Expat Community > Portugal

fourspells
Joined 2014
Posts: 18

Liking Portugal more than expected

10 years ago

Portugal is 1st World all the way. I found that they lacked nothing we already have here in the United States. The only thing we didn't quite nail was finding a meal, although cheap, that blew our socks off. I'm sure they're out there somewhere and perhaps we missed it. The comforting thing is going to the supermarkets. Inside, they had most everything I needed to cook what I like to eat. I had heard the people in Portugal were kind and we found it to be true. Some folks went out of their way to help us, and I found it both surprising and refreshing, and sadly foreign compared to where I live. For example, on our way out of this enormous shopping mall in LIsbon, we failed to pay the small fee for the underground parking. The parking garage design had forgetful people like us in mind, however. And fortunately, we were able to ease out of line gracefully without backing up other shoppers who wanted to exit. In the meantime a parking attendant spotted us coming back around the massive parking area. And as I stood in line to pay the parking fee, he'd popped out of nowhere announcing in English.."I'm going to help you pay for your parking" He gently guided me through the steps on the machine, then hopped on his motorized parking cart, then simply vanished into thin air. It was also humbling for us being in another country among the people and not being sure of what's offensive and not knowing their language. I admit to complaining about things written in Spanish in the states. I often complained about it, demanding everybody here should stop and learn the language... as if this happens in a day. But boy, were we ever so happy to find pretty much everything written in English as well as Portuguese. And I promised God, I would never be so flippant to complain again. Now the challenge is to be more mindful to help strangers trying to navigate through my own country, while I'm here. Overall, we found Portugal a welcoming, delightful, warm sunny place. Looking forward to coming back.

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Living in Portugal Guide

Our Living in Portugal Guide is a primer on everything about living in Portugal: best places to live, cost of living, pros and cons, healthcare and insurance, obtaining a driver's license, how to bring your pet with you and more.

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Join our Portugal forum to meet other expats and talk about living in Portugal.

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Additional Information:

Visit our Portugal Index for a Full List

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Liking Portugal more than expected

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