Tomar: small town charm in Portugal

Tomar’s historic Templar castle is lit up at night

I see a lot of social media posts by Americans saying they want to move to Portugal. What are they looking for? Well, at the moment, it seems like they are looking to escape an increasingly scary political situation in the US.

Every time I hear this, I ask them: what kind of life are you looking for?

Me? I was looking for community. Moving to a small town in Portugal gave me the opportunity to make connections with my neighbors, with the people in the tiny stores and restaurants, with the familiar faces I see on the streets each day. I see them on the street because I am walking. In the US, I was always driving in my car.

I moved to Portugal in 2019, lived in a tiny village for five years and now live in the historic town of Tomar, founded 1160. Every day, I run into people I have come to know during my time here. Exchanging a “bom dia”, “boa tarde” or “boa noite”, depending on the time of day, gives me a great sense of belonging.

City girl visits Tomar

This weekend, a British friend who lives in the Lisbon area, came to visit. She had never been to Tomar before. The train journey from the Santa Apolonia station in Lisbon to Tomar takes about two hours. It is a regional train which stops every 10 kilometers. About 30 minutes before the end of the journey, in a town called “Entroncamento”, the line branches off. The main line continues north, the branch line goes to Tomar, the final stop.

If you get in the wrong car (carriage) in Lisbon, you can find yourself stranded in Entroncamento, because only the first three cars of the train continue to Tomar. One friend who visited in 2022 actually got stranded in Entroncamento, because she was in the wrong carriage.

What’s in a town?

Coming from the hustle and bustle of Lisbon, my friend found Tomar very quiet. But that is its charm. The old part of town, where I live, is a network of tiny, cobbled streets where people chat in doorways. It has dozens of cafes and restaurants where people enjoy coffee morning, afternoon and evening.

Mostly it is known for its stunning Templar castle and the associated Convento de Cristo, a UNESCO world heritage site which draw tens of thousands of tourists each year.

Rosalie (left) and friend Ginny, pose with a man dressed as a Templar knight at the gate of the castle in Tomar.

Unfortunately, this being March, the weather did not cooperate for my friend’s visit. A major depression called “Jana” was predicted to affect the country over the weekend, bringing heavy rain, gusty winds and dangerous waves. We saw everything but the waves. Luckily, we had umbrellas!

However, one thing my friend enjoyed during her stay, was my supply of British PT Tips tea bags. Knowing how hard it is to get good quality tea here in Portugal, an English friend brought me a bag of 1,100 tea bags last year. Despite my daily cuppa habit, I still have several hundred left.

Hallelujah! It’s raining tea bags in Tomar.

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New US political scene driving some to think of moving

Iconic tram car in Lisbon — Lisbon’s iconic yellow trams are popular with tourists

Shortly after the US election on Nov. 5, 2024, I gave a scheduled zoom talk to a group of women to talk about the experience of moving to Portugal. The women were all living in Albuquerque, the city I had moved from. They were concerned that changes the new president intended would make daily life increasingly difficult for them.

Fast forward to the end of January. The new president has been in office for less than two weeks and it is already clear that he is swiftly carrying out the radical agenda he signaled during his campaign. Actions to deport vast numbers of immigrants, actions to cancel “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” provisions in the workplace and other setting, an attempt to freeze funding for federal grants, and on and on. The speed of all these executive actions has alarmed many Americans.

I’ve seen a lot of social media posts and heard many people say they are thinking of leaving the US to escape an environment that is making them increasingly uneasy. I understand this. The level of mean-spiritedness that is currently prevalent in the US is depressing.

The expat experience

In the talk I gave, I advised everyone to think long and hard about their motivation to leave their home country. It is a huge decision. To make such a move requires determination, patience, persistence, flexibility, adaptability and courage. You will encounter innumerable unexpected challenges: coping with a foreign language, understanding the metric system, using a different currency and banking system, different business hours, food, customs etc etc.

It is important to remember that when you move to another country, you are not entitled to criticize the customs and culture of that country. I follow many Facebook groups created by and for expat groups in Portugal. Many of these groups have changed their names to reflect the reality that Americans, British, Canadians, or whatever, who relocate to live in Portugal, are immigrants.

