My New Portuguese Home!

Today I boarded a bus in Porto and set out for a small village in Central Portugal located in the Coimbra District. The forests and mountains along the way were simply beautiful. My landlady picked me up at the bus station and took me to breakfast. When we arrived at the house, I was stunned by how nicely she and her husband had restored and modernized this six hundred year old home! It is everything I had hoped for and more. I am learning to keep warm with a wood stove, though there is a heating unit in each room as well. Electricity is included in my very low rent, though if I go over a certain amount, I will need to pay the difference.

The attitude here toward energy use, recycling, and taking care of the environment is markedly different from in the USA. I used the washing machine (in the kitchen!) for the first time. I can set it to use the least amount of energy possible. I can set it to use the precise amount of electricity I am comfortable with. More on that later. In any event, I have two cobbled patios, a gate, a big plot for a veggie garden, and lots of produce. There are cabbages still growing out there, and lemon and fruit trees are still loaded with fruit, even in January! I have a basket of ChuChu squash, fresh oranges and tangerines, and a butternut squash on the counter, all picked fresh. Directly across the road from me is my landlords' house. They have seven cats and two dogs, all well-loved and cared for.

I've not had time yet to explore the village, though my landlords gave me a quick tour on our way to lunch, complete with local wine and cheese. Muito bom! They do not understand why anyone would be.a vegetarian with the fresh fish and meat at hand. When we returned to the house, my landlord put my e-bike together for me! They have provided everything I could ask for in a furnished home. As I warm up before the fire, I know I am very lucky to have landed right where I am!