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Oregon\u2019s Crater Lake, a moment of clarity before a life-changing move|\u00a9iStock\/Michael Jagla<\/p>\n
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Discover why we love a slower pace of life in Portugal and info on other European countries in our daily postcard e-letter. Simply enter your email address below and we\u2019ll send you a FREE REPORT \u2013 Explore the Old World in Laidback Portugal.<\/p>\n
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By submitting your email address, you will receive a free subscription to IL Postcards, The Untourist Daily and special offers from International Living and our affiliates. You can unsubscribe at any time, and we encourage you to read more about our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n We had been thinking about expatriation for years. The more we vacationed in Europe<\/a>, the more we fell in love with its history, architecture, and culture. But where to go?<\/p>\n We deemed France <\/a>too expensive and could not find a suitable long-term rental in Spain.<\/a> With Keith\u2019s Portuguese heritage, we assumed (erroneously, it would turn out) that we would be on a fast track to dual citizenship. So, Portugal<\/a> it was.<\/p>\n By autumn, we were settled in a stone cottage on a quinta in the north of the country. Our six-month lease, required as a term of our visa, could have been extended, but as the cold, rainy winter wore on, we wanted a warmer, drier place to live.<\/p>\n A real estate agent in town leased us his seaside condo in Esposende<\/a> for a while, but when we realized we needed to improve our Portuguese, we moved south and rented a home in the castle town of Penela, half an hour from the University of Coimbra.<\/a> There, we took an intensive, five-week course that boosted our confidence and helped shop and restaurant owners better understand what we were saying.<\/p>\n Penela, where we built confidence\u2014and our Portuguese skills.|\u00a9Tricia Pimental<\/p>\n We wanted to stay in the large Spanish-style home with a pool and vineyard views in the hills above Penela. But the owner refused to commit to a long-term lease. We decided to move south again, about 30 miles northwest of Lisbon.<\/a><\/p>\n That rental was located on Estrada Municipal in the Zambujal neighborhood. It was basically single-family dwellings, several caf\u00e9s, and a couple of churches. But there was plenty in the nearby town of Mafra: supermarkets, gyms, bakeries, pharmacies, restaurants, hotels, green spaces, and, of course, the grand national palace.<\/p>\n Living in Zambujal led to one of the closest relationships we developed in Portugal.<\/p>\n Each morning, we walked down the road past vineyards to Caf\u00e9 Fagulha. \u201cFagulha\u201d means \u201cspark,\u201d and perfectly describes its owner. Lena, full of energy and mischief, treated us like family, including our Maltese, Carson, to whom she fed bits of ham and cheese. He developed quite a crush on her. Lena threw us birthday parties, made us dinner and desserts, and hosted gatherings in the caf\u00e9\u2019s backyard.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, we fell victim to what I call \u201cthe cranky canine connection.\u201d After about a year, we gave up trying to sleep, thanks to a large dog that barked for hours on the patio directly across from our bedroom.<\/p>\n We rented again, but eventually wanted to own. Rising property values in the area drove us to central Portugal. There we found an affordable five-bedroom quinta with a pool and a small vineyard. Our nearest neighbor was a shepherdess, whose sheep and goats grazed freely on our land.<\/p>\n Life was sweet. We improved the property, had our own grape harvest, or vindima, and entertained often. We named our home \u201cQuinta dos Sonhos\u201d because it truly felt like a dream\u2014until late 2019.<\/p>\n Keith at work in our vineyard at Quinta dos Sonhos.|\u00a9Tricia Pimental<\/p>\n My spouse\u2019s employer, for whom I had also worked for decades before retiring, experienced a rapid decline in physical and mental health. Overnight, we were relying solely on Social Security<\/a> and my writing income. It wasn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n It took a year to sell the quinta. Our next home was a motorhome, or autocaravana. We planned to buy land, live in it while building a log home, and then keep it as guest quarters. That plan fell through when we couldn\u2019t get permission to build on the land we had chosen. Agents told us, \u201cBuy now, confirm later!\u201d No way, we knew people who had ended up with unusable land.<\/p>\n We headed south to the Algarve,<\/a> put our belongings in storage, and parked ourselves, literally, in the city of Lagos<\/a>. I had never lived in a camper and wondered if I would survive. The truth? It was a piece of cake.<\/p>\n At Yelloh! Village<\/a>, we had access to pools, a restaurant, and a small grocery store. There was live entertainment on Saturday nights, and I played p\u00e9tanque a few afternoons each week with fellow campers. All this for $15 a day.