Do your research

If you really want to move abroad. Do all the research you can online, then visit your target country. Spending time walking the streets of a different country, eating the food, experiencing the weather and the scenery and talking to the people, is critical for deciding what suits you and your personal lifestyle.

Some useful tools

I had lived in eight different countries before I moved to Portugal in 2019. Before I made the move I did extensive research. Here are some of the websites I found most useful:

Information on visas for Portugal: D7 for those with passive income, D8 primarily for digital nomads. Information for visas and relocation opportunities to other European countries.

Cost of Living comparison: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/

Climate in Portugal: blog site with useful info about climate conditions for healthhttps://www.ourportugaljourney.com/p/the-weather-regions-of-portugal

Workaway opportunities that give you a place to stay and an opportunity to make useful contacts when you make your research trip: https://www.workaway.com

Property information: Rents in Lisbon

cost of living in Lisbon: https://housinganywhere.com/Lisbon–Portugal/cost-of-living-lisbon

Property listing websites: Idealista.com, https://pureportugal.co.uk

So, do your homework, follow your heart and seek adventure. Subscribe by following my blog to learn more about daily life in Portugal. For the latest on my Digger Doyle mystery novels go to RosalieRayburn.com

Cristo Rei statue overlooks city of Lisbon — The Cristo Rei statue overlooks the Tejo river in Lisbon. The statue is similar to the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.

How to decide where to settle in Portugal

One of the iconic electric trams popular with visitors to Lisbon.

Many people are interested in moving to Portugal. At least that’s how it looks when I scan the multiple Facebook groups I’ve joined because they are aimed at expats living in, or interested in, Portugal. There are more than a hundred such groups; catering to every possible taste. The question I see over and over, is “I’m planning to move to Portugal in XX many years, what’s the best place to go?”

This is the kind of question that drives those of us who have made the move absolutely crazy. How can anyone else know where that person would like to live? It depends on so many things.

My response to this kind of question is to suggest people look at their lifestyle and ask themselves the following:

Are you used to living in a city or the country? Which do you prefer?
How much do you like to shop? Do you want to have a big choice of stores nearby or are you okay with small local stores and visiting shopping centers only now and again?
Do you eat out a lot? How important is it for you to have restaurants nearby?
Do you want to have a car? Or are you comfortable with using public transportation?
How often do you want to travel? Is it important for you to be near an airport?
What is your income and budget? Prices in Lisbon and Porto have risen steeply in recent years.

These are just a few of the questions people who are “thinking” about moving to Portugal should ask themselves. Facebook groups such as Pure Portugal – Living the Good Life, Moving to Portugal, Expats in Portugal Q&A and many, many more, can provide much valuable information. People can pose questions and get answers from those who have already made the move and settled here. Internet research is invaluable, but a trip to the country is the best way to get a real feel for the place. You get to meet the people face-to-face, taste the food, see the landscape and the architecture.

Discovering the country

Portugal is still quite a poor country by comparison with others in western European. Outside the bigger cities, the countryside is depopulated and many villages have a lot of houses that have been sitting empty for years. You can buy them cheaply, but they also take a lot of time and effort to renovate. Still, life in a Portuguese village can be very fulfilling. People are welcoming and willing to help you. Lunch in a small family-run restaurant will cost you as little as 10 euros for a three-course meal with wine and coffee. Cars and gasoline/diesel are expensive, but if you live in the country you will almost certainly need to drive. Most Portuguese roads are narrow and winding, but luckily there is little traffic. The highways are superb but you usually have to pay tolls.

Portuguese houses

Portuguese houses are usually made of stone. They keep out the heat in the summer but can be awfully cold and damp in the winter. The Alentejo and Algarve regions are the hottest in the summer and mildest in the winter. Areas in the far north and closer to the Spanish border are typically the coldest in the winter.

These are just a few thoughts I decided to share about life in Portugal. I moved here more than three years ago after extensive research and a two-month trip during which I did volunteer work and traveled around the country.

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Gorgeous turquoise water beneath the cliffs near Carvoeiro in the Algarve region of Portugal.

