Lifestyle

You are looking for a better way to live. You are fed-up with a lousy climate; overcrowding; exorbitant cost of living; the government with its hand permanently buried deep in your pocket; pathetic public services; yobs; sullen, downtrodden people; thought policing by the politically correct; all-in-all, a tepid, grey, clockwork existence.

That’s how I felt when I arrived here back in 1997. I don’t intend to return to England! I enjoy a quality of life which I could never have there, and it’s not just about sunshine (although that is important!) In Portugal I can breathe free, and the air is pure. I can walk the streets at night without trepidation. I can eat out on a whim without re-mortgaging. I can enjoy the lovely, verdant countryside without fighting for space, or being turned back by barbwire fences. I can swim in unpolluted rivers and lakes (almost tropically warm in summer). I can take the train to the big cities, confident that it will be clean, arrive on time and cost next to nothing. My income stretches further than just about anywhere else in Europe. My neighbours smile and wave and never snarl abuse. Hospital staff actually seem to care. I can smoke without a lot of finger-wagging. Public officials mostly prefer not to make my life hell. And if I wanted to, I could ski in the morning and sip cocktails under palm trees in the afternoon!

All you need do is accept you are in another country. Adjust to the slower pace and put a tight lid on that northern-European impatience. Be ready for some very Latin driving. Don’t assume everyone speaks English. Make a real effort to learn the language. Facing the challenge of living in a new country will give you a new lease on life – if you are up to it!

Why central Portugal?

I think this region strikes a nice balance: not as developed as The Algarve and Lisbon areas, but neither as primitive as some of the more remote parts; similarly, the climate is not as wet and cold as the north, neither as hot and arid as the south. Being central, I can reach other parts of the country within a few hours. The historic regional capital, Coimbra (Portugal’s third city), manages to bustle but remain laid-back, and has every modern facility.

On top of that, we have some of the most beautiful, green and diverse countryside in Europe. Between the high mountains in the east to the lagoons and flatlands of the coastal strip in the west, I can ‘visit’ Scotland, Tuscany, Florida, Greece or France – all within an hour or two by car.

You will wonder why this region is not better known. Well, the Portuguese are not good at promotion. In fact, they couldn’t sell a life belt to a drowning man. But it is now being discovered by northern Europeans, especially the British and the Dutch. There is a sizable and growing community here – enough for company, if you want it, but never a Costa-style Brit-ghetto! That’s why prices are rising fast; this region was recently named western Europe’s hottest investment prospect.

Any questions? Please contact me.