<\/p>\n But when COVID-19 restrictions intensified, we risked major fines if we left the campground. Our residence cards showed an address in central Portugal, hundreds of kilometers from our actual location, which put us in violation of the rules. Suddenly, even stepping away from our space meant wearing a mask.<\/p>\n After 10 years in our Iberian idyll, we were watching our world crumble. That\u2019s when a friendly couple told us how different life was in Sweden.<\/p>\n Tricia in Stockholm, adapting to a very different climate.|\u00a9Tricia Pimental<\/p>\n Tired of battling Swedish winters, Anna and Roger were house hunting in Portugal. (They subsequently found their dream home and are living happily ever after in the south of the country.) They gave us a link to what they considered the best real estate website in Sweden, and in short order, Keith had chosen no fewer than 17 listings for me to check out in person.<\/p>\n ME? There was no way I was going to go cold\u2014pun intended\u2014to a country I\u2019d never been to and make the major decision to buy a house.<\/p>\n Three days later, I disembarked at Stockholm Arlanda Airport.<\/p>\n In the intervening time, I had dramatically reduced my list by eliminating properties that were land only. Who was going to build a home in December in snowy Sweden? That left me only a handful of houses to see. The second one stole my heart.<\/p>\n Five hours north of Stockholm, deep in the countryside, there were two houses on the 20-acre property: a 1906 farmhouse and a more modern structure built in the year of our marriage, 1992. It felt like a sign.<\/p>\n It was also a challenge. There were improvements to be made, including remodeling the farmhouse kitchen, replacing a malfunctioning potbelly stove, and sealing gaping crevices that had long invited rodents to lodge there.<\/p>\n Despite all that, our Scandinavian sojourn was outstanding. We put down roots quickly, contracting with a Swedish moving company that specialized in transporting goods to and from Portugal. Within a month, everything we owned was back in our possession. Our homes sat on a rise overlooking a lake, and we had our own forest. Thirty minutes away was a small town with a grocery store, bakery\/caf\u00e9, post office, school, library, and a restaurant\u2014civilization. An hour away was the city of Mora <\/a>in Dalarna County, with a population of roughly 10,100 and everything else we might need.<\/p>\n After a year, we moved from the newer house, which had electric heating, into the farmhouse, where we relied on fireplaces. In winter, we would come downstairs and crank up the antique cast-iron stove, the kitchen thermometer reading 41 F. One day in March 2023, my husband walked in, arms full of cut wood, and announced he could not face a fourth punishing winter.<\/p>\n By summer, both homes were ready for sale. We put the property on the market and had a deal in three days. It was time to head home and embark on one of our more adventurous road trips.<\/p>\n Our motorhome\u2014home on wheels during a time of change.|\u00a9Tricia Pimental<\/p>\n We had our car serviced before beginning our 2,300-mile journey, asking for special attention to the brakes, which we were a tad worried about. Five minutes after leaving the mechanic\u2019s shop, a suspicious smell and smoke from under the hood sent us back. We were reassured it was normal after the service. We went home, loaded up the car, and set off.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve never gotten over how much larger Sweden is than Portugal. It took 10 hours from our house just to reach the border with Denmark. Then it was on to Hamburg, Germany, where we had our next brake repair. In Belgium, the tires gave out, and we spent three days in Waterloo waiting for new ones. Fearing defeat, we developed new empathy for Napoleon.<\/p>\n As we crossed into France, the car was bumping oddly, and one tire was red hot. We lucked out by finding a former rally mechanic who managed to locate the part we\u2019d needed all along\u2014the only one available in all of France. Amazingly, Didier came through. (Also amazingly, he seemed to be the only Frenchman in July who was not en vacances.)<\/p>\n On to Normandy, where my father landed on D-Day at Sword Beach, then to Jules Verne\u2019s house in Amiens, and Zarautz in Spain\u2019s Basque Country, before crossing into Portugal. There, we house-surfed for two months while searching for a long-term rental. Friends welcomed us warmly, but when we still hadn\u2019t found a place by September, we worried about wearing out that welcome and spent the month in an Airbnb.<\/p>\n October found us back on familiar turf, renting a spacious home in the hills above Coimbra. One problem: rainy season came early\u2014and rain it did. Even inside. The resulting mold and mildew gave Keith headaches from January to July, sending him to the hospital twice.