Relief as Portugal extends resident permit deadline

Castelo São Jorge overlooks the red-tiled roofs of Lisbon

I for one am heaving a huge sigh of relief after learning that the Portuguese government has extended the deadline to renew residency documents. Based on a decision issued June 28, document-holders now have until June 30, 2025 to renew residency permit documents that expired this year. Whew!

The government was spurred to take action because of thousands of complaints and a massive backlog of cases–around 400,000!!

Huge backlog of cases

The situation has developed over a long period. Late last year, SEF, the struggling Foreigners and Border Service, was reorganized into the Agency for Integration Migrations and Asylum. This step was supposed to solve the backlog of 350,000 cases at SEF. Not. So. The number of unresolved cases continued to mount.

This situation affected me because I moved to Portugal five years ago, in mid-2019. I used my Irish passport as my identification document. (Thank you Irish grandparents.) Ireland is a European Union country so I did not have to obtain the D7 visa required of non-EU passport holders.

I received a Certificado de Registo da Cidadão Europeo from my local county authority, the Camara Municipal. That document was due to expire June 17.

I thought I had plenty of time to tackle the issue. In February I went to the Camara Municipal but they said I had to go through AIMA.

I immediately started trying to contact AIMA by phone or online. No success. I just got a busy signal or was kept on hold for two hours then my call dropped. The online appointment booking system was no help either. Panic ensued!

Friends from the US and other countries who have lived here several years, said they have had to cancel travel plans because their documents expired. They were afraid they would be stopped at passport control when returning to Portugal. This deadline extension will give us all a reprieve.

Deja vu

The Portuguese government has had to take similar action before because of problems in handling immigration cases. The country has seen a surge in immigration in recent years. The majority of those moving here are from Brazil, the UK and, more recently, the United States.

Rabelo boats that used to carry Port wine on the Douro river, lie at anchor near the Dom Luis I Bridge in Porto, Portugal.

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Portugal is eco-friendly in many ways

An ancient Roman bridge in central Portugal. — Spring flowers cover the surface of a stream near an ancient bridge in central Portugal.

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When I first spent an extended time in Portugal I noticed a lot of little differences about the way people do daily life compared to what is commonly done in the US. Now that I have been living in Portugal for nearly five years, I just take all these differences for granted. But a recent trip back to the states made me realize how much I have accommodated to my new life in Europe. I also appreciate how many of the customs in Portugal reduce water, plastic and paper waste that is harmful to the environment.

Eco-friendly shopping

In Portugal, the supermarkets and small grocery stores do not bag your groceries. You must bring your own shopping bags or buy one at the checkout. The bags you buy are large and sturdy so you can fit a lot into one bag. You yourself must stuff all the items you have bought into the bag at the checkout. This saves a mountain of plastic bags from ending up in landfills. I was saddened to see that in Albuquerque, where I used to live, the city council reversed a decision to ban those plastic bags.

Another practical innovation is the way you use shopping carts. They are typically linked together and you must insert a coin or a plastic token to release the cart to take it into the store. After you’ve unloaded your shopping, you return the cart, reconnect it and you get the coin or token back.

This is a simple way to ensure that carts are returned. In Albuquerque I was used to seeing shopping carts abandoned all over the place. On a windy day a rogue cart could damage your car. It was also probably a big expense for the supermarkets to lose them.

An ancient bridge near Lousã castle, central Portugal. The pool is used for swimming in the summer.

Bathroom etiquette

In a lot of private homes, restaurants and even small hotels in Portugal, it is common to see a sign asking you not to put any paper or other products into the toilet. In private homes it’s because they have a septic system that can’t handle large volumes of toilet paper. I’m assuming the restaurants etc have some similar problem. Anyway, you have to re-train yourself to put the TP into the small container next to the toilet. It took me a while to be consistent about this.

I have even found some bathrooms, such as at a train station or a shopping mall, where you have to grab a length of TP from a huge roll hanging on the wall by the sinks, BEFORE you go into the stall.

Of course men rarely have either of these problems.

A couple of other points about bathrooms. Most toilets in Portugal have dual flush options which save water. Bathrooms typically have hot air blow dryers instead of paper or cloth towels to dry your hands.

