Bom Dia do Olhão, Portugal! Olá! Como estás ?

 

(we do not have internet yet so I am using wifi at a cafe-apologize for errors...)

 

 If you know some Spanish you can probably recognize these words…BUT when I hear them spoken it sounds more like Russian!  There are more shhh and essh sounds which makes the language so difficult.  (ex: Como estás is pronounced like one word “comstash”).  But it is certainly fun trying.  Never fear though, Portugal is ranked 7^th in the world for people speaking English so we get by.  Our first few days have been exhausting, challenging, and confusing yet at the same time interesting, enriching, safe, and joyous.  We have navigated getting our home internet/TV/cell phone sim card/home phone set up (all together about $60 month), finding our bank to apply for a debit card, locating free wifi at the local cafes and doing our first small shopping for items we couldn’t bring.

But back to the beginning….Our flights were long, totaling 40 hours of travel through 4 countries. We flew from Portland, OR to Dallas,TX then over the pond to Amsterdam, then London and finally to Faro International Airport about 30 minutes west of Olhão (pronounced ol-OW).  Fortunately we had between 2-4 hours layovers at each stop so we were never rushed.  I must admit the choosing of Business Class seats was smart as we boarded first, were fed well, and were able to comfortably sleep-yes even on a plane!

Our rental unit in Olhão is a totally remodeled one-bedroom condo/apartment in a 4 story building right in the middle of the historic “fisherman’s old town”.  We found this home through an online leasing platform and signed a one-year lease (which was required for our visa).  It has turned out even better than we anticipated in that it is as if we moved into a newly built building (but it’s probably old) that is completely furnished down to the towels and kitchen utensils!  In Portugal each apartment/condo is individually owned so we rent directly from the owner.  We have a locked street entrance door that leads into the landing, a large elevator to the 2^nd floor (actually the 3^rd because the first floor is called the ground floor), and there are only 4 apartments on each floor. Our long address identifies where we live:  Rua Carlos da Maia (the street), Edificio Grémio (building on Grémio Square), 43-2°Trás (#43-2^nd floor rear).  Once inside we have a camera and buzzer to admit people at the street door.  The apartments are identified not by number or letter but by “right, left, front and rear” and we have two large sliding doors with a balcony that faces the church.  The area is on a quiet side street and since we face the back side there is no car or walking noise.  Oh… but there is the church that we see and the bells that ring hourly and play a short corallione at odd times (like 5:30 pm).  Maybe one of our Catholic friends can shed some light on this for us.  One night we listened to a live performer on a nearby hotel rooftop bar.  The oddest thing is the big black Portuguese water dog (?) that lives in the building across the “alley”.  He is let out and scampers up two floors of an outside cement staircase to reach the rooftop where maybe there is grass? I guess he’s done this since he was a pup.

Our landlady lives next door and seems quite nice, although she doesn’t speak any English so we do the international hand gestures, smiles and nodding of heads.   I discovered we have a manual for the washing/dryer machine in English but haven’t used it yet.  We’ll also need instruction on using the Nespresso coffee machine and the stove with its induction touch-screen ceramic cooking surface.  We haven’t done any meal prep yet (by day 4) because the restaurants are delightful and very reasonably priced and we LOVE to eat.    

This is a major fishing port so every restaurant serves daily caught fish prepared in just about any method plus a variety of basic beef dishes. The “Prato do dia” (daily special) is our preference because we don’t have to decipher the menu!  We have had fried mixed fish plate, at least 6 whole small fish, served with rice & sliced tomatoes; meat empanada which turned out to be like a shepherd pie with a lettuce salad; and a “schnitzel-like” veal with fries and, of course lettuce salad with tomatoes and sliced onion. 

 

 These meals are always more than we can finish and cost between 6-8 euros each (about $7.50 - $9.50).  They usually include wine or beer and espresso and of course fresh French bread with a small bowl of olives.  

 

 Today we tried the restaurant in Grémio Square outside our condo called Via e Volta.  It is only open for lunch and is packed each day.  No wonder…at 13€ for “all-you-can-eat” grilled fish with sides of sweet potatoes and boiled golden potatoes, chopped tomato salad, and a delicious dish of garlicy milk soaked bread (that’s the best I can describe).  And course olives & bread. 

Since we only had to walk 50 meters back to our condo, we happily consumed a liter of white wine and finished with an espresso.  All this was 33€  together (gratuity is included but we topped the bill up with 1,60€). Customers spoke Portuguese, German, French, British English and American English and the chef/staff conversed in all these languages!  What a delight and I’m sure we will become regulars.  

 Okay enough about the food.

 

 

Olhão is a small city/town with about 44,000 people that dates back to 1378 and played a major role in the struggles again Napoleon’s invading troops and ancient maritime industry.  Since we are in the “old town” it feels much smaller with a warren of narrow, twisting streets.  We won’t have a car but can walk within 5-15 minutes to the local grocery store, bank, department stores, and sports fields and other necessary shops.  The long water’s edge embarcadero is lined with restaurants and the huge daily fish mercado and produce market is always the morning bustle.  (more on that in another post).

 

The old streets and “sidewalks” in are cobblestones which can make walking a bit tough on the feet and calves.  We enjoy wandering the narrow streets without getting lost because we are always close to the boat docks even after dark.  The square-sided white houses (or “cubes” which is what the fisherman homes were called) have windows and parapets edged iron laced railings.  Some of the second stories are now converted into two flats.  Many have original wooden shutters, colored ornate wooden doors and the typical Portuguese Azuelijos (ceramic tiles) on the exterior.  Even the old, ramshackled buildings that aren’t yet remodeled have charm.

 

After the first few days we are settling into a slower pace watching some Portuguese TV (horrible old game shows) and catching up on sleep.  Our landlady treated us with three kinds of small cakes, fruit, wine & beer as we moved in so we are fine for a few days.  Now to go find some free wifi and another espresso.

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