About six years ago Bruce and I started thinking seriously about a move…although we weren’t sure where to go at the time. Research on the book about Swedish sheep was drawing us to Sweden. We liked so many places we visited there, but were especially drawn to Gotland Island. We could see ourselves living there “someday, ” and as is my usual practice, I started haunting real estate ads. Covid happened, and those dreams slipped away.

As we re-emerged after the pandemic, my research efforts had turned toward Scotland. We had many trips there over about 3 years, and dreamed of a life there as well. We met so many people and felt like we had developed friendships that could be long-term. While the book isn’t done, we realized that the UK immigration conditions wouldn’t work for us. Because of the number of people trying to get into the UK, the rules had become stricter, and at our age, just too much to navigate.

Ireland? A consideration. France has some good features and I have a bit of the language under my belt to at least have a hope of communication. Italy? Bruce could qualify for citizenship, but we aren’t completely sure about the political stability. We both like Italy, from the standpoint of a tourist, but would we like to live there? Germany? Probably not. Culturally we didn’t think we would fit in very well. Spain? Maybe. Portugal? Interesting, but a difficult language.

We ticked off one country after another with a list of pros and cons before turning back to the US with our list of dreams/desires. Top of the list — quality of life. A slower pace, a walkable city, a university town with a vibrant culture, a sustainable climate situation. We found places throughout the NE US that each had some of these elements, but we just couldn’t make them work. The big failures were pace of life and walkability. We went back to the drawing board and started a more in-depth search in the EU.

When we finally settled on Portugal, we watched every YouTube video we could find on the country’s history, politics and culture. We researched the ex-pat communities, the cities, the universities, and, of course, the sheep. After all, I’d need a new research topic shortly. As we saw the US political and cultural scene deteriorating, the need to make a decision became more urgent. So here we are. Making new footprints on very old pathways where many generations have walked before.

Our address changed some months ago, and our most important possessions went into storage. We gathered together all of the necessary paperwork to apply for a residence visa, and with 10 pieces of luggage and two cats, boarded the plane to Lisbon. From there we travelled north about 1 hour to Caldas Da Rainha were I’m sitting today looking out on a cloudy day, and smiling broadly as Bruce and I both say at the same time, “We’re living in Portugal.”

We have to return to West Brookfield in the near future to do some more work on getting the house ready to sell, and to make another trip to the Consulate to get permission to import what is in storage (like all my yarn!). In the meanwhile, I’m about to hunker down to begin writing again. My goal for the next few months is to finish the manuscript for the book on Scotland and get it into the editing phase. I want to turn my attention to being here and immersing myself in this place.

Our little apartment is one unholy mess at the moment, and we can’t find anything. Day by day that is changing, and we are learning to live with the piles, understanding that sorting and stashing can only go so fast if you want to be able to find anything again. Today’s big goal is hanging up the clothes I unpacked yesterday…now that I have hangers. As a secondary goal, I want to get Sofi to come out from under the wardrobe where she has decided to reside. Lyla has proven more adaptable, and other then trying to escape out the windows and the door, has been mostly sitting with us or chasing a toy mouse that mysteriously turned up from under our sofa this morning (I’m guessing the previous resident also had cats).

All this is to say I’m back online, and will be posting again on a more regular basis as things move forward. To all of my friends near and far, thank you for sticking with me. I have many other thank-yous to express, but each has their own story, so I’ll weave them into the upcoming narratives. And, as soon as my very sore hands recover from the strain of packing and unpacking, some knitting might get done as well.

So, Bom Dia — Good Day, my friends. Stay calm and craft on!

Sara