Time and temperature confusion

After nearly five years of living in Portugal, I have become bi-lingual in matters of time and temperature. I am no longer flummoxed when trying to decide whether to take the train at 17:00 or 19:00, hint 5 p.m. or 7 p.m. Saying a.m. and p.m. seems so inefficient. Here you know immediately whether you’re talking about 12 noon (12:00) or midnight (24:00) .

I’ve also adjusted to using Celcius versus Fahrenheit referring to the weather. I’ve become used to thinking that 20 degrees C (68F) feels pretty comfortable and 40 degrees C (104F) is nigh-on unbearably hot. Returning to the US and reading that it’s 21 degrees I have to do mental gymnastics to remember that is really cold! Or, I could just stick my nose outside!

How far is that?

I must confess, I have not adapted so well to using kilometers versus miles, or kilograms instead of pounds. I used to be a very enthusiastic cyclist in New Mexico. There are mountains in NM but there are a lot of opportunities to ride on flat ground too. A 30 mile flat ride was considered pretty easy. I live in a hilly area in central Portugal and it is hard to find flat routes. Hence, a 30 km (18.6m) ride in my area is pretty tough!

I have to use grams and milliliters for European cooking recipes but I keep my bathroom scales on pounds so I still can’t tell you what I weigh in kilos. (I probably wouldn’t anyway!)

Cycling in the hills of Figueira dos Vinhos — Cycling in the hills near Figueira dos Vinhos, central Portugal.

Elections show Portugal’s drift to the right

This statue overlooks the Praça do Comercio in Lisbon. The two hands of the statue are a metaphor for the longstanding balance in Portuguese politics, but that is changing as the recent election showed a shift to the right.

Portuguese elections held last Sunday, March 10, yielded a razor-thin majority for the Democratic Alliance party. But the DA lead was only two seats more than the Socialist Party so forming a government will be a delicate balance, according to reports.

More revealing was the strong showing of the far-right Chega party which gained about 18 percent of the votes. That’s up from 7.2 percent just two years ago.

In 2019, the year the party was launched by former football commentator André Ventura, it garnered just 1.3 percent of the votes cast.

The DA leader Luis Montenegro has publicly stated that he does not want to include Chega in a governing coalition. Still, expectations are high that Chega (Enough) will play some kind of role in the balancing act.

The snap election was called in November after former Socialist Party Prime Minister António Costa resigned following a corruption scandal. Turnout in Sunday’s election was 66 percent, which was the highest in several years, according to a BBC report.

The many Chega billboards that appeared all over the country showed Ventura’s face and an anti-corruption message calling for a clean-up in Portugal.

Most support in the Algarve

Election results showed Chega drew its highest level of support from voters in the Faro region in the Algarve. It’s the area along Portugal’s southern coast, home to numerous golf courses and upscale resorts which have long attracted tourists from northern Europe.

It is also an area where there are great discrepancies between local families and the well-heeled visitors.

Several other European countries such as Finland, Italy and Greece have experienced a shift to the right in recent years. It remains to be seen what will happen in Portugal.

Meanwhile, next month the country will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974. The bloodless revolution marked the end of more than four decades of authoritarian rule. During that period, according to my Portuguese teacher, there were many informers and thousands of people were arrested, thrown into prison and tortured.

Portugal has been proud of its democratic tradition since 1974.

Follow my blog to learn more about daily life in Portugal. And check out my website: RosalieRayburn.com to read all about my Digger Doyle mystery novels.

Behind me is the April 25 Bridge which spans the Tejo river in Lisbon. It is named in honor of the 1974 Carnation Revolution.

Five things I learned about life in Portugal

Standing beside the Tejo river in Lisbon with the April 25th Bridge and Cristo Rei statue in the background at the start of my Portuguese adventure in 2019.

I’ve been living in Portugal for more than four years now. I fell in love with the country and its people during my first visit in 2011 and I am still hopelessly smitten.

In recent years, Portugal has gained a lot of attention as a desirable retirement destination. I see a lot of people posting on the various expat Facebook groups asking questions about where they should live. My answer is always: visit the country in person. Internet research is helpful, but nothing compares to a first-hand experience!

