The world is actually really beautiful. People are really beautiful… just do it. I don’t want to have regret.” That’s how our conversation with Yolanda Rashemah, host of The Places We Call Home Podcast, ended, and it perfectly captures the reality of living abroad. In this episode of Wandering Works for Us, we explored what it truly …
It’s November, and the growing season has ended here in Portugal. All the vegetables have been harvested, the olives shaken from the trees, and the grapes picked, stomped, and processed. So the only thing left to do is celebrate! São Martinho Day or Saint Martin’s Day is celebrated as the last day of the harvest …
Read more “São Martinho Day: Wine, Chestnuts, and the Warm Spirit of Autumn in Portugal”
Before moving to Portugal, Halloween was my favorite time of year. Six weeks in advance, we’d start decorating every corner of the house—pumpkins on the windowsills, lights strung around every room, and crates of decorations brought down from the attic. Weekends were filled with stringing lights outside, hunting for the perfect haunted house, or wandering through …
Some stories of love withstand time, echoing across centuries as both a warning and a wonder. Few tales capture the imagination like the story of Pedro and Inês, two souls whose love defied convention, politics, and even death itself. Known as the “Juliet of Portugal,” the love story of Pedro and Inês is a tale …
Portugal is known for its strong cultural heritage. One of the first things we learned in Portuguese class was the 3 F’s: Fatima (religion), Família (family), and Football (that’s soccer to all our American friends). However, I think the festa should be added since it is an integral part of Portuguese culture. You can find …
Read more “Festivals in Portugal: A great way to connect to the culture and community”
Embark on a heartening journey as we recount an unexpected act of kindness in Portugal. Lost wallets, friendly strangers, and a genuine sense of community redefine our experience abroad. While we were standing in the beer isle in Lidl, an employee approached my wife and said “be careful of your phone.” He pointed to her …
Read more “From Panic to Relief: A story of kindness in Portugal”
This past year was quite a year. We thought we’d share what we considered to be some of the bests in 2023. Well, as you well know, 2023 was a big year for us. We sold everything and moved across the Atlantic Ocean to Serra D’El Rei Portugal and began all new lives! Community makes …
Our first Christmas in Portugal turned out to be one of the best and definitely most different we have had. Last year, we spent the season in a whirlwind because we knew it was our last in the states for awhile. We attended all of the parties, went to many different light shows, saw all …
Summer in Portugal means beaches, vacations and festas! These festas are popular parties that each village has during the months of July through September. Some last for a weekend, some go through the week. This years festas for Serra d’el Rei was four nights of a grand party. Last may, our town had a festa …
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Since we moved to Serra D’EL Rei, you can say our life is pretty different. After all, we live in a totally different country with a different culture and language. We don’t work a 9-5 job anymore so our days are slower and more flexible. And this has also allowed us to be more social …
Read more “Living in a small village in Portugal: Is our life really any different?”