March 19, 2024 • 46 mins
In this episode, Josh from ExpatsEverywhere sits down with Bill Silvia to discuss his life as an expat in Vila de Conde, Portugal. Bill shares his journey from Virginia Beach and Atlanta to embracing his Portuguese heritage in Vila de Conde. He provides insights into the cost of living, cultural adjustments, and the vibrant expat community in Portugal. Bill's transition to expat life underscores the beauty of slowing down and appreciating the simplicity and warmth of Portuguese life.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Producer Dan (01:28):
Hello, and welcome, my emerging expat.
You're tuned in to let's move toPortugal. I'm producer Dan, and
I have the distinct honor ofbringing you YouTube travelers
and our resident Portugalexperts, expats everywhere's
Josh and Caitlin. Each week,they'll inspire, they'll
educate, and they'll accompanyyou on your journey to
Portuguese residents. This weekon let's move to Portugal.
(01:52):
Join us as we chat with Bill, aVirginian who's made his home in
the charming town of Vila deConde. Dive into his journey of
cultural immersion, the joys oflocal living, and the profound
impact of expat life.
Josh (02:20):
Hey, expats and travelers. Welcome back to Expats
Everywhere Presents. Let's moveto Portugal. This is season 2,
episode 22. Kaylee, how wedoing?
Kalie (02:31):
I'm good. You looked at me like I was supposed to, you
know, jump in there with Let'sMove to Portugal, so I didn't
know if I was supposed to jumpin there earlier. No. I didn't
know what
Josh (02:39):
you were doing. Pause.
Kalie (02:40):
Oh oh, the dramatic. Yeah. So dramatic. You don't
because people don't know whatthey're listening to. Right?
Josh (02:45):
No. Well, I would hope they do. Okay. Kaley did
mention, about me looking ather, and if you can't see us and
you can only hear us, but you'dlike to see us, you can actually
check that out on YouTube. We'vecreated a separate YouTube
channel.
You should just be able to findit by searching Expats
Everywhere podcast, and itshould come up. But if not, you
can just type in the whole nameof the show, and it'll come up.
Kalie (03:07):
Because YouTube's trying to get into the podcast in a
little bit. Right?
Josh (03:10):
Well, they are, but, obviously, that channel is it's
very new. I think we only have,like, 6 or 7 episodes of the
podcast loaded despite the factthat, as you know, we have all
sorts of podcast episodes onhere. We're in the season 2.
Kalie (03:23):
Right. So growing that, I guess, if you want if you wanna
actually watch us,
Bill (03:27):
watch
Kalie (03:27):
us talk.
Josh (03:28):
Yeah. Yep. Exactly. Growing that and, yeah, having
some fun with it just like wehad this week. Fun.
Kalie (03:36):
Fun? What did we do this week that was fun?
Josh (03:39):
Well, we started something that I think is gonna be quite
challenging and maybe less fun,which is a video about the
Portuguese minimum wage. And,essentially, we're doing a
social experiment trying to liveoff of Portuguese minimum wage.
We are 5 days into it so far andfinding it socially challenging.
Kalie (03:58):
Yes. Because as you know, listener, we like to go out a
lot socially with friends. Sonow we have to be very
particular about where we go. Sothere is that. It seems like you
can still it's still okay, butyou have to just, be more aware.
That's what I've noticed is moreaware of what I'm spending money
on.
Josh (04:15):
Yeah. Definitely. Yeah. I mean, it's a budget. It's a
strict budget.
Kalie (04:19):
Because it's different than we recently finished
logging our cost
of living. But when we do that,
we don't alter anything. We just live our
Josh (04:26):
normal lives. Moderates. Right?
Kalie (04:28):
Yeah. I mean, I don't think I'm spending money on
something or I shouldn't buy buythis because we're tracking it.
We just track how we wouldnormally live. I just have to
remember to record that we'redoing it, right, if I'm buying
something.
Bill (04:38):
Oh.
Kalie (04:38):
But that's just kind of a this is what we spend our money
on, and then we see what it's
Josh (04:42):
This is the lifestyle we
Bill (04:43):
live, and
Josh (04:44):
this is how much it costs.
Kalie (04:45):
And that's the total. Whereas this one is different
because you're you definitelyhave to be more aware of the
budget.
Josh (04:50):
Yep. Absolutely. Shifting gears, we have gotten a little
bit more news on verticalcommunity venture. And if you're
not sure what that is, that'sessentially where we have bought
a property here in Portugal, andwe are in the process of
renovating it, and the unitshave been sold to people
already, viewers, communitymembers, which is cool. And,
(05:13):
yeah.
So where are we at with that? Wehave gotten the permission to
set the crane, demolitions goingon, and we will be over there
maybe on Thursday this week torecord.
Kalie (05:26):
Yes. Some stuff.
Josh (05:28):
So the first video is gonna come out. I don't wanna
say soon, but, like, we're stillprobably a couple weeks away
from having enough real contentfor that first episode.
Kalie (05:36):
Yeah. I feel like we've been saying it's coming out
soon.
Josh (05:38):
I know. But it's because we've had, like, admin delays.
Bill (05:41):
Right.
Josh (05:41):
Like like government licensing and stuff like that
just delay it a bit.
Kalie (05:45):
So nothing really to record, honestly?
Josh (05:47):
No. I mean, like a lot of projects here in Portugal, the
the properties and theconstruction zones just kind of,
like, sit there for monthsbecause they're like, people are
just waiting on licensing to getstarted.
Kalie (06:01):
Yes. But it's looking good. Demo, the crane, they're
gonna block the road. They'regonna have a police officer. All
that fun stuff has beenscheduled.
Yeah. So we can get in there. Ineed to pick more lemons.
Josh (06:13):
Before the lemon tree
Kalie (06:14):
The lemon tree. I keep I know I keep thinking, oh, the
lemon tree's almost gone. So,just pick more lemons to have
those because that's beenamazing. Yeah. But, yeah, that's
mainly the update.
Probably won't be much more ofan update in the next couple
weeks until we actually see howdemo is going and then, the
crane.
Josh (06:30):
Yeah. I mean, that's kind of the update on what's
happening in the world of expatseverywhere, and we're excited
about this week's interview,because it is a it it's a
different one where we dive intoa bit more, which is essentially
a Portuguese city town. I thinkVila de Conde would be similar
(06:53):
to maybe many coastal cities inPortugal.
Kalie (06:57):
Right. Mhmm.
Josh (06:58):
Wouldn't you wouldn't you say that?
Kalie (06:59):
Like, as that more as a town.
Josh (07:01):
Right? Yeah. For sure.
Kalie (07:03):
But, yes, coastal, I mean, it's connected to Porto by
metro, which is really nice.Yeah. But it's its own town. I
mean, I don't know if you livethere how often you're really
coming into Porto. I mean, ifyou like
Josh (07:15):
Bill and I talk about that.
Kalie (07:16):
Oh, do you? We do.
Josh (07:17):
Yeah. Yeah. Because he used to live in Porto, and then
he decided to to, I guess,change it up a bit. The the
Bill (07:24):
pace of life, if you
Kalie (07:25):
wanted to change
Josh (07:27):
up. We talk about cost of living, but I don't think that
that was necessarily a majorfactor.
Kalie (07:32):
Right.
Josh (07:33):
But it does seem like like Vodacone is cheaper.
Kalie (07:36):
Right. But he was he just looking for a bit more of, like,
charm?
Josh (07:40):
You'll have to find out.
Bill (07:40):
I have
Kalie (07:41):
I have not listened to this, I guess. I'm interested.
Josh (07:44):
No. Yeah. He was he was definitely looking at the charm
and kind of the differentlifestyle. We talk about the the
dog culture there, gettinginvolved in the local community,
what the expat scene is like,how much of an expat scene is
there compared to, compared toPorto, which is a much larger
city.
Kalie (08:03):
Yes.
Josh (08:04):
And has much more going on. We get into like language
barrier and social integration,like how to actually get kinda
stuck in. We've actually spokento several people more recently
about their move from whether itbe, like, just US straight over
to Portugal into a smallerplace, like, smaller town or
(08:26):
people that have moved from thelikes of of Lisbon, Algarve, and
Porto into smaller towns wherethere's less,
Bill (08:36):
English Yeah.
Josh (08:37):
And what that's been like because it's different.
Kalie (08:40):
Yeah. It's definitely different. I think it's hard if
you've just moved directly fromyour home country into one of
those smaller locations. We knowsome adaptation. So sometimes
it's easier to do a bigger cityfirst and then move into the
smaller once you, kinda get yourfeet wet.
But Bill's been here for alittle bit, so he was ready for
something that was not as big asPorto. Right? And he was he was
(09:03):
okay with that, or does hestruggle with the language too?
I guess, you guys talked aboutit.
Josh (09:07):
Well, we we no. We do talk about it. There are some
struggles, but I think he's verywilling to overcome those
things. And, also, like, he'snot struggling with it. You know
what I mean?
Yeah.
Kalie (09:17):
But he knows the struggle.
Josh (09:18):
With the language barrier. Right?
Kalie (09:19):
But that's good. That's the that's the mindset you have
to have. Right? I mean, it's notgoing to be easy, but you can
overcome it. Right?
Josh (09:24):
Yeah. Yeah. For sure. And we do talk about the importance
of engaging in the community,around you, especially when
you're in these smaller towns,and then also embracing local
culture. Again, especially whenyou're in these smaller towns.
I mean, you should do itanywhere and and everywhere, but
I think it's even more importantwhen you're in a smaller place
(09:47):
because like our friends thatthat moved kind of close to,
Tirso Santa Tirso. We were justtalking yesterday about how
basically everyone speaks justPortuguese, and and they're
speaking Portuguese with them,and they haven't yet learned our
American friends haven't yetlearned Portuguese, and it's
(10:08):
kind of giving them a kick upthe backside. Mhmm. Like, now we
have a real reason to learnPortuguese because we want to
know our neighbors better.
Kalie (10:15):
Yeah. Have a relationship with them. Have a local place
that you go to and cancommunicate.
Josh (10:21):
Yeah. So it's huge. Yeah. Listen. We wanna encourage you.
If you have any questions or youwanna share your own
experiences, reach out to us.Reach out to us,
podcast@expensevore.com. Drop usa question if you've got it.
We'll try to get that stuffanswered either in a bigger q
and a or even asking thequestion to the next guest that
(10:42):
comes up. And if you're livinghere in Portugal and wanna be on
the show, we could set up achat, a quick chat to see if,
you'd be right for an episode.
So reach out to us at podcast atexpats everywhere.com, and we'll
see what's what.
Kalie (10:54):
And with that, let's chat with Bill.
Josh (10:56):
Let's go. Well, Bill, it is nice to be able to sit down
and have this chat with youabout, Portugal and Villa de
Conde as it's a place thatKaylee and I are looking to
highlight pretty soon with avideo on YouTube. So how's
everything in Villa de Condethese days?
Bill (11:13):
Oh, it's it's a it's a great little place. Nice. Nice
little town. So, yeah, I like ita lot, and it's, you know, it's
very accessible to Porto, whichis a great a great thing. You
know, you can go to Porto forlunch or for the afternoon or
you know, it's it's about 55minutes by train.
