We offer here a few impressions of Portugal as we perceive it:
Let us say right away, that Mo and I have been so happy and comfortable here that we would seriously think about returning to live on the Algarve on a longer term basis. In fact, we scarcely pass a likely ruin or lovely villa without thinking. Only our determination to carry on with Plan A and see more of the world is stopping us.
It is without a doubt an exceptionally pleasant country in which to live. The people are great, and relaxed. The weather has been wonderful. It is not as expensive as other parts of Europe that we already know.
Maybe we have been very lucky. We have seen the Algarve with not too many tourists. The number of British, a lot of whom are settled out here, is a bit off putting! We have had a wonderfully sunny winter. But there is more to it than that.
Sailing down the coast, calling at certain ports, one is considerably put off by the bureaucracy, and we are members of the EU! However, the atmosphere on the Algarve seems much more relaxed. The Portugese are almost invariably polite and pleasant, though not as cheerfully optimistic as their neighbours the Spanish. Indeed, in many cases they come over as rather dour.
If however, you want to get things done, it can be more difficult! It seems that organisation is not a strong point. Events are rarely properly advertised, and you simply have to find out as best you can.
Chasing the Portugese can apparently be counter productive. Things will take their own time. Our friends Jim and Jan are in the process of settling in Portugal, and have found it very difficult. Importing a car (particularly a classic MG) is fraught with problems. They have decided to establish some businesses in Silves, and needed a license to open a shop. Could they get it in time for the advertised opening? No! They are also trying to acquire a building plot with a ruin, and the transaction is taking ages to get through the approvals necessary to re-build on the site. One of the issues is that land is not registered, but passes down families (often unrecorded), so that any one parcel may have multiple owners.
People who have had cause to use the medical services have been most impressed with the efficiency and effectiveness, though who could afford ordinary glasses out here beats me!
From our parochial point of view, there is an abundance of food at reasonable prices, the fruit is out of this world, and we have been enjoying wine from as low as 79 centimos a bottle (60 pence) with a very acceptable scotch costing just 4 Euros 85 at Lidl.
Venturing into the countryside, as we have done on our bikes and by train, you cannot help but notice that a lot of the agricultural infrastructure is closed down. The market for oranges has apparently been taken by the Spanish, so the majority of beautiful oranges appear to be left on the trees until they fall off and rot on the ground. There are a lot of small holdings with a little market gardening or other activity, but no farms on the scale we know them. Many of the farm buildings have been allowed to become derelict ruins, and orchards have gradually returned to their natural sparse and scrubby state.