<\/p>\n When our lease was nearly up, we looked for another rental. But as prices rose in Portugal, we began looking across the border.<\/p>\n Learn more about the lower cost of living in Spain and other countries in our free daily postcard e-letter. Simply enter your email address below and we’ll also send you a FREE REPORT \u2014 Live the Good Life in Sunny, Affordable Spain.<\/p>\n By submitting your email address, you will receive a free subscription to IL Postcards, The Untourist Daily and special offers from International Living and our affiliates. You can unsubscribe at any time, and we encourage you to read more about our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Amaiur in the Bazt\u00e1n Valley\u2014where we finally found home. |\u00a9Tricia Pimental<\/p>\n One day, a gem appeared in an online search: a furnished four-bedroom, two-bath home with grand polished wooden staircases and antiques in the entry, located in a medieval village in the foothills of the Pyrenees. And for \u20ac900 a month? So what if we had to drive across two-thirds of Portugal and the entire width of Spain to get there? No big deal.<\/p>\n As we neared our destination, just 20 minutes from the French border, we were entranced\u2014drawn to the peace and natural beauty of the river and rolling green hills of the Bazt\u00e1n Valley, dotted with grazing sheep.<\/p>\n When we arrived, the real estate agent explained that another family lived in the building. The sweeping, open downstairs area was communal space. Uh oh. Red flag. In 32 years of marriage, we had never lived in an apartment; we had always owned or rented a standalone house. Yet there was an undeniable sense of privacy in the unit. We agreed to rent on the spot.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve been living in the historic village of Amaiur in the Basque Country for more than a year and a half now and have no plans to move. Less than an hour from Pamplona and San Sebasti\u00e1n<\/a>, Spain, and just as close to Bayonne and Biarritz, France, we love the location. We have great neighbors, with whom we speak in a blend of Spanish, French, and Basque, and a church in Biarritz where some members speak English. It feels like home.<\/p>\n Finally.<\/p>\n Bring just enough personal belongings to feel at home without being weighed down. If you are selling items separately from the house, make sure you receive payment for the furniture up front. When we left Utah, our agreement with the new owners was $500 a month until the sum of $3,000 was reached. They paid only two months.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve heard it before, but it cannot be overemphasized: rent, don\u2019t buy immediately. Also, check out the area or neighborhood day and night over a period of time before signing on the dotted line\u2014even if you are renting.<\/p>\n As mentioned above, do not buy property on which you plan to build unless you have written permission from local authorities. There are many nightmare tales of people (expats and locals) who have been burned.<\/p>\n If you realize you goofed\u2014or the situation changes\u2014don\u2019t hesitate to make another move. Cut your losses (legally). We should have left the moldy house in Coimbra long before we did.<\/p>\n Let go of comparisons with the U.S. or wherever your home is now. Things will be different, for better or worse. Accept it.<\/p>\n Nurture your friendships. Although we are now in Spain, we have many people we look forward to seeing when we travel back to Portugal.<\/p>\n At a minimum, become somewhat conversant in the local language. It will make a huge difference in the quality of everyday life.<\/p>\n Boa sorte, Lycka till, \u00a1Buena suerte!<\/p>\n 24 Countries Compared, Contrasted, Ranked, and Rated. By submitting your email address, you will receive a free subscription to IL Postcards, The Untourist Daily and special offers from International Living and our affiliates. You can unsubscribe at any time, and we encourage you to read more about our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I stood at the railing on Rim Drive and looked down. What they say is true. You can…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12535,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1954,1957,1956,17,357],"class_list":["post-12534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-spain","tag-latest-updates","tag-lifestyle","tag-retirement","tag-spain","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Penela,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/view-of-penela_optimized.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Keith](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/keith-at-work-at-our-first-vindima_optimized.jpg\"\/)
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\nYou don\u2019t have to be rich to enjoy a pampered retirement, you just need to know where to go. With our 35th Annual Global Retirement Index, our experts hand you a detailed roadmap.
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