we were called and presented all our paperwork.  Rita was marvelous and quick, smoothly interpreting with the agent who spoke only Portuguese.  The agent was pleasant and friendly, welcoming us to "come and retire to Portugal, where it is peaceful and the people are warm" with a smile.  She scanned our documents, took our biometrics, and within 15 minutes we were Portuguese residents.

Residency gives us many of the rights of citizens.  We have access to public services like health care and protection under Portuguese law.  As foreign residents we have the right to live in Portugal.  We have minimum annual residency time requirements, but can travel freely outside of that.  It puts us on a path to citizenship if we desire, too, in five years.  Citizens, in addition, can vote and hold passports, and can live, work, and retire freely in any EU country.

So hooray!  This residency meeting with AIMA was to have taken place two weeks after we arrived on June 25 of last year, but we have been waiting in limbo for almost a year since AIMA was hopelessly backlogged.  It is such a great relief to have this taken care of.  Now we can get driver's licenses, apply for public health care, get social security numbers, apply for a special tax regime, and start the process of shipping our stored belongings from the US.

(Also, Gerrit went through the teeth-grinding exercise of porting this entire blog and all his supporting programs for it because its audio library is being moved.  His internet service provider probably had a good reason for changing host locations, but it cost Gerrit hours of frustration and tedium.  By the time you see this post it will all be over and working flawlessly.  He hopes.)

(As usual, you can click on any photo to enlarge it, scroll through them all, and click outside a photo when you're done.  Also, you can click on the bold underlined phrases to play the audio.)

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