Category: Uncategorized
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Esquires Coffee, Porto
The Best Way to Begin Your Day in Porto The day is quickly approaching for my return to the US to complete my long-term visa application. In this blog, I’m bidding “See you when I return” to the team at Esquires Coffee. I was surprised to learn that it’s a franchise, because it doesn’t feel…
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Ribeira: On the Edge of the Douro
The image above is a view from Ribeira across the river to Vila Nova de Gaia, where the famous port wineries are located. Here’s another video attempt, from my walk down in the Ribeira district. Ribeira is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Happy Halloween
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October Update
Back to Porto, Moving In Wow, it’s almost a month since my last post from Figueira da Foz. A lot and not much has happened. I came back to Porto on Saturday, October 1, the day I was told I would be given keys to my apartment, even though the contract was not yet signed.…
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A Great Place for French Fries
Núcleo Museológico do Sal Both of the Airbnbs I’ve lived in provided a little jar of rough sea salt in the kitchen. It’s better than the store brands I’m used to, with a sweet tang that amps up the flavor of any dish. The Núcleo Museológico do Sal is a museum here in Figueira da…
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The Beach at Buarcos
It was a beautiful week and I repeatedly found myself asking how I got so lucky and blessed to be experiencing it. My Airbnb is in Buarcos, a civil parish in the Figueira da Foz Municipality, according to Wikipedia. As best I can tell, Buarcos was a small fishing village and Figueira da Foz has…
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Emigrants, Immigrants, Laundries, and Cornbread
This blog was written in August, in Porto, before I left for Figueira da Foz. The lavandeira, or laundromat, that I go to is clean and fully automated. You don’t even have to add soap. The touch screen commands are in Portuguese, French, English and Spanish. It happily consumes whatever size bill you insert and…
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Figueira da Foz
Unedited video at 9:20 AM, in all it’s amateur glory.View post to subscribe to site newsletter.
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Seeking the Palacio de Cristal
Mischief and Delusion Afoot The plan for my Sunday morning walk was to visit the gardens of the Palácio de Cristal, or Crystal Palace. The original crystal palace that was modeled after the Crystal Palace in London is long gone, but attractive gardens and views of the river remain. Having studied the location on my…
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Apartment Found!
Too many seekers. Too few places. That’s the rental market in Porto. It’s like a massive flock of seagulls are circling and for every possible nest, a hundred birds dive for it. In most of the US, if there is a shortage of buildings, we just bulldoze more land and slap up some cheap monstrosities,…
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A Dangerous Place
August 12, 2022 Above, image from Shop Portugal website. Another long walk, and a stop for an espresso and a Pasteis de Nata. They are a perfect match. I meandered to the bookstore that I visited four years ago. It had a good vibe then, and its magnetic force pulled me back. This time I…
Mamie Moves to Portugal 