You might save another 10minutes if you get the express
(11:35):
train.
Josh (11:36):
Okay.
Bill (11:37):
The express metro. But, yeah, it's, yeah, it's a it's a
nice little place. I can't waitfor you guys to visit. Yeah.
Josh (11:42):
Oh, we're excited. Yeah. Yeah. We're definitely excited.
So let's back up, and let's talkabout, how you moved to
Portugal, where you where youcame from.
Where did you move from? Let'sstart out there.
Bill (11:53):
Well, I, I lived most of my life in, Virginia Beach,
Virginia, but I was living inAtlanta right before I moved
here. I was, living with mysister. She had just recently
lost her husband, and I moved,you know, I was retired. So I
moved down there to to to bewith her. And so, we visited my
(12:16):
sister and I visited in, 2019.
We made a couple of trips,actually, And my heritage is
Portuguese. My my grandparentswere from the Azores. So I'd
always had I had that little bitof Portuguese, you know, behind
me, and Sure. I was I was prettyclose to it. I'd never met my
grandfather, but, my grandmotherand I were were kinda close.
(12:41):
And she was a a lovely littleold Portuguese lady. So but,
anyway, so I had that heritagethere, and they, they came to
the US around 1900, you know,when that big wave of immigrants
hit back then. And they settledin Massachusetts. But, anyway,
my dad was in the navy, so wemoved around a little bit, not
(13:04):
not too much. Settled inVirginia.
And so, anyway, after the tripin 2019, I just I fell in love
with Porto. I mean, I likeLisbon a lot, but I just I just
fell in love with it. It's thegreatest place. I'll never
forget the first time the firsttime we stayed in Gaia, in a
hotel in Gaia. And the firsttime the trip over the the, the
(13:27):
Dom Luis bridge
Josh (13:29):
Yes. Ah, magic.
Bill (13:31):
Yes. It choked up. Because it was it was just gorgeous,
just beautiful. And I thought,well, maybe someday I'll decide
to live here or whatever. So Iworked on it a little bit and
decided, yeah.
Why not? You know? My sisterwanted to to, she wanted they
had a pretty big house. Shewanted to get rid of that just
to you know? She's she's retiredas well.
(13:54):
So I thought, well, you know,she can move into an apartment,
and I can move to Portugal.
Josh (13:59):
Okay.
Bill (14:00):
It's not what happened. So
Josh (14:02):
Very nice. Well, it's exciting for me to talk to a
fellow Virginian even thoughwe're on different different
sides of the state. But,
Bill (14:09):
I didn't know you're from Virginia.
Josh (14:11):
Yeah. I'm from Bristol.
Bill (14:13):
Oh, yeah. Okay.
Josh (14:14):
Yeah. The southwest part. So we're definitely, like, as
far apart as as one could be inthe same state.
Bill (14:20):
Much so. Yeah. That's like different country out there.
Josh (14:24):
That's so true. That's so true. It absolutely is.
Topography is very different,but also kind of the the way of
life is different as well. ButVirginians, nonetheless.
Bill (14:34):
Yes. Okay.
Josh (14:36):
It's very interesting to hear that that you had this you
had this Portuguese connection,and you got drawn back. But you
got drawn back to the mainland,not to to the
Bill (14:46):
islands. So I had thought about possibly living at the
Azores, but, you know, living onan island is is sometimes it's
just not that
Josh (14:57):
Romantic?
Bill (14:59):
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Just just Practical. Things are more
expensive, and, you know, youreally you have to get on a boat
or a plane to go anywhere if youwanna go anywhere.
So Yeah. I do enjoy themainland, and I'd I'd again, I'd
like I like Porto and and.
Josh (15:13):
Nice. Well, you've you've been here for over 2 years. So
what are some things that youhad to adjust to, moving from
the US to Portugal?
Bill (15:23):
Well, I guess the first big thing is the language.
Josh (15:26):
Okay.
Bill (15:27):
Still not wonderful at. I'm I'm learning, but it's it's
going slow. It's hard to learn.It's very hard. I'm not a big
social person, so, you know, Idon't.
I can I can get away with nothaving a lot of friends?
Although, I have made friendshere, very, very close, good
(15:48):
friends. And they've helped me alot, you know, assimilate into
the culture. But it's just,well, yeah, the biggest thing of
the is the language and just andjust the people. You know, the
people are very friendly, butthey for a while, the 1st year I
was here, they can look at youand they can tell, okay.
(16:09):
This guy's not from you. Uh-huh.He's he's we don't know if he's
from the US or from, you know,the UK or whatever. We know he's
not from here. So that was alittle a little odd.
And they they weren't theyweren't discriminatory in any
way. You know? They didn't, theydidn't give you the the side eye
or anything, but they can justthey could just tell.
Josh (16:31):
And and you feel that, though. Right.
Bill (16:33):
Do I stick out that much, or Right. What am I doing? So
but other than that, it's it'sbeen it's been great. You know?
People are very, very friendly.
Josh (16:44):
Did you feel did you feel that feeling more in Vila de Con
compared to Porto and Gaia?
Bill (16:51):
Yes. Yes. I did. I did because it's a smaller place.
Josh (16:54):
Exactly. Okay. Yeah. That's what that's kinda what I
wanted
Bill (16:56):
to get at. Think there were a lot there's a lot a lot
more expats in Porto becauseit's a bigger place, obviously.
Yeah. Yeah. But yeah.
But I still felt real real warm.There's a great little expat
group here that meets everyweekend. Okay. I go
occasionally. I don't go I don'tgo very often, but they're very
welcoming.
(17:17):
You know, they they plan events,and there's a a a Facebook page
that they're very, very activein. There's a WhatsApp chat
group that's very active.
Josh (17:31):
What's the name of the Facebook group?
Bill (17:34):
It's called Villa DuPont Community Meetups.
Josh (17:38):
Okay. And is it is it mainly Americans, or is it all
national?
Bill (17:42):
No. There's people from all over the world. Okay. Lots a
lot from the UK as you wouldexpect because Sure. I think I
think UK is, the the biggestexpats community Number 1.
Portugal, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah.Wow. That's a big response.
Josh (17:56):
Yeah. I think it's, like, British and, Brazilian. Yeah.
Yeah. Brazil.
Biggest foreign populations.Yeah.
Bill (18:02):
Yeah. There's there's a few people from Brazil as well.
Josh (18:04):
Okay. In in the group?
Bill (18:07):
Yes. Yeah.
Josh (18:08):
And is the group speaking in English or Portuguese?
Bill (18:10):
Oh, in English.
Josh (18:12):
In English. Okay. So the Brazilians
Bill (18:13):
There's a couple of, sponsors that are from Ville
DuPont. Okay. They speakEnglish, but but they do speak
Portuguese. Cool.
Josh (18:22):
Very cool. So earlier you said that that language was the
the tricky part for you,adapting to to this move. Are
you actively learningPortuguese? And if so, can you
give the listener any tips?
Bill (18:36):
Well, yeah, I subscribe to an online platform. It's called
Portuguese with Anita.
Josh (18:43):
Okay.
Bill (18:44):
And you go on you know, you buy the courses. They send
you all the courses, and you gothrough them at your own pace.
Yep. Which for me, I'm kind of aprocrastinator. So it's good
that they're there because I cango to it any time.
Yeah. But, yeah, that I thinkthat platform was good. Now I
have some other friends thatlive in Porto, and they
(19:06):
suggested another one. And Icannot think of
Josh (19:08):
Probably Mia's. Esmaresh. And what? Mia. Mia's academy.
Bill (19:14):
Could be. It could be.
Josh (19:16):
Or maybe Portuguese with Carla. Because there's there's a
few, I guess, that that Kayleeand I, have experience with and
recommend. Portuguese with Carlais who we personally use. We've
also we've also studied, Mia'scourses. Mia's great for people
who live in Porto specificallybecause she's from here and has
that accent.
So Oh, really? It's better inthat regard. Let's see. Then
(19:40):
there's Leo, Portuguese withLeo, and he is a content creator
based in Lisbon. And he has
Bill (19:47):
a lot of he has a
Josh (19:48):
lot of stuff on YouTube that is fun with pronunciation
differences, culturaldifferences between Brazil and
Portugal, historical things aswell. But he delivers all of his
content in Portuguese comparedto the other teachers that are
English first, easing theirstudents into Portuguese. So I
think people need to be morelike intermediate to understand
(20:11):
his videos.
Bill (20:13):
Oh, I see. Yeah.
Josh (20:14):
Okay. Good. So you've you've been doing online
learning and then being able totake that Portuguese that you've
learned into cafes andrestaurants and shops?
Bill (20:24):
Very, yeah, very little. I'm still a little you know, I'm
I'm a little leery to speak it.
Josh (20:29):
Templates?
Bill (20:29):
I do have several phrases down. You know? Okay. A lot of
the basics. Okay.
But it's it's, yeah, it's comingalong. And, you know, of course,
I'm gonna have to do somethingsoon. You know, you have to
speak, take take that test to,when you get your permanent
residency.
Josh (20:49):
For for citizenship. Right? The a 2? Yeah.
Bill (20:52):
Yeah. Okay. Okay.
Josh (20:55):
Good. Why did so why did you choose Vila Du Can
specifically? Was there wasthere a draw there? Because you
said that you traveled to portyou love Porto. You traveled
there in in Gaia.
So why Villotecan a littlefurther out from Porto?
Bill (21:08):
Well, it's it's a bit of a story. When I first moved, you
know, when I got my d sevenvisa, the first apartment I had
was in Campania.
Josh (21:19):
Okay. And it
Bill (21:19):
was nice. It was it was a cute little place. It was a
studio. So there's there's somany Facebook groups, you know,
that will help you with themove. That was really invaluable
for me.
There's the Americans andFriends, PT. That's a that's a
great group. And, of course,your content helped me a lot. I
started watching you guys, youknow, 6, 7, 8 months before I
(21:43):
moved. Okay.
I'm still in Atlanta. Thank you.But, but, anyway, there's,
there's all these little groups,and I moved without anything. I
had 3 suitcases. I didn't bringany furniture.
I didn't bring any pots andpans, dishes, or anything. So I
had nothing when I got here. Theapartment was furnished, very
(22:04):
basic furnished. So what I did,I contacted, there was a person
advertising on one of these, Ithink, Porto Expats or one of
those Facebook groups
Josh (22:16):
Yes.
Bill (22:16):
Saying she will you know, for a small fee, she'll take you
shopping. And she had a friendthat had a car, and they will
you know, you buy all yourstuff, and she'll drive you
home. So I thought, well, thatthat sounds good. Yeah. So I met
those 2 ladies, Helen andHelena.
And Helena actually lived inVilla DuPont, and they had both
(22:36):
experienced Villa DuPont. So wetalked, you know, the first time
we met, and, you know, we wewent to Ikea, and I bought all
this stuff. And on the way home,you know, we had a nice chat,
and they said, well, really, youshould try to come to Villa
Duca. I think you'll really likeit. It's not as big as Porto,
but it's very quiet.
