Always enjoy your reports. Not to pick nits, but I was taken by the last photo, it being a tribute to immigrants. Haven't researched it deeply, but Wiki says it was built as a tribute to the emigrants from the island, as the sculpture's actual name suggests, and is facing west toward America. Weird flex, but there you have it. Brings to mind Fernando Pessoa's first poem in Message (1934) where he dreamily personifies Europe, with Portugal as its face staring westward "where lies the future of the past".
I'm glad Denise was right, we like you here in the community and would miss you both so much if you escaped to the islands. As usual I just love your well written articles and can't wait to return to the Azores (after Summer Season myself) and take one of the bicycle tours around a few islands. Cheeers to finding a little corner of paradise.
I think I told you when you visited here in Madeira that I told my friends here that I'd NEVER move to this teenie island. We've been here 2.5 years now and we hardly ever go anywhere at all, despite best intentions to travel and even the residential subsidy that makes flights to the mainland as cheap as a long-distance bus ticket. We absolutely love living simply on this fabulous island - although the overtourism is getting out of hand. Your travelogues are always tempting!! Thanks for writing!
Island life definitely has an attraction for us too...as you know...we hope to live in Madeira when we are done with work. I think since my family are descended from there, and we have family on the island it does make a difference. We considered all areas of Portugal for retirement but decided against anywhere else as it felt too foreign. That's kinda funny since I'm Portuguese, right. The Madeiran culture is a subculture of Portugal which is fairly cosmopolitan since the population was forced to leave the island many years ago, to which many returned, invested in property etc with adjusted world views. VRSA seems just perfect for your needs today - I think it was a really smart choice. BTW please let us know the learnings of your earthquake research. I've been told that home insurance in PT doesn't cover earthquakes and I was advised to insure through Lloyds London. I have the contact details of a Lloyds London broker who insured for a contact in PT...
I really love our little town of VRSA and the convenience of access to the big wide world through flight or driving so I guess the Azores wouldn't suit. IPMA's website gives a map of earthquake activity which looks really busy but most of the tremors are tiny. (I have never got over being in Iceland and watching a cup sashay off the table and wondering if I should be doing something.)
The Island sounds perfect for our weather tastes. We try our best to escape the heat. Global warming has changed the weather pattern in the southeast of the US so that often we are running the AC most of the winter and I have also vowed that my next range will be induction as the gas heats our home too much.
I always enjoy your posts, this one especially. You remind me of myself. Many places I have traveled I’ve thought about living there, especially EU countries. My husband was firmly rooted in the U. S. so it was not a possibility. After he died and I retired I spent much of my time traveling and stayed for extended periods in France and Spain. At 75 I felt I could not move alone to another country, so I gave up that dream.The day after our recent election my daughter called and said, “I’m so embarrassed. This is not my country. I’m moving to Portugal”. . I immediately jumped on board and we are deep in the process of doing just that. We hope to move, with our two dogs, before Christmas. I hope to meet you and Denise some day. Terry
You never heard of the 1755 earthquake that destroyed Lisbon? We live in Lisbon & have earthquake insurance. It's ridiculously cheap compared to California, where it's unaffordable, so few people have it.
Always enjoy your reports. Not to pick nits, but I was taken by the last photo, it being a tribute to immigrants. Haven't researched it deeply, but Wiki says it was built as a tribute to the emigrants from the island, as the sculpture's actual name suggests, and is facing west toward America. Weird flex, but there you have it. Brings to mind Fernando Pessoa's first poem in Message (1934) where he dreamily personifies Europe, with Portugal as its face staring westward "where lies the future of the past".
Thanks for your research!
I'm glad Denise was right, we like you here in the community and would miss you both so much if you escaped to the islands. As usual I just love your well written articles and can't wait to return to the Azores (after Summer Season myself) and take one of the bicycle tours around a few islands. Cheeers to finding a little corner of paradise.
Nancy,
THANK YOU! for these informative articles.
I read this from Western Canada, you have me wanting to return to Portugal sooner rather than later!
I think I told you when you visited here in Madeira that I told my friends here that I'd NEVER move to this teenie island. We've been here 2.5 years now and we hardly ever go anywhere at all, despite best intentions to travel and even the residential subsidy that makes flights to the mainland as cheap as a long-distance bus ticket. We absolutely love living simply on this fabulous island - although the overtourism is getting out of hand. Your travelogues are always tempting!! Thanks for writing!
Island life definitely has an attraction for us too...as you know...we hope to live in Madeira when we are done with work. I think since my family are descended from there, and we have family on the island it does make a difference. We considered all areas of Portugal for retirement but decided against anywhere else as it felt too foreign. That's kinda funny since I'm Portuguese, right. The Madeiran culture is a subculture of Portugal which is fairly cosmopolitan since the population was forced to leave the island many years ago, to which many returned, invested in property etc with adjusted world views. VRSA seems just perfect for your needs today - I think it was a really smart choice. BTW please let us know the learnings of your earthquake research. I've been told that home insurance in PT doesn't cover earthquakes and I was advised to insure through Lloyds London. I have the contact details of a Lloyds London broker who insured for a contact in PT...
I really love our little town of VRSA and the convenience of access to the big wide world through flight or driving so I guess the Azores wouldn't suit. IPMA's website gives a map of earthquake activity which looks really busy but most of the tremors are tiny. (I have never got over being in Iceland and watching a cup sashay off the table and wondering if I should be doing something.)
The Island sounds perfect for our weather tastes. We try our best to escape the heat. Global warming has changed the weather pattern in the southeast of the US so that often we are running the AC most of the winter and I have also vowed that my next range will be induction as the gas heats our home too much.
Hi Nancy,
I always enjoy your posts, this one especially. You remind me of myself. Many places I have traveled I’ve thought about living there, especially EU countries. My husband was firmly rooted in the U. S. so it was not a possibility. After he died and I retired I spent much of my time traveling and stayed for extended periods in France and Spain. At 75 I felt I could not move alone to another country, so I gave up that dream.The day after our recent election my daughter called and said, “I’m so embarrassed. This is not my country. I’m moving to Portugal”. . I immediately jumped on board and we are deep in the process of doing just that. We hope to move, with our two dogs, before Christmas. I hope to meet you and Denise some day. Terry
So exciting...boa sorte!
Excellent photos Nancy!
You never heard of the 1755 earthquake that destroyed Lisbon? We live in Lisbon & have earthquake insurance. It's ridiculously cheap compared to California, where it's unaffordable, so few people have it.
Before we moved I did not know….