That said, I will share a few quirky little tidbits I have learned about life in Portugal over the past four years. So, here goes.

Climate surprises

Portugal has a reputation of being a sunny warm country. Yes, the southern areas of Alentejo and The Algarve are typically hot and dry. But other areas not so much.

Guess what? It rains in Portugal. Sometimes it rains a lot. In the central and northern parts of the country–roughly from Lisbon north–the climate is much wetter and colder than the hotter, drier south. From my experience, the rainy season starts toward the end of October and lasts until near Christmas. Sometimes it will rain for days on end.

The rain in Portugal is often a heavy downpour–think Costa Rica. And all that moisture means….you guessed it… humidity.

Houses can be cold

A lot of Portuguese houses are not well insulated and they do not have a central heating system. This means they can be cold and damp. This is especially true if you buy an old stone house in the country. As one British expat put it, “A stone house is beautifully cool in summer, and bloody freezing in the winter!”

Almost everyone I have met talks about the problem of humidity. That means mold and mildew. Believe me, it’s not pleasant when you find clothes you haven’t worn in a while smell of mildew! Best advice: open windows when you can and buy a dehumidifier!

Tipping is not required

Having lived a lot of my early life in Europe and elsewhere, when I returned to the US and found that a big tip is expected for every kind of service, I was stunned. I mean, why should you tip at the Starbucks drivethru? Or add 20 percent to the cost of a mediocre meal at a chain restaurant. Anyway, that’s just my opinion.

In Portugal, chain restaurants are not the norm. Most are small, family run eateries which frequently have a regular set price lunch menu for working people. A couple of local restaurants I frequent offer a three-course meal–soup, fish or meat main course and dessert, with wine (Portugal produces so much wine)–for around 10 euros. Less than $12. A tip is not expected. If I give 1 Euro, it is greatly appreciated.

The experience is similar with my hairdresser or when using a taxi.

Toll roads can be expensive

I settled in central Portugal near a charming town called Tomar. Places like the historic university city of Coimbra or the famous surf beaches of Nazaré are about an hour away by car. Lisbon is a 90-minute drive. This is using a freeway or “autoestrada”. The freeways in Portugal are wonderfully traffic-free so you can get to your destination more easily than following the twisting secondary routes. But there is a reason they are traffic-free.

Once I settled, I began exploring, happily using these freeways. I saw gantries referring to tolls, but I never saw a toll booth. After several months I received a series of registered letters. Guess what? I had racked up more than 50 euros (nearly $60) in tolls and fines. Turns out the gantries have sensors that register your license plate. You have to pay the toll at a post office within four days or incur a fine.

My neighbors told me I should get a Via Verde device for my windshield. The device is linked to your bank account and the payment is made automatically. It’s all a learning curve.

Bathroom etiquette

This applies mostly to women. In many places in Portugal you will see a sign above the toilet asking you not to put anything in the bowl. This includes toilet paper. There will be a receptacle beside the toilet. Use it.

I have even found bathrooms where there is a huge roll of TP beside the sinks. You pull off what you need and take it into the stall with you.

One other thing. In many restaurant bathrooms, the light turns on when you go inside. The light may be on a timer. If you are plunged into darkness before you have finished your business, just wave your hands around. The lights are motion activated.

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Children play with bubbles in the Praça do Comércio in Lisbon.

Grateful for Portuguese healthcare, there for you when you most need it

The Cristo Rei statue appears through the mist above the Tejo river near Lisbon. It was a reassuring sign when I suffered a minor accident.

A recent trip to Lisbon to visit a friend gave me an unfortunate opportunity to experience the Portuguese healthcare system. I ended up taking an unexpected trip by ambulance to a local hospital where I received a CT scan, X-rays and saw an orthopedic doctor. At the end of the day, they cleared me to leave, with no concussion, no broken bones, and no bill! They called me a taxi and that was that.

In the USA I would probably be facing bills totaling hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. Here, no bill. I am enrolled in the Portuguese healthcare system, thank goodness!

One missed step causes crashing fall

I had enjoyed a lovely breakfast of coffee and a chocolate croissant with my host at a local cafe, packed my things and said my farewells. I was planning to take the train from Lisbon back to my home in central Portugal.