So a month later so my sistervisited for the first time since
(22:59):
I lived here, and we called upHelen and Helena and said, you
know, we'd like to take you tolunch in Villa Du Conte, so
we're gonna take the train upthere. And they said, come on
Friday because there's the thebig the big Mercado is here on
on Friday. That's the one thatgoes all around. So we came up.
We had lunch.
I really liked it. Elena said, Ihave an apartment if you, you
(23:23):
know, if you ever wanna talkabout something like that, and I
thought, well, yeah. We'll see.You know? So not long after
that, I got a an email from mylandlord in in Campania, in
Porto.
Josh (23:35):
Yep. And
Bill (23:36):
he said, I'm selling all my properties. Of course, I'll
honor your lease, which was tillthe end of 2022, December 2022.
He said, but, you know, I justwant you to know, my real estate
lady is probably gonna beshowing you the apartment. I
said, fine. Not not a problem.
Anyway, long story short or longstory long, Helena, the lady of
(24:02):
the ludukan, her apartment cameavailable in in June. Okay. And
so I I approached my landlord.It turns out that the person
that that did buy my my,apartment in in Campania, he
wanted to he was gonna livethere himself. Originally, they
thought they'd probably getinvestors, but this guy wanted
(24:23):
to wanted to move.
So I called my landlord, and Isaid, look. You know, I have an
opportunity to move to to VilleDuPont. If you can refund my
deposit, I'll move, you know, into me a little more. So Yeah. It
worked out for both of us.
Josh (24:41):
Great.
Bill (24:42):
Yeah. Yeah. So the place here in Vodacont is really nice.
Josh (24:45):
I mean So how long have you been there?
Bill (24:49):
It'll be a year
Josh (24:49):
and a half.
Bill (24:50):
Years and July. Okay. About a year and a half. Yeah.
Okay.
Josh (24:54):
Yeah. Nice. It is really
Bill (24:56):
it's centrally located. I don't have a car. I don't need
one. Everything you need is isthe ability to go on either
here. And I and I have private,health insurance.
I haven't joined the publicsystem yet.
Josh (25:08):
Okay.
Bill (25:09):
My hospital is in Polowo. So I do, you know, I do have to
go up there. But everything elseis is in Ville Du Conte, Big
grocery stores. You know,there's an auction. There's a a
continent, PingoDoce.
You know, all of them are here.Shopping is great. There's a,
(25:29):
you know, restaurants are good.Yeah. So, yeah, it's great.
It's a great little place.
Josh (25:35):
Which is the private hospital that you go to in Pavo
da Barzin?
Bill (25:39):
Hospital Daloge.
Josh (25:40):
Daloge. That's right. Okay.
Bill (25:42):
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And it's good. It's good.
I I I like my doctor. I likeher.
Josh (25:48):
Good. Okay. So settling into Villa de Cones, what have
you found that maybe is a littlelacking compared to what you had
when you were living inCampania, living closer to the
city of Porto?
Bill (26:01):
Well, the, the restaurants aren't quite as diverse.
Josh (26:06):
Okay. That's nice.
Bill (26:07):
Nice restaurants here, but, there there was just so
many more in in, in Campana, inPorto. Yeah. The shopping,
there's no big, huge shoppingcenters. There is a a fashion
outlet.
Josh (26:20):
Right.
Bill (26:21):
It's not far from here. It's it's not bad. You know?
It's it's it's mostly clothes.There's not much else there.
The shopping in Porto was anidea. You know? Nord Nord
Shopping
Josh (26:33):
Yes.
Bill (26:34):
That place is great. I mean, that food court Yeah. But,
yeah, that's that's about it.It's not quite as diverse. But,
again, like I said, you hop onthe metro, and you're in Porto
in 45, 50 minutes.
Josh (26:50):
Okay. So kind of staying a bit on the topic of, of
restaurant diversity, have youseen more popping up? Because
what we've noticed in the past,like, 2 years in in Porto alone,
I guess since you moved really,has been an explosion of of
restaurants. Like, therestaurant scene here has gone
crazy. Yeah.
(27:11):
In a good way. Like, there's alot more diversity. Whereas when
we first moved, we had 1 or 2,maybe 3 options of different
types of ethnic cuisines Andnow, like, we're approaching the
fours, fives, and sixes whereyou can be a little more
discerning about, you know,where you wanna go eat. Yeah.
It's it's wild.
Bill (27:29):
Yeah. That is good. That's great.
Josh (27:30):
Great. So have you seen, like, a little more diversity
that's happening pushing intothe Villa de Conde
Bill (27:36):
Mhmm. Out from Portland? Not that many places have opened
up since I've been here.
Josh (27:40):
Okay.
Bill (27:40):
Now it's most it's a lot of locals. You know, small mom
and pop places, which is good.And there's the Very good.
Trusquiana, right around thecorner, and that's that's real
Portuguese. That's, it's onlytakeaway, but that's fine.
Okay. And it's very reasonablypriced. Oh my god. They're, you
know
Josh (27:59):
How how much can you, how much is a meal there?
Bill (28:03):
About €5.
Josh (28:05):
Okay.
Bill (28:05):
Yep. Yeah.
Josh (28:06):
Like a meal now.
Bill (28:07):
It's it's it's like a buffet. So if you want 2
different things, the cheapestone that you can get you can get
a, a quarter of a of a dose or ahalf dose or a full dose. But
the the cheapest one is €5.Okay. Even if you even if you do
2 2 different, meals, it'll lastyou 2 or 3 meals.
(28:28):
You know what I mean? Right.There's so much. They give you a
huge portion.
Josh (28:32):
Right. Okay. So I'm I'm assuming that when when you say
a dose, we're talking about aportion of food. And I'm
assuming that if it's like mostplaces in Portugal, a dose is
good for 2 people at least.Okay.
Bill (28:46):
Yes.
Josh (28:46):
And a maya dose or a half of a dose is is one person.
Yeah. Yeah. And then a a quarterwould be if you have a small
appetite. Right?
Bill (28:54):
Well, no. Actually well, no. The quarter
Josh (28:57):
is enough.
Bill (28:58):
Quarter will last a a good a good portion. It's it's a
pretty good size. Okay. Yeah.
Josh (29:05):
Is it, is it, like, rice, fried potatoes, roasted
potatoes, and a medium?
Bill (29:09):
They have they have fried fish every day. And the the
fish, you get French fries andrice with it. Then they have
duck rice, and they have, Ican't think of the name of the
stew with the with the porkbelly in it, and the it's got
beans.
Josh (29:24):
Is it called Verdes? Is it green?
Bill (29:27):
No. No. No. It's not it's not the the green soup.
Josh (29:30):
Okay.
Bill (29:30):
I can't think of the name of it, but they have that. And
there's, you know, there's like5 different items. And then of
course they have the the puny,puny chicken as well.
Josh (29:39):
Nice. Okay. Good. I wanna ask you a bit about prices.
(30:28):
Obviously, you've only had toyou've only had to move there
once, but I'm curious if you'vehad your eye on the the market
in general.
Like, what are, rental priceslike there? Have you seen a big
increase since you've moved?
Bill (30:41):
You know, I really haven't been in the market at all Okay.
Because I I I love my place.Mhmm. Now there seems to be a
lot of of newer places,especially down by the, when you
get out to the to the ocean.Yes.
There's a lot of high rises upthere, and I imagine they're
(31:01):
condos.
Josh (31:03):
Okay.
Bill (31:03):
So instead of, you know, instead of apartments. Now I
don't know what the apartmentmarket is like. I pay €500 Okay.
Which I think is a good deal.Okay.
Josh (31:14):
I was
Bill (31:14):
paying 600 in Porto, but that place was tiny. It was it
was a studio.
Josh (31:19):
Yeah.
Bill (31:20):
So here I have I mean, it's a big, you know, living
area, nice kitchen. There's alittle back, patio. But, yeah, I
really couldn't tell you so muchabout, you know, about other,
other places.
Josh (31:34):
Okay.
Bill (31:35):
I'm I'm sure there are some. Not not certainly not as
many as in Bordeaux.
Josh (31:40):
Do you have any plans to purchase property at any point?
Bill (31:43):
No. I don't believe so. I don't think I will. So Something
really exceptional happens, youknow, or something falls in my
lap.
Josh (31:52):
Okay.
Bill (31:52):
No. I'm happy just renting.
Josh (31:54):
Okay. So no no property purchase, no getting a car. You
wanna just kinda keep things asminimal as possible. Exactly.
Exactly.
Okay. Good. Alright. Very nice.And, any anything that you would
recommend people in particularto integrate, Better into a
smaller place like likeVoluticonde because, like you
(32:16):
said, there's not as manyforeigners that are there, as
many, expats, if you will.
So what are some ways thatpeople can really integrate
better into one of these smallerplaces?
Bill (32:26):
Well, I would say if you have if you if you like going
out at night, your optionsobviously are not as, not as
good here in Ville Du Conte.Okay. Although during the
summertime, especially duringSao Joao, the whole month of
June, there are concerts theyset up a temporary stage down by
(32:50):
the on the river, and there areconcerts there several times a
week. Now they start late. Yep.
Just like everything else in inPortugal. These concerts don't
start 11. 30 at night.
Josh (33:01):
10:30. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.
Bill (33:02):
But they're pretty pretty diverse. They have they have a
good a good range of people. SoI will say that they do have
they're that's that's prettygood if you'd like to go out at
night. But the, the crowd hereis not quite as as young. I
mean, obviously, the the socialscene is just not not like it is
in Bordeaux.
So I I don't care anything aboutthat. My my social days are,
(33:26):
yeah, that ship at sale. So so Iit doesn't matter to me. I'm I'm
I'm in, you know, 8 o'clock atnight. That's it.
Although, you can still youknow, it's a it's a nice walk
around town even, you know, inin the dark. It is nice.
Josh (33:40):
Okay. Well, what do you do with your spare time?
Bill (33:45):
I have a dog. Okay. So I take her out a lot, and I just
like to walk to the beach. It'sonly 15 minutes now out to the
beach. There's a, a neighborhoodjust north of here, just south
of Povilwa called Cachinas.
Josh (34:00):
Okay.
Bill (34:00):
And that's that's always nice. There are a lot of
restaurants up that way, more sothan the the part of town that
I'm in. I'm down south by theriver. So then the farther north
you go, of course, you're gonnaget into Poivoa, and there's
lots there's quite a fewrestaurants in Poevo. But the
Cachinas is a nice little inbetween neighborhood.
It's very residential. Sothere's probably more rental
(34:23):
properties up that way. So I'dlike to go up there. You know,
I'll get on the train and go toPorto occasionally. But for for
the most part, I just I stickpretty close to home.
I don't have a very excitinglife. But that's why I'm glad
I'm in I'm in Portugal because Icould just join. I mean, you
know yourself, you take a walkaround town, and it's like, you
(34:45):
know, you find something newevery time you go for a walk.
Right. You you you you discoversomething new.
So Very cool. Yeah. I think it'sa great place for a retired guy
like me. I'm 71. You know, Ijust I I have Social Security
income from the US.
