Snippets 'n' Stuff

by Betty Boop

If you’re thinking of relocating or just have an interest in what the place is really like, a meander through our snippets (either pinched from people’s posts or written specially) might give you a “feel” for the place.

So here is an insight for those who have yet to make the crossing (all be it ours did not actually involve crossing any water as such) and a walk down memory lane for those that already have. (BettyBoop)

On the move and settling in …

All roads lead to Paradise

(19 December 2005 - BettyBoop - Cascais)

The Journey was shockingly easy. We left last Monday at 4:40 pm, stopped over night half way across France. The France crossing was very boring though, as the view from the motorway could have easily passed for England. Crossed the Spanish boarder at the top and had to endure an hour of windy roads, depressing scenery and rather rundown housing areas but after that the beauty shone through and I found Spain a pleasure to drive through. We were planning on stopping overnight on Tuesday in Portugal so did not bother with any of the hundreds of hotels we passed in Spain but when we got to Portugal the few hotels we did see, looked like they probably would not take dogs so we just drove on and arrived in Cascais at about 2 a.m. Wednesday morning. The dog was brill, no whinging and slept most of the time so all in all a quick and painless trip. Not an official person seen at any of the borders and not a passport needed for us or the dog.

Then … on arriving we spent the night on the floor with no lights and no water. Had to make sure we did not both use the same toilet more than once.

By Wednesday evening the agent had managed to get us hooked up to water, albeit by a plastic hose pipe to the house next door (the house was empty as luck would have it) but now starting to understand the Portuguese way of doing things. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Still was only cold water, as yet to get gas to heat the liquid gold.

The removal guys arrived Wednesday evening and unloaded our bed … heaven!! They then spent until Friday afternoon unloading and fitting two hundred light fittings … never been in a house with so many electrical sockets and outlets which is odd seeing as I’ve been told it doesn’t take much to overload the box. For Christmas I am thinking of turning them all on just to see the whole of Lisbon get a power cut.

While all this was going on, on Thursday we also had some Portuguese guys fitting shutters on the bedrooms which were meant to have been put up a week before (another Portuguese way of life) and at the same time were invaded by about 30 German soldiers and their wives and kids who, as a tradition, do a 'box' party which consists of bringing food for the removal guys (We get to have some only if they don't eat it all) but mostly they come to have a nosey at your house, and I mean ALL round the house and see if you got a better deal. It was like being invaded by a plague of ants.

So come Friday night we finally had the house to ourselves … a hot bath (you may be glad to hear as I’m not sure who smelt worse, me or the dog) and some peace. Spent Saturday cleaning, doing washing, cutting the grass (a week before Christmas, how strange was that), and walking the dog … life goes on with a big smile on my face.

A few minor hitches still to iron out, like not having a letter box (yet to try and find out what has happened to our post we should have already received), not even having the correct house number does not help. We were told number 1 but it seems it might be 145 and that’s still in the 'might be' stage. The house numbering system makes absolutely no sense (another Portuguese quirk it appears) so no use looking what number next door has. There are no curtains downstairs (to be sorted out hopefully next week … maybe … possibly) so that rules out any hanky panky in front of the fire. Ahh so there can sometimes be a bright side to a problem. We did only have one set of keys but the agent took it away this morning to get some more cut leaving me house-bound until whenever she duth choose to reappear (so far 5 hours … and have given up holding my breath). No dustbin … what is the deal with that? We have to take the trash to big bins placed around the street which are emptied everyday. Strange thing is though, I never see anyone else actually using the bins so they must go out after dark. And most importantly, no TV aerial, dish or cable. Even though I do enjoy them, I can only take watching those Friends videos one more time. Guess what I will be watching on TV at Christmas.

The one major hiccup is that our bank account has been frozen but, hey, when you can look out to the sea in the sunshine so who cares. My husband opened it with his German passport and our previous address in France but it appears that, out of the hundreds of forms they have, they don't have one for just that situation … Oh well as long as the water, gas and electro bills don't need paying before Christmas, I will at least be able to cook a turkey before it’s all cut off.

Otherwise all is great and am loving the area, sea, mountains, forests, blue skies … even walked to the beach a few times which take 30 minutes … awesome! The place just has a magical feel to it that I was not expecting, having never been here before.

I will leave the trip into Lisbon until after Christmas but the shopping centre nearby is meant to be great so will have a gander at that this week … if I ever get the door keys back.

So that's our first week almost up with a little progress on the settling in and sorting out, and as the agent says, you can go out planning to get so many things done but always come home happy if you have been able to make any progress at all......so on that note.....I will go make the most of the hot water while I can.

You’re Number’s Up

(22 December 2005 - BettyBoop - Cascais)

Got a post box … and a number, or I should say two numbers. We are Lote 1 and also No. 45. Next-door-but-one way is 67 and the other side is 17a. And that is just in a street of about 7 houses all on one side of the road. Just love the logic!

