Two Sides of the Coin

What We Like — and Dislike — about Portugal

By: Bruce Joffe

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

It’s been well over six years now since we relocated to Portugal from the USA, time enough to evaluate our life and experiences here.
Overall, we do love Portugal—for what it is, not for what it’s not.
Too many people focus on the reasons why they’re leaving their homelands, rather than why they’ve chosen to live in another country. Some people are thrilled to acculturate and absorb Portuguese culture; others, however, are unable to adapt to the ways of their adopted country, and shuttle back and forth as foster children… ultimately deciding that Portugal isn’t for them.
It’s neither my place nor my business to judge people’s motives when determining where to live. What I can do is simply to point out what we like and dislike about Portugal living.
Please bear in mind that we live in villages and smaller towns in central and border Portugal … not in Lisbon, Porto, or other coastal cities. For us, it’s the Alentejo, rather than the Algarve.