It's very reasonable here. Asyou know, prices are cheap. Food
(35:07):
is cheap and and good.
Josh (35:10):
Yes.
Bill (35:11):
Yeah. So I didn't I, you know, I I like it a lot better
than than than Porto. Although Ilove Porto. Don't get me wrong.
Josh (35:18):
Yeah. Okay. Well, tell me a little bit about dog culture
because you have a dog. What'swhat size dog are we talking
about?
Bill (35:25):
She's a, she's £22.
Josh (35:27):
Okay.
Bill (35:28):
Yeah. It was an interesting it was an
interesting thing to get herover here because she came with
me from the US. Okay. Let's talkabout that. She's a pug in a
beagle, mitts.
She's a puggle. Ah, so she has
Josh (35:39):
that short snout.
Bill (35:40):
Yeah. That snout.
Josh (35:42):
Yeah. That can be a problem.
Bill (35:44):
Yeah. Yeah. It was a problem. Yeah. Okay.
No no airline will fly them inthe hold of the plane because
Yeah.
Josh (35:51):
Yeah.
Bill (35:51):
She was a little too big to fly in the cabin. So my only
option was a a pet relocationservice
Josh (35:58):
Okay.
Bill (35:58):
Which was pretty pricey, actually.
Josh (36:02):
Do you mind telling us how much?
Bill (36:04):
It was right at $3,000.
Josh (36:07):
Okay. And what did that service include?
Bill (36:10):
Well, it depends on what you want them to do. If you want
them to arrange for all thepaperwork, if you want them to
pick up your pet at your houseand return them to your to your
new house. I I didn't have a apet carrier, so I had to
purchase one of those from them.Okay. So it could have been a
(36:33):
little bit less expensive.
And another thing too that I didto save a little bit of money
was, she came into Lisbon, andthey wanted it was a bit another
$1,000,000 for them to drive herto Porto. So I just arranged
for, another guy I found onFacebook, really nice guy from
Angola. We drove we drove downto get her in in to Lisbon.
(36:57):
Okay. Yeah.
So that was good. But, anyway,yeah, dog culture is is a little
odd. She's kinda feistysometimes. She's a little she
likes to bark. You know?
Okay. She she'll bark at otherdogs, and people here don't seem
to mind it. You know? Becausewhen I when she will bark at
(37:17):
somebody, the the occasional,person, you know, I'll tell her,
no, Rosie. No.
Don't don't do that. And they'reall like, oh. It's fine. I'm
fine. Yeah.
They don't care.
Josh (37:28):
Yeah.
Bill (37:29):
But it's but it's yeah. She likes it here. She loves it.
I mean, the the the smells youknow, there's there's so much
more to sniff here than whatthere was in the US.
Josh (37:40):
Do you take her to restaurants often?
Bill (37:42):
Outside.
Josh (37:44):
Yeah.
Bill (37:44):
Only outside. Actually, I don't I don't take her because,
like I said, she gets excitedwhen she sees other dogs.
Josh (37:53):
Okay.
Bill (37:54):
And I, there was one occasion of about 6 months ago
where I was having coffee, And Ihad tied her her leash to the
table, the the legs of thetable, and she saw another dog
and she, you know, lunged andfood went everywhere.
Josh (38:12):
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I've I've seen that before.
Bill (38:15):
Yeah.
Josh (38:15):
Okay. So so you have
Bill (38:18):
I mean, any place outside, she's they're they're they love
it.
Josh (38:22):
Yeah. And I was gonna kind of ask about that. So you've
you've at least noticed or beenaware because usually when
you're a pet owner, you're awareof, like, the accommodations
that places will give to petseven if you're not taking your
dog there. I mean, certainly,Kaylee and I, are like that. So
most places that you go to, arepet friendly and you see other
(38:43):
people bring in their their dogsand
Bill (38:46):
Oh, yeah. Yeah. And you guys have dogs too, don't you?
Josh (38:49):
Well, we did. So he he he passed away, over, yeah, over
Christmas break, unfortunately.
Bill (38:56):
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
Josh (38:58):
No. Thank you. But but, yes, we're gonna be we're gonna
be dog free for a bit. But yeah.
Bill (39:03):
Yeah. Yeah.
Josh (39:05):
Okay. Yeah. So have you noticed that people in Villa de
Cones, pick up after their dogs?Because that's been a problem
that we have noticed personallyin Porto, where you'll see maybe
you don't see people not pickingit up, but you see the aftermath
of
Bill (39:21):
of a dog. Yes. Yes. Yeah. I I always pick up after her
after her.
Now if she's going on grass orin a in a garden area,
Josh (39:32):
you
Bill (39:33):
know, that's that's just a grassy area, sometimes I won't
do that because I've actuallybeen I actually had somebody
tell me one time. I did pick itup in a bag. And, you know,
those bags are gonna sit in alandfill for who knows how long.
Josh (39:49):
There's that problem. Yeah.
Bill (39:50):
No. You you have to do it. I will do it, especially if it's
on a sidewalk or wheresomebody's going to possibly
step in it.
Josh (39:56):
Sure.
Bill (39:57):
And, obviously, I'll pick it up. But I had this one lady
just read me the riot act forpicking up on on a on a grassy
spot. Well Yeah. Okay. I won'tdo that anymore.
Josh (40:11):
Okay.
Bill (40:11):
That's Yeah. Most people do pick up, but like you said,
you can there's the aftermath.You can see it.
Josh (40:17):
Yeah. Well, I mean, I think that certainly during
during tourist season, it makesit pretty treacherous when
people that don't realize thatthat this is a little bit of a
problem in in our kind ofcollective culture here in
Portugal Yeah. As they'rewalking around looking at all
the buildings, and they'restepping in
Bill (40:34):
Yeah. Dog poo. Yeah. Okay. Okay.
Josh (40:37):
But, I mean, you wouldn't really have that many tourists
out in in Villa de Cones unlesspeople are going out there for
for the beach, I guess.
Bill (40:45):
Down toward the beach in the summertime, there's a lot of
French people. I know.
Josh (40:49):
Okay.
Bill (40:50):
But, yeah, there's not a lot of tourists. Nothing like
Bordeaux. Nothing at all.
Josh (40:55):
Okay. Tell us about what summers are like there. How how
busy does it get? How much doesthe volume of people change?
Bill (41:04):
It really doesn't change much at all, especially, like I
said, I'm about a 15 minute walkfrom the beach, so I don't
notice anybody. Now what what Ido notice here is we're on the
the, the Camino the Camino deSantiago. Yes. That runs right
in front of my front door. Cool.
I do see a lot of, of pilgrims.
Josh (41:26):
Pilgrims. Yeah.
Bill (41:27):
Yeah. Mhmm. So you do see a lot of those, and they're from
all over the world. Okay. Otherthan that, there's really not
that much of a change in in,season to season here.
Josh (41:38):
Well, what's the winter like? Not in terms of of volume
of people, but just like, what'sthe weather like? Is it is it
decent? Is it depressing? How'sit feel?
Bill (41:49):
It's similar to Porto. Okay. It's probably a little bit
cooler here. There is there is apretty good breeze that blows
most of the time. Okay.
But, you know, it's rainy anddamp.
Josh (42:01):
Yeah. But Any of those problems seep into the house?
Bill (42:05):
The summers are a little bit cooler than they they they
are in Porto. Okay. It's alittle bit 55, 10 degrees maybe.
Josh (42:12):
Okay. Okay. Do you have any of those, moisture issues in
your apartment? And if so, whatdo
Bill (42:17):
you do about that? Yeah. Unfortunately. Yeah. But I have
a a cleaning lady that comes inevery every 2 weeks.
Josh (42:26):
Okay.
Bill (42:27):
And my landlady lives upstairs. So she keeps pretty
good, you know, a pretty goodeye on everything. Good. Yeah.
It does get a does get thatblack mold around them, you
know, in some of the corners and
Josh (42:39):
Yes.
Bill (42:39):
Sometimes in in the ceiling, But they take pretty
good care of it.
Josh (42:43):
How much does it cost, for someone to clean?
Bill (42:47):
She is €7 an hour, and she takes 2 hours.
Josh (42:52):
Okay.
Bill (42:52):
And I give her 15, you know, just round up. Round up.
Yeah. Yeah. €15 every otherweek.
Hey. Works for
Josh (43:00):
me. Yeah. Absolutely.
Bill (43:02):
That is not bad at all.
Josh (43:03):
And that sounds like a a a pretty common rate that we hear.
I mean, we've we've heard ofpeople that work for 5 as well.
Bill (43:11):
But I
Josh (43:11):
think whenever we've paid, we've paid, you know, around,
yeah, 30 for 4 hours. Yeah. So7:50. Yeah. Yeah.
Okay. Nice. Okay. So we've kindof touched on the living in Vila
de Conde aspects, but, let's goa little broader and just tell
us, like, kind of what is livingin Portugal been like for you,
(43:33):
and is it a place that you seeyourself, being in for many,
many years to come?
Bill (43:38):
Yes. Definitely. Yes. I don't, for a lot of reasons, I I
don't see myself going back tothe US. Okay.
You know? I I, I I don't haveI'm not married. I don't have
any children, but, of course, mysister, and I've got lots of
cousins and a big extendedfamily. But, no. I don't I don't
(44:00):
wanna go back there.
And a a a big part of it well,there's a couple of things.
Obviously, politics are justcrazies. But another thing too
is the is the, the cost ofliving. Oh my gosh. It's so
expensive there.
And you need a car when I mean,almost anywhere you you live,
you have to have a you're gonnahave to have a car. Yeah. And
(44:22):
that's another huge expense.Yes. So no.
But no. I I and I like I likePortugal. The people here are
just they're friendly. They'reaccommodating. They're very
helpful.
My landlady upstairs, she'shelped me so much with just, you
know, just everyday littlethings. You know, she'll she she
(44:43):
took me to, she introduced me tothe to the expat group. She took
me, you know, the finances. Wewe have to go there for this.
Yeah.
She's real. She's just asweetheart. Yeah.
Josh (44:57):
Good. What expats have where we believe that living
abroad transforms lives, how hasliving abroad transformed your
life?
Bill (45:05):
I've I've slowed down a lot since I've been here and
just noticed people, the the thegood in people. You know? Just
and and, of course, it's acompletely different culture.
Every you know, the little oldPortuguese guys that sit out in
front of the bars and, you know,they'll they'll have their
little drinks in the morning.Yes.
Just everything like that. Andand and, you know, the families,
(45:30):
yeah, that's another big thingtoo. There's a big, huge park
not far from here. And onSundays, when the weather's
nice, there's just familieseverywhere. And, you know, moms
and dads, little kids, and Idon't know.
Maybe it was just me, but Ididn't notice that that much in
the US. I mean, I just didn'tget out that much maybe. Or
(45:51):
Okay. You know, you you're in acar. Every time you go out, you
you get in your car to drive 2miles.
Yeah. That's another thing here.It's walking, and I'm I you
know, it's great exercise. And,you know, the the walking
culture and coffee culture.Yeah.
I I just really love it. I Ireally, really like it.