My friend’s apartment is on the first floor (second floor American style). A steep flight of narrow wooden stairs leads to the ground floor. Halfway down, I missed a step and plummeted headfirst downward, hitting a wall with my head and left shoulder. I lost consciousness briefly, was shaky and in great pain.

My friend called the 112 emergency number and minutes later an ambulance arrived. The young “bombeiros” crew, who are trained as firefighters and EMTs, took me to a local hospital. I arrived at the Garcia de Orta facility around 10:30 in the morning.

The waiting area was full of people in all states of pain. People on gurneys, in wheelchairs, hooked up to oxygen supplies and medication drips. Hospital staff rushed back and forth constantly.

This was a normal hospital on a normal day, but the frenetic atmosphere made me think of news reports on how very terrible the situation must be at hospitals in Gaza which are currently under bombardment and have no power, water or medication.

I feel fortunate for the help I received

Within about half an hour, I was triaged. I had to show my “Numero de Utente” to prove I am enrolled the Serviço Nacional de Saude, the Portuguese healthcare system. Then my superficial cuts on my knees were bandaged. A short time later I was prepared for pain medication which was given via a drip. I was told I would have a scan to check for concussion and would then see an orthopedic doctor.

About 90 minutes later I had the CT scan, then the shoulder X-ray. Another 90 minutes of waiting and I received the all clear results about the CT scan. No concussion. I was told I would see an orthopedic doctor next.

The afternoon dragged on while I waited to see the ortho doc. But around 4:30 p.m. someone came around offering me a small sandwich and a bottle of water. Half an hour later I was called in to see the orthopedic doc. He tested my left arm and shoulder and declared it was not broken and the tendons were ok. Just get checked again in a week, take ibruprofen for the pain and ice it, he said.

Then I was cleared to go. They even called a taxi for me to get back to my friend’s apartment.

I was so relieved by this experience. But this is not to say that all is perfect here in Portugal. On the news the next morning there were extensive reports of strikes by doctors, nurses and other hospital staff, protesting and low pay and long working hours. I would definitely support their cause!

The hospital in Tomar, central Portugal. This is the first port of call for patients in my area. If your case is more serious, you will be transported to a larger hospital in Abrantes. Each region has its different levels of hospitals. There is also a parallel system of private hospitals for those with private health insurance, but these are the regular Portuguese health system facilities.

Follow my blog to read more about daily life in Portugal. And check out my website RosalieRayburn.com. I have a new book out. It is a mystery called “The Sunshine Solution”.

Life is full of festival fun in Portugal

Rua Serpa Pinto in Tomar is decorated ready for the Festa dos Tabuleiros which runs July 1-10. The festival, held once every four years features the unique processions of young girls carrying huge headdresses along the lavishly decorated streets of the town.

The solstice has just passed and my local town of Tomar is gearing up for the Festa Dos Tabuleiros, or festival of the trays. This unique celebration began in the Middle Ages as a Catholic tradition to honor the Holy Spirit (Espirito Santo). It features processions of young girls and women dressed white, carrying on their heads tall trays that are stacked with bread rolls and flowers and topped with a crown. Each girl is accompanied by a young man or boy to provide help if the load becomes unwieldy. The headdress trays often weigh 20 lbs (9 kg) or more.

This famous festival is held once every four years. I arrived in this part of Portugal days after the last one in 2019, so I am eagerly looking forward to experiencing this one. Friends and neighbors who have lived through this before, warn me that there is no parking anywhere in town. They advise driving to one of the stations a few miles (kilometers) away and taking the train into Tomar.

Spirit of community

Preparations for the festival began months ago. Many expatriates who live in the Tomar area have become active in the groups that get together to make the paper flower decorations that adorn the headdresses. They gather weekly, cut colored tissue paper, twist wires, form the flowers and chat. One woman said she loved the opportunity to get to know some of her Portuguese neighbors and feel more part of the community. Residents of the streets also practice laying out the patterns of branches and flowers that are a distinctive part of the street decorations.