On driving …

Do you feel like life is passing you by?

(9 January 2006 - BettyBoop - Cascais

…It will be as soon as you hit the Portuguese motorway. The first thing to strike us was the speed the Portuguese travel at on the motorway. You can expect everything to overtake you even if you are traveling at the speed limit leaving you with a feeling that you are actually traveling backwards.

To light your way

(9 January 2006 - BettyBoop - Cascais)

While on the subject of driving, while driving along the coast road between Cascais and Lisbon I got to see these clever traffic lights. They had my husband confused the first time he came across them as he did not see why you have a traffic light without a junction.

If you are traveling over the speed limit then the next set of traffic lights will turn red. You are then forced to wait a short period of time before you can go again. You are duly slowed down and punished (all be it so are a few cars who happen to be around at the same time) … neat.

A Bridge too Far

(23 January 2006 - BettyBoop - Cascais)

One of the things on the top of my list was bowling. Not very Portuguese I know but … well I like it. So how chuffed was I when I found this:

Lisbon International Bowling

The most modern, the most important in Portugal and one of the biggest of Europe, the BIL (Bowling Internacional de Lisboa) has already been the stage of the world championship, the AMF Bowling World Cup

It is at the Expo 98 in Lisbon so that makes it just down the road from me and, what, only 8 years old, 30 lanes plus the 'most important bowling ally in Portugal' I'm sorted.

So off we went on a little trip to the Expo centre yesterday. Hook up the GPS which tells us it will take less that 30 minutes … gets better and better.

Travel past the airport … DUCK!! (as in lower one’s head and not the quacky type), as an airplane skims the motorway, and our heads, as it comes into land.

Then Jane, our GPS lassie, says “Take the next exit” … “What next exit?” “I said what next …” Wow! What a very long bridge. So there we were on a long additional excursion across (as we found out later) the longest bridge in Europe but at least I now know that I don't really like crossing such long bridges where you can't even see the other side (foggy day).

We arrive at the other end of the bridge … finally … and start planning to turn around but, as most of you will know or find out very quickly, that there is never a simple way to just turn round … “Shut up Jane!” (as in our GPS Jane, always helps to name inanimate objects if you are then planning on talking to them I find). We lose sight of the bridge and now have NO idea what direction we are heading in. How the hell you can lose sight of a bridge that big is beyond me. We had just started to wish we had brought the sun tan lotion for when we hit the Algarve, when we see a sign for Lisbon … on the other side of the road. Well we finally make it back to the bridge, pay a toll for the fun time we had for crossing it in the first place and then head back.

We see the Exp 98 centre from the bridge but just have our hopes set on getting off that bridge and staying off it. Husband says that if we end up taking another trip over the bridge, he is going to just drive straight home but if I am going to take any notice of what he says I don’t see why I have to start now.

Finally find the bowling alley … Wow! Big … Wow! Shut … Wow! Closed down!

So a 30-minute trip took us well over an hour, god knows how many km for what? To find out I don't like traveling over long bridges and not to trust a GPS system when it comes to understanding the Portuguese road system. Maybe we should have called her Janinha. So it was then just a matter of getting back on the right road, just narrowly missing the bridge (GPS Jane is going to have to prove herself before she gets to open her speaker again) and head for home.

So Close but yet so Far

(13 February 2006 - BettyBoop - Cascais)

After our last visit to the local IKEA I wanted to pop to AKA next door. I could see the building, smell the building and even practically touch the building so why, when needing only to travel a few hundred feet to get to it, do we end up out of the trading estate and heading back to Cascais? My husband refused to go back and try again. He said I have had my one chance … One chance?? But this is Lisbon. You need at least three chances to get to where you’re going and that's on a good day. I suppose there is the point that it will take at least three tries to just manage to turn round and head in the opposite direction but … jeez!

On Public Transport …

On the Buses

(24 January 2006 - BettyBoop - Cascais)

After my daughter had only been here a couple of days my husband dropped us in Cascais centre with the plan that, after a nosey around we would get the bus back. Not wanting to have to talk to the bus driver, I had planned well in advance by buying tickets from the Tabac. Oh I am a big planner, just a shame I am not so good at carrying them through.

Anyways, we had an option of two buses that I had seen passing within one street of my house … well this can't be hard. On the timetables they both stated that they went through our part of town but one on the outward journey (after 10 minutes) and the other on the return journey (after 30 minutes)....so I choose to go for just a 10 minute ride.

Now you know what’s coming … I see the Bowling alley as we pass...right now it is about one minute (or more like 30 seconds with the Grand Prix Bus driver we have got) to our stop … so why are we now heading for the Sintra hills?

To cut a long story a little shorter, we got off the bus in 'who knows where' and walked back in the general direction of home. The 10 minute bus ride turned into a 15 minute one and a 30 minute walk.

We did find a DVD rental shop on our trek home, so all was not lost.

On Life in General …

You Get that Loving Feeling?