Josh (46:10):
Awesome. Well, Bill, thank you so much for taking time to
talk to us about Fillet ofCollins in Portugal as well. We
appreciate your time.
Bill (46:19):
My pleasure. My pleasure. It's nice talking to you.
Hello, and welcome, my emerging expat.
You're tuned in to let's move toPortugal. I'm producer Dan, and
I have the distinct honor ofbringing you YouTube travelers
and our resident Portugalexperts, expats everywhere's
Josh and Caitlin. Each week,they'll inspire, they'll
educate, and they'll accompanyyou on your journey to
Portuguese residents. This weekon let's move to Portugal.
(01:52):
Join us as we chat with Bill, aVirginian who's made his home in
the charming town of Vila deConde. Dive into his journey of
cultural immersion, the joys oflocal living, and the profound
impact of expat life.
Josh (02:20):
Hey, expats and travelers. Welcome back to Expats
Everywhere Presents. Let's moveto Portugal. This is season 2,
episode 22. Kaylee, how wedoing?
Kalie (02:31):
I'm good. You looked at me like I was supposed to, you
know, jump in there with Let'sMove to Portugal, so I didn't
know if I was supposed to jumpin there earlier. No. I didn't
know what
Josh (02:39):
you were doing. Pause.
Kalie (02:40):
Oh oh, the dramatic. Yeah. So dramatic. You don't
because people don't know whatthey're listening to. Right?
Josh (02:45):
No. Well, I would hope they do. Okay. Kaley did
mention, about me looking ather, and if you can't see us and
you can only hear us, but you'dlike to see us, you can actually
check that out on YouTube. We'vecreated a separate YouTube
channel.
You should just be able to findit by searching Expats
Everywhere podcast, and itshould come up. But if not, you
can just type in the whole nameof the show, and it'll come up.
Kalie (03:07):
Because YouTube's trying to get into the podcast in a
little bit. Right?
Josh (03:10):
Well, they are, but, obviously, that channel is it's
very new. I think we only have,like, 6 or 7 episodes of the
podcast loaded despite the factthat, as you know, we have all
sorts of podcast episodes onhere. We're in the season 2.
Kalie (03:23):
Right. So growing that, I guess, if you want if you wanna
actually watch us,
Bill (03:27):
watch
Kalie (03:27):
us talk.
Josh (03:28):
Yeah. Yep. Exactly. Growing that and, yeah, having
some fun with it just like wehad this week. Fun.
Kalie (03:36):
Fun? What did we do this week that was fun?
Josh (03:39):
Well, we started something that I think is gonna be quite
challenging and maybe less fun,which is a video about the
Portuguese minimum wage. And,essentially, we're doing a
social experiment trying to liveoff of Portuguese minimum wage.
We are 5 days into it so far andfinding it socially challenging.
Kalie (03:58):
Yes. Because as you know, listener, we like to go out a
lot socially with friends. Sonow we have to be very
particular about where we go. Sothere is that. It seems like you
can still it's still okay, butyou have to just, be more aware.
That's what I've noticed is moreaware of what I'm spending money
on.
Josh (04:15):
Yeah. Definitely. Yeah. I mean, it's a budget. It's a
strict budget.
Kalie (04:19):
Because it's different than we recently finished
logging our cost
of living. But when we do that,
we don't alter anything. We just live our
Josh (04:26):
normal lives. Moderates. Right?
Kalie (04:28):
Yeah. I mean, I don't think I'm spending money on
something or I shouldn't buy buythis because we're tracking it.
We just track how we wouldnormally live. I just have to
remember to record that we'redoing it, right, if I'm buying
something.
Bill (04:38):
Oh.
Kalie (04:38):
But that's just kind of a this is what we spend our money
on, and then we see what it's
Josh (04:42):
This is the lifestyle we
Bill (04:43):
live, and
Josh (04:44):
this is how much it costs.
Kalie (04:45):
And that's the total. Whereas this one is different
because you're you definitelyhave to be more aware of the
budget.
Josh (04:50):
Yep. Absolutely. Shifting gears, we have gotten a little
bit more news on verticalcommunity venture. And if you're
not sure what that is, that'sessentially where we have bought
a property here in Portugal, andwe are in the process of
renovating it, and the unitshave been sold to people
already, viewers, communitymembers, which is cool. And,
(05:13):
yeah.
So where are we at with that? Wehave gotten the permission to
set the crane, demolitions goingon, and we will be over there
maybe on Thursday this week torecord.
Kalie (05:26):
Yes. Some stuff.
Josh (05:28):
So the first video is gonna come out. I don't wanna
say soon, but, like, we're stillprobably a couple weeks away
from having enough real contentfor that first episode.
Kalie (05:36):
Yeah. I feel like we've been saying it's coming out
soon.
Josh (05:38):
I know. But it's because we've had, like, admin delays.
Bill (05:41):
Right.
Josh (05:41):
Like like government licensing and stuff like that
just delay it a bit.
Kalie (05:45):
So nothing really to record, honestly?
Josh (05:47):
No. I mean, like a lot of projects here in Portugal, the
the properties and theconstruction zones just kind of,
like, sit there for monthsbecause they're like, people are
just waiting on licensing to getstarted.
Kalie (06:01):
Yes. But it's looking good. Demo, the crane, they're
gonna block the road. They'regonna have a police officer. All
that fun stuff has beenscheduled.
Yeah. So we can get in there. Ineed to pick more lemons.
Josh (06:13):
Before the lemon tree
Kalie (06:14):
The lemon tree. I keep I know I keep thinking, oh, the
lemon tree's almost gone. So,just pick more lemons to have
those because that's beenamazing. Yeah. But, yeah, that's
mainly the update.
Probably won't be much more ofan update in the next couple
weeks until we actually see howdemo is going and then, the
crane.
Josh (06:30):
Yeah. I mean, that's kind of the update on what's
happening in the world of expatseverywhere, and we're excited
about this week's interview,because it is a it it's a
different one where we dive intoa bit more, which is essentially
a Portuguese city town. I thinkVila de Conde would be similar
(06:53):
to maybe many coastal cities inPortugal.
Kalie (06:57):
Right. Mhmm.
Josh (06:58):
Wouldn't you wouldn't you say that?
Kalie (06:59):
Like, as that more as a town.
Josh (07:01):
Right? Yeah. For sure.
Kalie (07:03):
But, yes, coastal, I mean, it's connected to Porto by
metro, which is really nice.Yeah. But it's its own town. I
mean, I don't know if you livethere how often you're really
coming into Porto. I mean, ifyou like
Josh (07:15):
Bill and I talk about that.
Kalie (07:16):
Oh, do you? We do.
Josh (07:17):
Yeah. Yeah. Because he used to live in Porto, and then
he decided to to, I guess,change it up a bit. The the
Bill (07:24):
pace of life, if you
Kalie (07:25):
wanted to change
Josh (07:27):
up. We talk about cost of living, but I don't think that
that was necessarily a majorfactor.
Kalie (07:32):
Right.
Josh (07:33):
But it does seem like like Vodacone is cheaper.
Kalie (07:36):
Right. But he was he just looking for a bit more of, like,
charm?
Josh (07:40):
You'll have to find out.
Bill (07:40):
I have
Kalie (07:41):
I have not listened to this, I guess. I'm interested.
Josh (07:44):
No. Yeah. He was he was definitely looking at the charm
and kind of the differentlifestyle. We talk about the the
dog culture there, gettinginvolved in the local community,
what the expat scene is like,how much of an expat scene is
there compared to, compared toPorto, which is a much larger
city.
Kalie (08:03):
Yes.
Josh (08:04):
And has much more going on. We get into like language
barrier and social integration,like how to actually get kinda
stuck in. We've actually spokento several people more recently
about their move from whether itbe, like, just US straight over
to Portugal into a smallerplace, like, smaller town or
(08:26):
people that have moved from thelikes of of Lisbon, Algarve, and
Porto into smaller towns wherethere's less,
Bill (08:36):
English Yeah.
Josh (08:37):
And what that's been like because it's different.
Kalie (08:40):
Yeah. It's definitely different. I think it's hard if
you've just moved directly fromyour home country into one of
those smaller locations. We knowsome adaptation. So sometimes
it's easier to do a bigger cityfirst and then move into the
smaller once you, kinda get yourfeet wet.
But Bill's been here for alittle bit, so he was ready for
something that was not as big asPorto. Right? And he was he was
(09:03):
okay with that, or does hestruggle with the language too?
I guess, you guys talked aboutit.
Josh (09:07):
Well, we we no. We do talk about it. There are some
struggles, but I think he's verywilling to overcome those
things. And, also, like, he'snot struggling with it. You know
what I mean?
Yeah.
Kalie (09:17):
But he knows the struggle.
Josh (09:18):
With the language barrier. Right?
Kalie (09:19):
But that's good. That's the that's the mindset you have
to have. Right? I mean, it's notgoing to be easy, but you can
overcome it. Right?
Josh (09:24):
Yeah. Yeah. For sure. And we do talk about the importance
of engaging in the community,around you, especially when
you're in these smaller towns,and then also embracing local
culture. Again, especially whenyou're in these smaller towns.
I mean, you should do itanywhere and and everywhere, but
I think it's even more importantwhen you're in a smaller place
(09:47):
because like our friends thatthat moved kind of close to,
Tirso Santa Tirso. We were justtalking yesterday about how
basically everyone speaks justPortuguese, and and they're
speaking Portuguese with them,and they haven't yet learned our
American friends haven't yetlearned Portuguese, and it's
(10:08):
kind of giving them a kick upthe backside. Mhmm. Like, now we
have a real reason to learnPortuguese because we want to
know our neighbors better.
Kalie (10:15):
Yeah. Have a relationship with them. Have a local place
that you go to and cancommunicate.
Josh (10:21):
Yeah. So it's huge. Yeah. Listen. We wanna encourage you.
If you have any questions or youwanna share your own
experiences, reach out to us.Reach out to us,
podcast@expensevore.com. Drop usa question if you've got it.
We'll try to get that stuffanswered either in a bigger q
and a or even asking thequestion to the next guest that
(10:42):
comes up. And if you're livinghere in Portugal and wanna be on
the show, we could set up achat, a quick chat to see if,
you'd be right for an episode.
So reach out to us at podcast atexpats everywhere.com, and we'll
see what's what.
Kalie (10:54):
And with that, let's chat with Bill.
Josh (10:56):
Let's go. Well, Bill, it is nice to be able to sit down
and have this chat with youabout, Portugal and Villa de
Conde as it's a place thatKaylee and I are looking to
highlight pretty soon with avideo on YouTube. So how's
everything in Villa de Condethese days?
Bill (11:13):
Oh, it's it's a it's a great little place. Nice. Nice
little town. So, yeah, I like ita lot, and it's, you know, it's
very accessible to Porto, whichis a great a great thing. You
know, you can go to Porto forlunch or for the afternoon or
you know, it's it's about 55minutes by train.
You might save another 10minutes if you get the express
(11:35):
train.
Josh (11:36):
Okay.
