Bit scary ...... ???

My wife and I have lived here since 2003 (we were essentially `medical evacuees` - Gawd Bless that heart attack!). In addition to many other countries and locations for our gettout, we also looked at the Algarve, where we had previously holidayed (but beyond our finances even at that time, a happenchance subsequently considered fortunate to say the least) but even a quick re-examination confirmed a decline there in the direction of all things too good not to be boasted about at this juncture.

Each to their own, of course, but WE also decided to emigrate, as opposed to setting up shop in some insular British enclave akin to the Costas.

We lived for five years in our originally selected -and pretty well idyllic- abode before moving a full 20 miles to effect `trade in` of our 2-storey rural property for a slightly more urban bungalow which we believed would ultimately be better suited to our advancing years. We remain within 30 miles of Leiria (from whence, incidentally, Chelsea had snatched a certain less-than-fully-formed `special one` prior to our arrival!). The following comments are therefore the result of personal experience and observation, and are reasonably parochial, albeit that the traditional Portuguese `localisation` is itself being rapidly snaffled up by at least the spirit of commercially driven globalisation.

In point of fact, the latter-day speed of advances has been truly astounding.

From there being ONE recognisable Mall (“Coimbra Shopping”, which seemed to service most of the Central Portugal Brit community then largely based 15 miles away at Lousa, and from where -on a good day- you just might have been able to buy one of those new-fangled sliced loaf things!), there are now new-build shopping centres galore, including not one, but two state-of-the-art examples in that very same Coimbra.
“Queenborough” itself, incidentally, is an ancient national capital, and still the University and Medical `centre` of Portugal. However, along with breads, cheeses, speciality meals and indigenopus wines, nearly every area here has it’s own `local` selection of supermarkets ranging from sizable Iberian chains to Lidl and Spar-type supermercados as augmentees of the long-standing Ronnie Barker open-all-hours variety of live-ins.

Pretty well all selling sliced bread too, these days, though not necessarily always quite as we would know it! 

Yes, recession IS a factor, but here (the Silver Coast district of Central Portugal), the locals’ can -& do- ride it well.

For we “emigrantes” (Portuguese for `non local-residents`, applying equally to US here and to THEIR OWN, subsequently ensconced anywhere else)- the bigger factor is likely to be exchange rates; but local residents are largely self-sufficient, of subsistence stock, and have never really depended on `outside` produce anyway. 

A distinctive gap exists between rural and urban communities. For instance, folk in the former are mostly without cars other than the odd motorbike or tractor, and with a dearth of public transport, they use the local markets; where -however regrettably- us lot would by-and-large go for the better variety and value perceived in town centres and shops. Municipal markets are frequent and produce is fresh, pretty well organic (certainly not irradiated), and retaining natural smells and tastes that WE sometimes have to re-call from our memories.

As for energy-efficiency……

Each of our houses was constructed towards the end of the 20th Century; and each is sound. Each, however, is single-brick wall construction (adequate, possibly even preferable in the summer heat) although the further North you get, such construction is often traditionally compensated for by having living area walls additionally `clad` with ceramic tiles on the outside - an arrangement now not practical since new-build Regs require, amongst other `green` credentials, double-shelling AND a layer of polystyrene filler. Depending on your age, incidentally, the true extent of your pioneering spirit, and your pluck; you may wish to -and without doubt in the country, you’ll be able to- go in for a bit of the `good life` but again, you won’t be doing that for financial reasons; there’s hardly a need – the two of us probably live, absolutely `all in`, on no more than £15000 a year - and I can’t remember the last time we had two back-to-back July or August days when we weren’t in the 30`s.

So lastly, fellow-Brits and others.

(& notwithstanding my earlier comment), some final observations.

Both when we moved here, and e few years ago when we re-located, we were given to understand that our respective `new` homes would not be “within ten miles of other English speakers”. In neither case was that strictly true, although the principle was sound. After about two years, we did discover ONE other (a Norwegian man, married to a Dublin girl & subsequently naturalised Irish – which was definitely not the worst thing that could have happened to him!) close to the village where we first lived (Casais de San Jorge); and here, in Lourical, our closest British neighbours now -following the departure of a family who had been renting in the town- are about five miles away - although we have recently been told that a growing number of Brits are based in and around towns of Coimbrao and Bijouca, a few miles down and on either side of the Leiria road.

At no time here have we EVER felt on our own, let alone isolated. Apart from having said neighbours, the locals have always by nature been friendly and helpful -yet somehow reserved- and they have survived by dint of their friends and neighbours. The spirit of community is strong, and crime barely exists.

On the language thing, do remember that in all probability a native, say above the age of about 50, won’t ever have attended secondary school – dictator Salazar’s regime didn’t end until the 1980`s. So although Portuguese is NOT an easy language to learn - and to-days school-leavers will have been taught English in school, but large numbers of them don’t take it all that seriously, and those who do tend to `move away` as early as possible - where there’s a will there’s a way; and there is and there is!

Last two words.  DO IT!