Of course, Tomar is not the only town that has a summer festival. The city of Lisbon celebrates every June 12-13 the festival of Santo Antonio, who is a patron saint of the city. There is music, dancing, and food. Grilled sardines are a very typical Portuguese specialty at this time of year. Other towns and villages also have their own ways to honor various saints.

Residents of the village of Chaos in central Portugal, process carrying a statue of St. Anthony of Padua. The saint is often seen holding the child Jesus.

Portuguese festivals are also occasions for games, music and dancing. I am always amazed at how the crews at these local festivals can produce huge quantities of truly delicious grilled chicken to feed the party-goers. The early part of the evening entertainment at these festivals usually features raffles, simple carnival games (one I saw last year involved pulling a rope to release a rabbit that would then run into a one of a dozen tiny shelters around a circle. Each shelter was numbered. The prize for a winning number was a bottle of wine.)

In the early evening there are also exhibitions of Portuguese dances with dancers in brightly colored traditional clothing. The real dancing usually doesn’t start until at 10 p.m. and goes on until the wee hours.

Colored lights decorate a street during a festival in a village in central Portugal.

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Abandoned animals, a sad fact of Portuguese life

These are a few of the dozens of dogs at a privately run animal shelter in central Portugal. Volunteers care for the animals and help them get adopted. More than 43,000 animals were abandoned in Portugal in 2022, according to an official report.

Abandoned animals are an unfortunate fact of life here in Portugal. The municipal and private shelters are always crammed and desperately in need of more volunteers to help care for the animals and donations to cover the cost of food and vet bills.

I have been living in Portugal for nearly four years now. I frequently see dogs wandering the streets of the villages. Cats are everywhere. My next door neighbor regularly feeds four or five of them. I see their eyes glowing in the dark when I take my dog out for her last night pee walk.

In fact my own dog was abandoned in my village a few days before I move into my house. I used to have two cats in the US but was unable to bring them because I had no fixed abode for the first couple months I was here. I did find them a very good new cat-mommy, but I firmly intended to get more cats when I settled in.

The universe had other plans. Divina was wandering the street, sleeping on a doorstep. I saw her and offered her some bread and milk and hey presto! I had a dog.

Divina, the podengo mix female dog who was abandoned and adopted me once I moved into my house in Portugal.

Not all dogs are so lucky. (At least I think Divina is lucky. I feed her, walk her multiple times a day, and adore her.) According to an official report by the ICNF (institute for conservation of nature and forests), 43,600 animals were abandoned in Portugal in 2022. That works out to 119 per day.

The report said conditions during the Covid pandemic greatly worsened a longstanding problem. Many Portuguese struggle to make ends meet and the care and feeding of animals is often not a priority. On top of that, it is relatively expensive to have a veterinarian neuter dogs or cats so the practice is not common. Hence, there are thousands of unwanted litters of puppies and kittens.

I walked out one morning in October 2021, about to take Divina for a walk, and heard a little bark from somewhere inside my gate. I searched around and found source of the sound under my car. It was a tiny puppy. I guessed he was maybe eight weeks old. Just weaned from his momma.

Someone dropped this adorable little puppy over my wall one night in October 2021. I was able to find an American family to adopt him.

Many Efforts to Re-home Animals

There are resources to help the abandoned animals. There are 170 official collection centers for abandoned animals located in municipalities all over Portugal. However, they are often very crowded. The animal shelter outside of Tomar, my nearby town, had more than 100 dogs when I volunteered there in early 2020. My work as a volunteer consisted of sluicing out the pens. The constant sound of barking from all these animals was overwhelming.

Sadly, when the Covid pandemic restrictions took effect, I and other volunteers could not longer help there, though this situation has since changed.

I recently helped out at a privately run dog shelter. Pegasus e Bigodes, near Figueiro dos Vinhos. It is a non-profit started by a Dutch woman and run by volunteers. It operates out of a house where supplies are stored. All around the house are enclosures built by volunteers. When I went there recently they had about 40 dogs. Volunteers walk and feed the dogs, clean the pens and help to find adoptive homes for the animals. They raise funds through stalls at local markets. A man who runs a consignment store donates a part of his proceeds. But they really need volunteers and donations and volunteers. (Hint, hint.)

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