Home Again in Portugal

The D-7 Resident Visa for Portugal is lengthy, frustrating, confusing, challenging and frustrating.  Did I mention frustrating?  Some of you may be interested in how to apply for a Visa.  We started the process in May 2021 with several emails, zoom calls and WhatsApp calls to Portugal to obtain our Fiscal Number (identification number used for most everything). 

We needed to establish a Portuguese Bank Account (we have a "Personal Banker" with Millennium Bank that we call directly), search for housing online (lots of emails back and forth with the rental agency) and finally consult with the lawyer to help us word the lease to meet the Visa requirements.  After gathering a few more documents - three months of bank account statements, notorized driver's license (we used an online notary because the person needed to be certified in our state of residence, Texas, and we were not there.  Works great by the way!), FBI background checks (in an unopened envelope), travel health insurance (expensive due to our age) and a funded Portuguese bank account (that means moving dollars to euros and sending to Portugal).  

                                                  Portuguese Embassy Washington D.C.

Whew!  Once all this was assembled, we overnighted our packets to VFS Global, the international service to the Portuguese Embassy in Washington D.C.  VFS checks to be sure we have all of the required documents to support the application, and of course charge for this.  Then our application is sent to the Embassy where is sits.

We changed our flights twice while waiting and since our lease started October 1 we decided to fly to Portugal before our Visa was approved, using just our tourist passports.  The Embassy has 60 days to approve or deny the application and ours took 58 days!  

Wouldn't you know our Visas were approved 5 days after we arrived!  The next step was to send our passports to the D.C. Embassy so they could affix the Visas inside.  We debated on sending the passports from Portugal but figured it is basically illegal to be without a passport in a foreign country.  So....another "quick" flight to the U.S.A.  Since we have relatives in New Jersey that we didn't get to see before we left, we booked a flight and prepared to visit for 5 days while waiting for our passports to be returned to us by FedEx. 

                                                          (Nephew) Rick & Emily Cotton

                                                        J.C. doing his infamous jumps

  

Bradley Cooper- Mr. Cuddles

We had a nice ferry ride into New York on a very windy Saturday.

                                                      World Trade Center Memorial

But more frustration....Five days turned into 8 and we tried to call and email people who never answer....

FINALLY-SUCCESS!!

OK! Ready to fly back to Portugal....

                                                             Our Portuguese Visas

Then our flight from New York was marred by a 4-hour delay causing us to miss our connection from London to Faro, Portugal.  After being rebooked and sitting in the airport for 5 hours, we were denied boarding because the results of our Covid tests had not come through.  We had to stay overnight in London, get rapid Antigen tests at 6 a.m. and finally board an 8 a.m. flight to Lisbon (with another 5 hours layover) then on to Faro.  Yikes! Flying sure is more difficult these days.

Olhao

 

Ria Formosa (between the land) and the Atlantic Ocean

It feels very good to be HOME and back in our comfortable bed, our Portuguese TV channels and getting into the routine of life here.    

Saturday Produce Market-Jack getting a fresh deep fried churro 

to share with me (50 cents)

                                                         raspberries are still in season 

                                  Karen buying fresh shrimp for dinner-6 jumbo shrimp for $4.00

                                                                 Our shopping for the week

 

popular O Preoco Certo (Price is Right) game show (that's the host with suspenders he is a comedian and has been on this show since 2003) of course only in Portuguese (but it is easy to follow)

                                                        Laundry drying on our balcony

                       Karen has a appointment for manicure & pedicure 15 euros (about $17)

                                                        Karen's first Portuguese Dinner

Portuguese Shrimp and Chorizo

Putting down roots

 Our second week in Olhão, Portugal and we are trying to “settle in”-well that’s a stretch! 

This has been a week of new learning for us, from garbage to new foods to learning some necessary “survival” Portuguese words.

The garbage/trash is (apparently) provided by the municipality and receptacles are located  within the neighborhoods.  Our area is about a block away next to a small green space.  

There are three large metal bins-blue (cardboard/paper), green (glass), yellow (plastics, metal & aluminum) PLUS there are several large metal containers for organic waste that is “dropped” underground. I don’t know how it works but it sure is efficient.  

We have a local market, Pingo Doce, about two blocks away that is very adequate.  We have found most everything we need there but there are also several larger grocery stores and variety/home stores within a 15 minute walk.  We purchased our “granny trolley” to haul our groceries.  

It’s a bit challenging over the cobblestones but works great.  I did my first shopping that included 4 bottles of wine which is a whole lot easier to transport!  I must say I prefer the small “hole-in-the-wall” little shops to find what I need.  I can’t figure it out but they open on different days and different times.  The stops are totally undistinguishable unless the door is open and items hanging by the entrance.  

Olhão is famous for it’s MARKET, or daily fish market and the weekly produce market, both inside and outside along the quayside (pronounced “kee-side”).  

We had a visit from another American expat, Cindy, who took the train from her town about 30 minutes away.  

Pumpkin-a vegetable that’s very plentiful 

The Aguardente de Medronhos is a strong spirit, a traditional fruit brandy from Portugal, obtained from the fruit of the Medronho tree 

Commonly called “strawberry tree”

Tastes sort of like a peach or pear  

We enjoyed wandering the produce market being mesmerized by unknown vegetables, fruit and fish.  

Octopus-very popular here

black scabbardfish-It has an elongated, eel-like body.

These are anchovies that are raw

Figs and almonds must be in season as the market is full of sweets.  One of the special cakes made in Olhão called Folar are “signed” by the baker! It is made with honey and is so dense

it is sold by weight!

Chewy fig & almonds

We have been trying to learn some words and sentences in Portuguese.  Of course the common words of please, thank you, hello, and good morning go a long way.  But we are also trying to add to our conversation some sentences: “we would like…” and “I like the…” It’s fun to see the expressions and giggles when we make a fool of ourselves trying to pronounce these words!  What we really find is that many of the shopkeepers and restaurant servers speak basic to very good English (and French and German).

And finally our experience with waiting…..Portugal is known for friendly people and slow bureaucracy.  Rather than go to the business to transfer the electrical and water into our names, our rental agency says they arrange to have a representative meet us at their office.  But it’s been “tomorrow” or “Friday” or “next week” always with a smile.  Our internet took a week to have the technician come to our apartment and now there needs to be additional fiber cables installed on the building that will take “a week”, or maybe “two weeks” or “oh, could be longer”.  Our expectations of what efficiency is has definitely taken on a slower pace and nobody seems to mind.  What a pleasure!

Quince fruit?