Bill (11:37):
The express metro. But, yeah, it's, yeah, it's a it's a
nice little place. I can't waitfor you guys to visit. Yeah.
Josh (11:42):
Oh, we're excited. Yeah. Yeah. We're definitely excited.
So let's back up, and let's talkabout, how you moved to
Portugal, where you where youcame from.
Where did you move from? Let'sstart out there.
Bill (11:53):
Well, I, I lived most of my life in, Virginia Beach,
Virginia, but I was living inAtlanta right before I moved
here. I was, living with mysister. She had just recently
lost her husband, and I moved,you know, I was retired. So I
moved down there to to to bewith her. And so, we visited my
(12:16):
sister and I visited in, 2019.
We made a couple of trips,actually, And my heritage is
Portuguese. My my grandparentswere from the Azores. So I'd
always had I had that little bitof Portuguese, you know, behind
me, and Sure. I was I was prettyclose to it. I'd never met my
grandfather, but, my grandmotherand I were were kinda close.
(12:41):
And she was a a lovely littleold Portuguese lady. So but,
anyway, so I had that heritagethere, and they, they came to
the US around 1900, you know,when that big wave of immigrants
hit back then. And they settledin Massachusetts. But, anyway,
my dad was in the navy, so wemoved around a little bit, not
(13:04):
not too much. Settled inVirginia.
And so, anyway, after the tripin 2019, I just I fell in love
with Porto. I mean, I likeLisbon a lot, but I just I just
fell in love with it. It's thegreatest place. I'll never
forget the first time the firsttime we stayed in Gaia, in a
hotel in Gaia. And the firsttime the trip over the the, the
(13:27):
Dom Luis bridge
Josh (13:29):
Yes. Ah, magic.
Bill (13:31):
Yes. It choked up. Because it was it was just gorgeous,
just beautiful. And I thought,well, maybe someday I'll decide
to live here or whatever. So Iworked on it a little bit and
decided, yeah.
Why not? You know? My sisterwanted to to, she wanted they
had a pretty big house. Shewanted to get rid of that just
to you know? She's she's retiredas well.
(13:54):
So I thought, well, you know,she can move into an apartment,
and I can move to Portugal.
Josh (13:59):
Okay.
Bill (14:00):
It's not what happened. So
Josh (14:02):
Very nice. Well, it's exciting for me to talk to a
fellow Virginian even thoughwe're on different different
sides of the state. But,
Bill (14:09):
I didn't know you're from Virginia.
Josh (14:11):
Yeah. I'm from Bristol.
Bill (14:13):
Oh, yeah. Okay.
Josh (14:14):
Yeah. The southwest part. So we're definitely, like, as
far apart as as one could be inthe same state.
Bill (14:20):
Much so. Yeah. That's like different country out there.
Josh (14:24):
That's so true. That's so true. It absolutely is.
Topography is very different,but also kind of the the way of
life is different as well. ButVirginians, nonetheless.
Bill (14:34):
Yes. Okay.
Josh (14:36):
It's very interesting to hear that that you had this you
had this Portuguese connection,and you got drawn back. But you
got drawn back to the mainland,not to to the
Bill (14:46):
islands. So I had thought about possibly living at the
Azores, but, you know, living onan island is is sometimes it's
just not that
Josh (14:57):
Romantic?
Bill (14:59):
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Just just Practical. Things are more
expensive, and, you know, youreally you have to get on a boat
or a plane to go anywhere if youwanna go anywhere.
So Yeah. I do enjoy themainland, and I'd I'd again, I'd
like I like Porto and and.
Josh (15:13):
Nice. Well, you've you've been here for over 2 years. So
what are some things that youhad to adjust to, moving from
the US to Portugal?
Bill (15:23):
Well, I guess the first big thing is the language.
Josh (15:26):
Okay.
Bill (15:27):
Still not wonderful at. I'm I'm learning, but it's it's
going slow. It's hard to learn.It's very hard. I'm not a big
social person, so, you know, Idon't.
I can I can get away with nothaving a lot of friends?
Although, I have made friendshere, very, very close, good
(15:48):
friends. And they've helped me alot, you know, assimilate into
the culture. But it's just,well, yeah, the biggest thing of
the is the language and just andjust the people. You know, the
people are very friendly, butthey for a while, the 1st year I
was here, they can look at youand they can tell, okay.
(16:09):
This guy's not from you. Uh-huh.He's he's we don't know if he's
from the US or from, you know,the UK or whatever. We know he's
not from here. So that was alittle a little odd.
And they they weren't theyweren't discriminatory in any
way. You know? They didn't, theydidn't give you the the side eye
or anything, but they can justthey could just tell.
Josh (16:31):
And and you feel that, though. Right.
Bill (16:33):
Do I stick out that much, or Right. What am I doing? So
but other than that, it's it'sbeen it's been great. You know?
People are very, very friendly.
Josh (16:44):
Did you feel did you feel that feeling more in Vila de Con
compared to Porto and Gaia?
Bill (16:51):
Yes. Yes. I did. I did because it's a smaller place.
Josh (16:54):
Exactly. Okay. Yeah. That's what that's kinda what I
wanted
Bill (16:56):
to get at. Think there were a lot there's a lot a lot
more expats in Porto becauseit's a bigger place, obviously.
Yeah. Yeah. But yeah.
But I still felt real real warm.There's a great little expat
group here that meets everyweekend. Okay. I go
occasionally. I don't go I don'tgo very often, but they're very
welcoming.
(17:17):
You know, they they plan events,and there's a a a Facebook page
that they're very, very activein. There's a WhatsApp chat
group that's very active.
Josh (17:31):
What's the name of the Facebook group?
Bill (17:34):
It's called Villa DuPont Community Meetups.
Josh (17:38):
Okay. And is it is it mainly Americans, or is it all
national?
Bill (17:42):
No. There's people from all over the world. Okay. Lots a
lot from the UK as you wouldexpect because Sure. I think I
think UK is, the the biggestexpats community Number 1.
Portugal, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah.Wow. That's a big response.
Josh (17:56):
Yeah. I think it's, like, British and, Brazilian. Yeah.
Yeah. Brazil.
Biggest foreign populations.Yeah.
Bill (18:02):
Yeah. There's there's a few people from Brazil as well.
Josh (18:04):
Okay. In in the group?
Bill (18:07):
Yes. Yeah.
Josh (18:08):
And is the group speaking in English or Portuguese?
Bill (18:10):
Oh, in English.
Josh (18:12):
In English. Okay. So the Brazilians
Bill (18:13):
There's a couple of, sponsors that are from Ville
DuPont. Okay. They speakEnglish, but but they do speak
Portuguese. Cool.
Josh (18:22):
Very cool. So earlier you said that that language was the
the tricky part for you,adapting to to this move. Are
you actively learningPortuguese? And if so, can you
give the listener any tips?
Bill (18:36):
Well, yeah, I subscribe to an online platform. It's called
Portuguese with Anita.
Josh (18:43):
Okay.
Bill (18:44):
And you go on you know, you buy the courses. They send
you all the courses, and you gothrough them at your own pace.
Yep. Which for me, I'm kind of aprocrastinator. So it's good
that they're there because I cango to it any time.
Yeah. But, yeah, that I thinkthat platform was good. Now I
have some other friends thatlive in Porto, and they
(19:06):
suggested another one. And Icannot think of
Josh (19:08):
Probably Mia's. Esmaresh. And what? Mia. Mia's academy.
Bill (19:14):
Could be. It could be.
Josh (19:16):
Or maybe Portuguese with Carla. Because there's there's a
few, I guess, that that Kayleeand I, have experience with and
recommend. Portuguese with Carlais who we personally use. We've
also we've also studied, Mia'scourses. Mia's great for people
who live in Porto specificallybecause she's from here and has
that accent.
So Oh, really? It's better inthat regard. Let's see. Then
(19:40):
there's Leo, Portuguese withLeo, and he is a content creator
based in Lisbon. And he has
Bill (19:47):
a lot of he has a
Josh (19:48):
lot of stuff on YouTube that is fun with pronunciation
differences, culturaldifferences between Brazil and
Portugal, historical things aswell. But he delivers all of his
content in Portuguese comparedto the other teachers that are
English first, easing theirstudents into Portuguese. So I
think people need to be morelike intermediate to understand
(20:11):
his videos.
Bill (20:13):
Oh, I see. Yeah.
Josh (20:14):
Okay. Good. So you've you've been doing online
learning and then being able totake that Portuguese that you've
learned into cafes andrestaurants and shops?
Bill (20:24):
Very, yeah, very little. I'm still a little you know, I'm
I'm a little leery to speak it.
Josh (20:29):
Templates?
Bill (20:29):
I do have several phrases down. You know? Okay. A lot of
the basics. Okay.
But it's it's, yeah, it's comingalong. And, you know, of course,
I'm gonna have to do somethingsoon. You know, you have to
speak, take take that test to,when you get your permanent
residency.
Josh (20:49):
For for citizenship. Right? The a 2? Yeah.
Bill (20:52):
Yeah. Okay. Okay.
Josh (20:55):
Good. Why did so why did you choose Vila Du Can
specifically? Was there wasthere a draw there? Because you
said that you traveled to portyou love Porto. You traveled
there in in Gaia.
So why Villotecan a littlefurther out from Porto?
Bill (21:08):
Well, it's it's a bit of a story. When I first moved, you
know, when I got my d sevenvisa, the first apartment I had
was in Campania.
Josh (21:19):
Okay. And it
Bill (21:19):
was nice. It was it was a cute little place. It was a
studio. So there's there's somany Facebook groups, you know,
that will help you with themove. That was really invaluable
for me.
There's the Americans andFriends, PT. That's a that's a
great group. And, of course,your content helped me a lot. I
started watching you guys, youknow, 6, 7, 8 months before I
(21:43):
moved. Okay.
I'm still in Atlanta. Thank you.But, but, anyway, there's,
there's all these little groups,and I moved without anything. I
had 3 suitcases. I didn't bringany furniture.
I didn't bring any pots andpans, dishes, or anything. So I
had nothing when I got here. Theapartment was furnished, very
(22:04):
basic furnished. So what I did,I contacted, there was a person
advertising on one of these, Ithink, Porto Expats or one of
those Facebook groups
Josh (22:16):
Yes.
Bill (22:16):
Saying she will you know, for a small fee, she'll take you
shopping. And she had a friendthat had a car, and they will
you know, you buy all yourstuff, and she'll drive you
home. So I thought, well, thatthat sounds good. Yeah. So I met
those 2 ladies, Helen andHelena.
And Helena actually lived inVilla DuPont, and they had both
(22:36):
experienced Villa DuPont. So wetalked, you know, the first time
we met, and, you know, we wewent to Ikea, and I bought all
this stuff. And on the way home,you know, we had a nice chat,
and they said, well, really, youshould try to come to Villa
Duca. I think you'll really likeit. It's not as big as Porto,
but it's very quiet.
So a month later so my sistervisited for the first time since
(22:59):
I lived here, and we called upHelen and Helena and said, you
know, we'd like to take you tolunch in Villa Du Conte, so
we're gonna take the train upthere. And they said, come on
Friday because there's the thebig the big Mercado is here on
on Friday. That's the one thatgoes all around. So we came up.
