7 Things I Missed About Portugal

My husband and I surprised folks with our decision to expatriate from Utah to Portugal in 2012. It was an even greater shock when seven years later we pulled up stakes and moved to central Sweden. We had our reasons for changing venues then, and are grateful to have learned a lot about that beautiful country. But did we miss living on the Iberian Peninsula? Yes. Here's why.

1. Climate

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Lisbon is the third sunniest city in Europe (after Valletta, Malta and Marseille, France). With 2,799 hours of sun annually, it tops the total for Stockholm, Sweden by close to 1,000 hours. But it's not just the number of days with rays that's so important.

When we lived in the cherry capital of the country, near Fundão, we enjoyed temperatures around 50F in the winter, 60F to 70F in spring and autumn, and 80F in the summer months. The temperate climate reminded me of my days in Southern California, where I lived for almost 30 years. The ease of being able to dash out the door with only a sweater or light jacket most of the year is—pardon the sun pun—golden.

2. People

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After traveling much of the world, I admit I have never found more agreeable folk than in Portugal. On our first visit to the country in 2002, we pulled over in front of a group of people on the street to ask directions. They smiled and hopped into their own car, motioning for us to follow. After navigating a series of serpentine alleys, they pointed both to the restaurant we sought and the best place to park.

Nothing has changed over the years. Not long after we moved into our rental house last fall, our neighbor gifted us with baskets of lemons and oranges, fresh-baked bread, and homemade wine. He willingly receives deliveries for us if we are out, and parks his car in our shared driveway with careful consideration.

3. Food

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One of my favorite comfort foods is grilled cheese. So something I missed most was the ability to pop into virtually any café and order a tosta de queijo. In the café glass display cases I invariably found the country's famous custard treat, pastel de nata and parfait glasses filled with arroz doce.

Lena, our close friend and proprietor of Fagulha in Zambujal, once closed her store for a few minutes to deliver some fresh-made rice pudding to my home. Oh, and she had spelled out my name in the cinnamon topping.

4. Café Society

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These delightful establishments are not just about food, or wine, for that matter. Although since I brought it up, I don't know where else you can get a small glass of pleasant wine for little more than a dollar.

For a few dollars each, my husband and I can enjoy the finger-sized, pillowy potato and cod cakes known as pasteis de bacalhau and a beer or glass of wine as we linger for hours on an outdoor patio shaded by colorful, striped umbrellas. Great people watching, and no tab until you ask for one or closing time, whichever comes first.

5. Language

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A stress-timed language, Germanic in origin, the sound of Swedish is a world away from the Romance languages with which I am so comfortable. Portuguese has been likened by author Barry Hatton to "windsurfing through consonants," and I missed the mysterious, "sh-sh-shushing" sounds of the language.

We continue to have good-natured disagreements with locals who insist that it is difficult to learn to speak Portuguese (it's not). We tell them they think and say that because they do not agree on its pronunciation among themselves.

6. Road Trips

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Portugal's size makes it an ideal country to drive in. You can get from Lagos in the Algarve to Porto in the north in just under five hours. But add a couple of hours more and you can pass through Lisbon, the popular expat community of Caldas da Rainha, the surfing mecca of Nazaré, and Aveiro, "The Venice of Portugal." Of course, this does not include time spent visiting the locations, but you get the picture.

Who needs to fly to a foreign destination when so much—including nearby Spain and France—is at your disposal? One more plus for us: fuel is half the price here than it was in Sweden.

7. Beaches

Albuferia’s beaches draw visitors from across Europe and beyond.|©iStock/mtcurado

Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the Gulf of Cadiz on the south, it's often easy to be within striking distance of a beach in Portugal. Even inland it's possible to be refreshed and enjoy the amenities at one of the country's 200 praias fluviais. Take a dip in the crystal clear waters of the river beach in Loriga, in the Guarda district of central Portugal, surrounded by rocks and mountains, and you may just decide you've found the best of all water worlds.