(31 January 2006 - BettyBoop - Cascais)

I am pretty easy going and had no problem living in either France or Germany BUT, having 'no real problem' and getting a real buzz for a place are two different things. It was not until I arrived in Portugal that I started buzzing (day two, to be precise, after walking the dog and stumbling on an amazing view of the coast line) and I only have to sit and think, “Hey, I live here” to recharge the feeling.

On Animals …

It’s a dog’s life

(19 December 2005 - BettyBoop - Cascais)

The biggest revelation so far is the Portuguese attitude to dogs which is very strange. I was prepared for seeing stray dogs but our agent said she, and many others just let their dogs out in the morning and it then it goes off for the day and comes back when it wants. Just like it was a cat but with a higher biting potential. Strangely enough we don't see many cats around here. Wonder why! I have seen the odd dog being walked on a lead but on the whole the only time I have needed to put our dog on a lead was by a busy road. I am guaranteed to meet quite a few dogs out on their own but have yet to have a problem. The first couple of times our dog came face-to-face with one in the street, she did her pig impression (squeal like her throat had been cut … oh such a mighty German Shepherd she is) but now she is getting used to it and taking them as they come … and come … and come.

Last week we went for a walk to the beach and after passing through a small village, we then ended up with another 4 dogs on our walk. By the time we reached the beach it was down to two but I did feel obliged to walk back the same way to take them back. Only problem was, I picked up the others again to head in the other direction.

We quite often end up with additional dogs joining us for part of our walk including a couple the size of bears.

So if you are planning on bringing your dog then you should find they will love it here as they can bark there little lungs out without you getting nasty looks or comments.

It’s a dog’s life

(10 February 2006 - BettyBoop – Cascais)

The Portuguese are just so friendly. I have only met one old Portuguese lady who was somewhat less enamoured with me but that was because I had my dog off the lead. Just the sight of it (Ok it is a German Shepherd but she was minding her own business) sent her dog into a crazed squealing frenzy like it had been electrocuted. The old lady emerged from her house none to pleased at what could possibly have caused her dog's reaction. I used my highly skilled Portuguese (well, two of the 7 Portuguese words I know so far) to tell her that my dog was 'nao mau' (not bad) and was even stood there with some other scruffy little mutt that had tagged along on our walk for the last 10 minutes. She was kind enough in return to give me a Portuguese lesson on the meaning of 'estupido'. So at least I can now add a new word to my database and there is no need for the translator me thinks.

On Shopping and Food …

It does exactly what is says on the label

(13 February 2006 - BettyBoop – Cascais)

Well, I have to start this with a small confession. What can I say, we like Baked Beans. I know it can be hardly classed as a Portuguese delicacy and when in Rome one should eat Bull stakes and Gladiator chops or even that nasty looking dried out slabs of fish that looks like it was once a fur skin rug in a past life, and who has a cooker big enough to cook that thing anyway? But, like I said, we do like our Baked Beans. I have been able to justify this slightly expensive habit for the fact that I can actually buy HP Baked Beans (no Heinz but you can’t have it all) at our little local corner shop so at least I can be seen as boosting our local economy. How did they know we were coming though?

So yesterday while shopping at Conforama I decided to ease my guilt and buy a Portuguese brand. No problem spotting them on the shelf as they have a big picture on the label. Thank god for labels and I challenge any newbie to finding a tin in their cupboard that was bought without the aid of a picture on it

Last night was to be our Baked Beans on toast night. Nothing like pushing out all the boats on a Saturday night is there, as long as it is not to catch that nasty road kill looking fish. Even let my husband in on the treat although he is not normally allowed beans but am sure I don’t need to go into the details of why.

The local fresh bread was in the toaster, the table was set and so to opening my two tins of Baked Beans. What the …? Looks like anaemic kidney beans floating in a clear globby liquid. Where is my tomato sauce? Why do my beans look like someone sucked all the tomato out of each one of them individually? So, as in every great emergency, I run for the translator. Now I know some of you are thinking, why the hell did she not consult with the translator guru BEFORE she went shopping but to answer that, would be to have to admit to being a plonker so I will leave that question unanswered.

So now I know. I had bought …’Beans White’. Well no kidding, that explains a lot. However, it does not explain what I was meant to do with Beans White and toasted bread. Searched the cupboards for anything resembling a tomato sauce and the only things I could find was a small tin of Heinz Spaghetti, oops pretend you did not see that one, and a bottle of tomato ketchup. What can a woman do when she has hungry mouths to feed? ‘A lot better’, was my daughter’s answer to that question by the end of the night. I heated the beans, squeezed (thank god for squeezy bottles) a gallon of Ketchup on the beans and topped the toast with my mixture.

And we swallowed our punishment quietly, except for my daughter who moaned after every mouthful but then the only time she doesn’t moan is when her mouth is full, and vowed to do better tomorrow … Hope I remembered to pick up that pepperoni pizza in Lidl?