We had lunch.
I really liked it. Elena said, Ihave an apartment if you, you
(23:23):
know, if you ever wanna talkabout something like that, and I
thought, well, yeah. We'll see.You know? So not long after
that, I got a an email from mylandlord in in Campania, in
Porto.
Josh (23:35):
Yep. And
Bill (23:36):
he said, I'm selling all my properties. Of course, I'll
honor your lease, which was tillthe end of 2022, December 2022.
He said, but, you know, I justwant you to know, my real estate
lady is probably gonna beshowing you the apartment. I
said, fine. Not not a problem.
Anyway, long story short or longstory long, Helena, the lady of
(24:02):
the ludukan, her apartment cameavailable in in June. Okay. And
so I I approached my landlord.It turns out that the person
that that did buy my my,apartment in in Campania, he
wanted to he was gonna livethere himself. Originally, they
thought they'd probably getinvestors, but this guy wanted
(24:23):
to wanted to move.
So I called my landlord, and Isaid, look. You know, I have an
opportunity to move to to VilleDuPont. If you can refund my
deposit, I'll move, you know, into me a little more. So Yeah. It
worked out for both of us.
Josh (24:41):
Great.
Bill (24:42):
Yeah. Yeah. So the place here in Vodacont is really nice.
Josh (24:45):
I mean So how long have you been there?
Bill (24:49):
It'll be a year
Josh (24:49):
and a half.
Bill (24:50):
Years and July. Okay. About a year and a half. Yeah.
Okay.
Josh (24:54):
Yeah. Nice. It is really
Bill (24:56):
it's centrally located. I don't have a car. I don't need
one. Everything you need is isthe ability to go on either
here. And I and I have private,health insurance.
I haven't joined the publicsystem yet.
Josh (25:08):
Okay.
Bill (25:09):
My hospital is in Polowo. So I do, you know, I do have to
go up there. But everything elseis is in Ville Du Conte, Big
grocery stores. You know,there's an auction. There's a a
continent, PingoDoce.
You know, all of them are here.Shopping is great. There's a,
(25:29):
you know, restaurants are good.Yeah. So, yeah, it's great.
It's a great little place.
Josh (25:35):
Which is the private hospital that you go to in Pavo
da Barzin?
Bill (25:39):
Hospital Daloge.
Josh (25:40):
Daloge. That's right. Okay.
Bill (25:42):
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And it's good. It's good.
I I I like my doctor. I likeher.
Josh (25:48):
Good. Okay. So settling into Villa de Cones, what have
you found that maybe is a littlelacking compared to what you had
when you were living inCampania, living closer to the
city of Porto?
Bill (26:01):
Well, the, the restaurants aren't quite as diverse.
Josh (26:06):
Okay. That's nice.
Bill (26:07):
Nice restaurants here, but, there there was just so
many more in in, in Campana, inPorto. Yeah. The shopping,
there's no big, huge shoppingcenters. There is a a fashion
outlet.
Josh (26:20):
Right.
Bill (26:21):
It's not far from here. It's it's not bad. You know?
It's it's it's mostly clothes.There's not much else there.
The shopping in Porto was anidea. You know? Nord Nord
Shopping
Josh (26:33):
Yes.
Bill (26:34):
That place is great. I mean, that food court Yeah. But,
yeah, that's that's about it.It's not quite as diverse. But,
again, like I said, you hop onthe metro, and you're in Porto
in 45, 50 minutes.
Josh (26:50):
Okay. So kind of staying a bit on the topic of, of
restaurant diversity, have youseen more popping up? Because
what we've noticed in the past,like, 2 years in in Porto alone,
I guess since you moved really,has been an explosion of of
restaurants. Like, therestaurant scene here has gone
crazy. Yeah.
(27:11):
In a good way. Like, there's alot more diversity. Whereas when
we first moved, we had 1 or 2,maybe 3 options of different
types of ethnic cuisines Andnow, like, we're approaching the
fours, fives, and sixes whereyou can be a little more
discerning about, you know,where you wanna go eat. Yeah.
It's it's wild.
Bill (27:29):
Yeah. That is good. That's great.
Josh (27:30):
Great. So have you seen, like, a little more diversity
that's happening pushing intothe Villa de Conde
Bill (27:36):
Mhmm. Out from Portland? Not that many places have opened
up since I've been here.
Josh (27:40):
Okay.
Bill (27:40):
Now it's most it's a lot of locals. You know, small mom
and pop places, which is good.And there's the Very good.
Trusquiana, right around thecorner, and that's that's real
Portuguese. That's, it's onlytakeaway, but that's fine.
Okay. And it's very reasonablypriced. Oh my god. They're, you
know
Josh (27:59):
How how much can you, how much is a meal there?
Bill (28:03):
About €5.
Josh (28:05):
Okay.
Bill (28:05):
Yep. Yeah.
Josh (28:06):
Like a meal now.
Bill (28:07):
It's it's it's like a buffet. So if you want 2
different things, the cheapestone that you can get you can get
a, a quarter of a of a dose or ahalf dose or a full dose. But
the the cheapest one is €5.Okay. Even if you even if you do
2 2 different, meals, it'll lastyou 2 or 3 meals.
(28:28):
You know what I mean? Right.There's so much. They give you a
huge portion.
Josh (28:32):
Right. Okay. So I'm I'm assuming that when when you say
a dose, we're talking about aportion of food. And I'm
assuming that if it's like mostplaces in Portugal, a dose is
good for 2 people at least.Okay.
Bill (28:46):
Yes.
Josh (28:46):
And a maya dose or a half of a dose is is one person.
Yeah. Yeah. And then a a quarterwould be if you have a small
appetite. Right?
Bill (28:54):
Well, no. Actually well, no. The quarter
Josh (28:57):
is enough.
Bill (28:58):
Quarter will last a a good a good portion. It's it's a
pretty good size. Okay. Yeah.
Josh (29:05):
Is it, is it, like, rice, fried potatoes, roasted
potatoes, and a medium?
Bill (29:09):
They have they have fried fish every day. And the the
fish, you get French fries andrice with it. Then they have
duck rice, and they have, Ican't think of the name of the
stew with the with the porkbelly in it, and the it's got
beans.
Josh (29:24):
Is it called Verdes? Is it green?
Bill (29:27):
No. No. No. It's not it's not the the green soup.
Josh (29:30):
Okay.
Bill (29:30):
I can't think of the name of it, but they have that. And
there's, you know, there's like5 different items. And then of
course they have the the puny,puny chicken as well.
Josh (29:39):
Nice. Okay. Good. I wanna ask you a bit about prices.
(30:28):
Obviously, you've only had toyou've only had to move there
once, but I'm curious if you'vehad your eye on the the market
in general.
Like, what are, rental priceslike there? Have you seen a big
increase since you've moved?
Bill (30:41):
You know, I really haven't been in the market at all Okay.
Because I I I love my place.Mhmm. Now there seems to be a
lot of of newer places,especially down by the, when you
get out to the to the ocean.Yes.
There's a lot of high rises upthere, and I imagine they're
(31:01):
condos.
Josh (31:03):
Okay.
Bill (31:03):
So instead of, you know, instead of apartments. Now I
don't know what the apartmentmarket is like. I pay €500 Okay.
Which I think is a good deal.Okay.
Josh (31:14):
I was
Bill (31:14):
paying 600 in Porto, but that place was tiny. It was it
was a studio.
Josh (31:19):
Yeah.
Bill (31:20):
So here I have I mean, it's a big, you know, living
area, nice kitchen. There's alittle back, patio. But, yeah, I
really couldn't tell you so muchabout, you know, about other,
other places.
Josh (31:34):
Okay.
Bill (31:35):
I'm I'm sure there are some. Not not certainly not as
many as in Bordeaux.
Josh (31:40):
Do you have any plans to purchase property at any point?
Bill (31:43):
No. I don't believe so. I don't think I will. So Something
really exceptional happens, youknow, or something falls in my
lap.
Josh (31:52):
Okay.
Bill (31:52):
No. I'm happy just renting.
Josh (31:54):
Okay. So no no property purchase, no getting a car. You
wanna just kinda keep things asminimal as possible. Exactly.
Exactly.
Okay. Good. Alright. Very nice.And, any anything that you would
recommend people in particularto integrate, Better into a
smaller place like likeVoluticonde because, like you
(32:16):
said, there's not as manyforeigners that are there, as
many, expats, if you will.
So what are some ways thatpeople can really integrate
better into one of these smallerplaces?
Bill (32:26):
Well, I would say if you have if you if you like going
out at night, your optionsobviously are not as, not as
good here in Ville Du Conte.Okay. Although during the
summertime, especially duringSao Joao, the whole month of
June, there are concerts theyset up a temporary stage down by
(32:50):
the on the river, and there areconcerts there several times a
week. Now they start late. Yep.
Just like everything else in inPortugal. These concerts don't
start 11. 30 at night.
Josh (33:01):
10:30. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.
Bill (33:02):
But they're pretty pretty diverse. They have they have a
good a good range of people. SoI will say that they do have
they're that's that's prettygood if you'd like to go out at
night. But the, the crowd hereis not quite as as young. I
mean, obviously, the the socialscene is just not not like it is
in Bordeaux.
So I I don't care anything aboutthat. My my social days are,
(33:26):
yeah, that ship at sale. So so Iit doesn't matter to me. I'm I'm
I'm in, you know, 8 o'clock atnight. That's it.
Although, you can still youknow, it's a it's a nice walk
around town even, you know, inin the dark. It is nice.
Josh (33:40):
Okay. Well, what do you do with your spare time?
Bill (33:45):
I have a dog. Okay. So I take her out a lot, and I just
like to walk to the beach. It'sonly 15 minutes now out to the
beach. There's a, a neighborhoodjust north of here, just south
of Povilwa called Cachinas.
Josh (34:00):
Okay.
Bill (34:00):
And that's that's always nice. There are a lot of
restaurants up that way, more sothan the the part of town that
I'm in. I'm down south by theriver. So then the farther north
you go, of course, you're gonnaget into Poivoa, and there's
lots there's quite a fewrestaurants in Poevo. But the
Cachinas is a nice little inbetween neighborhood.
It's very residential. Sothere's probably more rental
(34:23):
properties up that way. So I'dlike to go up there. You know,
I'll get on the train and go toPorto occasionally. But for for
the most part, I just I stickpretty close to home.
I don't have a very excitinglife. But that's why I'm glad
I'm in I'm in Portugal because Icould just join. I mean, you
know yourself, you take a walkaround town, and it's like, you
(34:45):
know, you find something newevery time you go for a walk.
Right. You you you you discoversomething new.
So Very cool. Yeah. I think it'sa great place for a retired guy
like me. I'm 71. You know, Ijust I I have Social Security
income from the US.
It's very reasonable here. Asyou know, prices are cheap. Food
(35:07):
is cheap and and good.
Josh (35:10):
Yes.
Bill (35:11):
Yeah. So I didn't I, you know, I I like it a lot better
than than than Porto. Although Ilove Porto. Don't get me wrong.
Josh (35:18):
Yeah. Okay. Well, tell me a little bit about dog culture
because you have a dog. What'swhat size dog are we talking
about?
Bill (35:25):
She's a, she's £22.
Josh (35:27):
Okay.
Bill (35:28):
Yeah. It was an interesting it was an
interesting thing to get herover here because she came with
me from the US. Okay. Let's talkabout that. She's a pug in a
beagle, mitts.
She's a puggle. Ah, so she has
Josh (35:39):
that short snout.
Bill (35:40):
Yeah. That snout.
Josh (35:42):
Yeah. That can be a problem.
Bill (35:44):
Yeah. Yeah. It was a problem. Yeah. Okay.
No no airline will fly them inthe hold of the plane because
Yeah.
Josh (35:51):
Yeah.
Bill (35:51):
She was a little too big to fly in the cabin. So my only
option was a a pet relocationservice
Josh (35:58):
Okay.
Bill (35:58):
Which was pretty pricey, actually.
Josh (36:02):
Do you mind telling us how much?
Bill (36:04):
It was right at $3,000.
Josh (36:07):
Okay. And what did that service include?
Bill (36:10):
Well, it depends on what you want them to do. If you want
them to arrange for all thepaperwork, if you want them to
pick up your pet at your houseand return them to your to your
new house. I I didn't have a apet carrier, so I had to
purchase one of those from them.Okay. So it could have been a
(36:33):
little bit less expensive.
And another thing too that I didto save a little bit of money
was, she came into Lisbon, andthey wanted it was a bit another
$1,000,000 for them to drive herto Porto. So I just arranged
for, another guy I found onFacebook, really nice guy from
Angola. We drove we drove downto get her in in to Lisbon.
(36:57):
Okay. Yeah.
So that was good. But, anyway,yeah, dog culture is is a little
odd. She's kinda feistysometimes. She's a little she
likes to bark. You know?
Okay. She she'll bark at otherdogs, and people here don't seem
to mind it. You know? Becausewhen I when she will bark at
(37:17):
somebody, the the occasional,person, you know, I'll tell her,
no, Rosie. No.
Don't don't do that. And they'reall like, oh. It's fine. I'm
fine. Yeah.
They don't care.
Josh (37:28):
Yeah.
Bill (37:29):
But it's but it's yeah. She likes it here. She loves it.
I mean, the the the smells youknow, there's there's so much
more to sniff here than whatthere was in the US.
Josh (37:40):
Do you take her to restaurants often?
Bill (37:42):
Outside.
Josh (37:44):
Yeah.
Bill (37:44):
Only outside. Actually, I don't I don't take her because,
like I said, she gets excitedwhen she sees other dogs.
Josh (37:53):
Okay.
Bill (37:54):
And I, there was one occasion of about 6 months ago
where I was having coffee, And Ihad tied her her leash to the
table, the the legs of thetable, and she saw another dog
and she, you know, lunged andfood went everywhere.
Josh (38:12):
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I've I've seen that before.
Bill (38:15):
Yeah.
Josh (38:15):
Okay. So so you have
Bill (38:18):
I mean, any place outside, she's they're they're they love
it.
Josh (38:22):
Yeah. And I was gonna kind of ask about that. So you've
you've at least noticed or beenaware because usually when
you're a pet owner, you're awareof, like, the accommodations
that places will give to petseven if you're not taking your
dog there. I mean, certainly,Kaylee and I, are like that. So
most places that you go to, arepet friendly and you see other
(38:43):
people bring in their their dogsand
Bill (38:46):
Oh, yeah. Yeah. And you guys have dogs too, don't you?
Josh (38:49):
Well, we did. So he he he passed away, over, yeah, over
Christmas break, unfortunately.
Bill (38:56):
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
Josh (38:58):
No. Thank you. But but, yes, we're gonna be we're gonna
be dog free for a bit. But yeah.
Bill (39:03):
Yeah. Yeah.
Josh (39:05):
Okay. Yeah. So have you noticed that people in Villa de
Cones, pick up after their dogs?Because that's been a problem
that we have noticed personallyin Porto, where you'll see maybe
you don't see people not pickingit up, but you see the aftermath
of
Bill (39:21):
of a dog. Yes. Yes. Yeah. I I always pick up after her
after her.
Now if she's going on grass orin a in a garden area,
Josh (39:32):
you
Bill (39:33):
know, that's that's just a grassy area, sometimes I won't
do that because I've actuallybeen I actually had somebody
tell me one time. I did pick itup in a bag. And, you know,
those bags are gonna sit in alandfill for who knows how long.
Josh (39:49):
There's that problem. Yeah.
Bill (39:50):
No. You you have to do it. I will do it, especially if it's
on a sidewalk or wheresomebody's going to possibly
step in it.
Josh (39:56):
Sure.
Bill (39:57):
And, obviously, I'll pick it up. But I had this one lady
just read me the riot act forpicking up on on a on a grassy
spot. Well Yeah. Okay. I won'tdo that anymore.
Josh (40:11):
Okay.
Bill (40:11):
That's Yeah. Most people do pick up, but like you said,
you can there's the aftermath.You can see it.
Josh (40:17):
Yeah. Well, I mean, I think that certainly during
during tourist season, it makesit pretty treacherous when
people that don't realize thatthat this is a little bit of a
problem in in our kind ofcollective culture here in
Portugal Yeah. As they'rewalking around looking at all
the buildings, and they'restepping in
Bill (40:34):
Yeah. Dog poo. Yeah. Okay. Okay.
Josh (40:37):
But, I mean, you wouldn't really have that many tourists
out in in Villa de Cones unlesspeople are going out there for
for the beach, I guess.
Bill (40:45):
Down toward the beach in the summertime, there's a lot of
French people. I know.
Josh (40:49):
Okay.
Bill (40:50):
But, yeah, there's not a lot of tourists. Nothing like
Bordeaux. Nothing at all.
Josh (40:55):
Okay. Tell us about what summers are like there. How how
busy does it get? How much doesthe volume of people change?
Bill (41:04):
It really doesn't change much at all, especially, like I
said, I'm about a 15 minute walkfrom the beach, so I don't
notice anybody. Now what what Ido notice here is we're on the
the, the Camino the Camino deSantiago. Yes. That runs right
in front of my front door. Cool.
I do see a lot of, of pilgrims.
Josh (41:26):
Pilgrims. Yeah.
Bill (41:27):
Yeah. Mhmm. So you do see a lot of those, and they're from
all over the world. Okay. Otherthan that, there's really not
that much of a change in in,season to season here.
Josh (41:38):
Well, what's the winter like? Not in terms of of volume
of people, but just like, what'sthe weather like? Is it is it
decent? Is it depressing? How'sit feel?
Bill (41:49):
It's similar to Porto. Okay. It's probably a little bit
cooler here. There is there is apretty good breeze that blows
most of the time. Okay.
But, you know, it's rainy anddamp.
Josh (42:01):
Yeah. But Any of those problems seep into the house?
Bill (42:05):
The summers are a little bit cooler than they they they
are in Porto. Okay. It's alittle bit 55, 10 degrees maybe.
Josh (42:12):
Okay. Okay. Do you have any of those, moisture issues in
your apartment? And if so, whatdo
Bill (42:17):
you do about that? Yeah. Unfortunately. Yeah. But I have
a a cleaning lady that comes inevery every 2 weeks.
Josh (42:26):
Okay.
Bill (42:27):
And my landlady lives upstairs. So she keeps pretty
good, you know, a pretty goodeye on everything. Good. Yeah.
It does get a does get thatblack mold around them, you
know, in some of the corners and
Josh (42:39):
Yes.
Bill (42:39):
Sometimes in in the ceiling, But they take pretty
good care of it.
Josh (42:43):
How much does it cost, for someone to clean?
Bill (42:47):
She is €7 an hour, and she takes 2 hours.
Josh (42:52):
Okay.
Bill (42:52):
And I give her 15, you know, just round up. Round up.
Yeah. Yeah. €15 every otherweek.
Hey. Works for
Josh (43:00):
me. Yeah. Absolutely.
Bill (43:02):
That is not bad at all.
Josh (43:03):
And that sounds like a a a pretty common rate that we hear.
I mean, we've we've heard ofpeople that work for 5 as well.
Bill (43:11):
But I
Josh (43:11):
think whenever we've paid, we've paid, you know, around,
yeah, 30 for 4 hours. Yeah. So7:50. Yeah. Yeah.
Okay. Nice. Okay. So we've kindof touched on the living in Vila
de Conde aspects, but, let's goa little broader and just tell
us, like, kind of what is livingin Portugal been like for you,
(43:33):
and is it a place that you seeyourself, being in for many,
many years to come?
Bill (43:38):
Yes. Definitely. Yes. I don't, for a lot of reasons, I I
don't see myself going back tothe US. Okay.
You know? I I, I I don't haveI'm not married. I don't have
any children, but, of course, mysister, and I've got lots of
cousins and a big extendedfamily. But, no. I don't I don't
(44:00):
wanna go back there.
And a a a big part of it well,there's a couple of things.
Obviously, politics are justcrazies. But another thing too
is the is the, the cost ofliving. Oh my gosh. It's so
expensive there.
And you need a car when I mean,almost anywhere you you live,
you have to have a you're gonnahave to have a car. Yeah. And
(44:22):
that's another huge expense.Yes. So no.
But no. I I and I like I likePortugal. The people here are
just they're friendly. They'reaccommodating. They're very
helpful.
My landlady upstairs, she'shelped me so much with just, you
know, just everyday littlethings. You know, she'll she she
(44:43):
took me to, she introduced me tothe to the expat group. She took
me, you know, the finances. Wewe have to go there for this.
Yeah.
She's real. She's just asweetheart. Yeah.
Josh (44:57):
Good. What expats have where we believe that living
abroad transforms lives, how hasliving abroad transformed your
life?
Bill (45:05):
I've I've slowed down a lot since I've been here and
just noticed people, the the thegood in people. You know? Just
and and, of course, it's acompletely different culture.
Every you know, the little oldPortuguese guys that sit out in
front of the bars and, you know,they'll they'll have their
little drinks in the morning.Yes.
Just everything like that. Andand and, you know, the families,
(45:30):
yeah, that's another big thingtoo. There's a big, huge park
not far from here. And onSundays, when the weather's
nice, there's just familieseverywhere. And, you know, moms
and dads, little kids, and Idon't know.
Maybe it was just me, but Ididn't notice that that much in
the US. I mean, I just didn'tget out that much maybe. Or
(45:51):
Okay. You know, you you're in acar. Every time you go out, you
you get in your car to drive 2miles.
Yeah. That's another thing here.It's walking, and I'm I you
know, it's great exercise. And,you know, the the walking
culture and coffee culture.Yeah.
I I just really love it. I Ireally, really like it.
Josh (46:10):
Awesome. Well, Bill, thank you so much for taking time to
talk to us about Fillet ofCollins in Portugal as well. We
appreciate your time.
Bill (46:19):
My pleasure. My pleasure. It's nice talking to you.
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