Portugal – Life According to TJ

Albufeira, Happiness, Mindfulness, Portugal

Stuck in a Rut

May 12, 2019 Steph TJ

I find myself in a rut. As you know, I retired a few years ago at the ripe of age of 44 and since then have been trying to find my place in the world.

Recently a number of things have happened, which have made me reassess the situation. Sadly, a upsettingly high proportion of our friends and acquaintances have been diagnosed with advanced cancer, some of whom have been working so incredibly hard for a retirement they may never get to take. That’s really sobering and is the one thing that really hit home for me. I gave up work so that husband and I could enjoy retired life together whilst we both had our full faculties. But I haven’t been doing that, I haven’t been enjoying retirement. I’d like to be able to tell you what I have been doing – but I think basically it amounts to moping. Moping and moaning.

The thing is, I really don’t have any reason to moan or mope. I have an amazing opportunity and, quite frankly, I am wasting it.

Recently, as I flew home to Bristol for a hen weekend, I listened to Fearne Cotton interview Russell Brand on her podcast ‘Happy Place’ and it really struck a chord. Brand has written a book ‘Freedom from our Addictions’ based on 12 step programme, of Alcoholics Anonymous fame, which, he argues, could be applied to any aspect of life. But the absolute first step to changing anything is to acknowledge there is a problem / area of concern / area of development and to own it.

So, I am stuck in a rut. And I am moping and moaning.

This was followed by a run for a bus! The bus stop is right outside the hairdressers, but, due to roadworks was suspended. As I stepped out of the hairdresser the bus was just stopping at the lights to the roadworks. This meant I had the time it took for the traffic going the other way to go through the lights and the time it took for the bus to get from its current position to the next stop to run for the bus. If I didn’t catch this bus I would have had to wait 20 minutes for the next one. So I ran to the next stop, probably about 500 metres further up the road. I made the stop in time to reach the back of the queue and then quietly died. I could barely breathe and it took a good 20 minutes of the 25 minute bus journey home. This really shocked me. Whilst I’ve never been thin, I’ve always regarded myself as being fit and have used exercise as a strategy for managing a range of health issues throughout my life.

Scrap cushions! — This week, rather than waste time, I made these two cushions from scrap fabric I had at home.

So the blocks have been building:

I’ve been wasting an opportunity
I have an area of concern I’d like to address
Evidence would suggest that I am currently the least fit I have been in a long time.

I could make excuses:

I only respond to deadlines
I don’t have enough time
I don’t have the money to do the things I’d like to
I split my time between two places
Husband would rather I spent the time with him

All of them are total rubbish.

There are no deadlines and I am naturally inclined to put off to tomorrow – but it’s not an excuse.
I have more than enough time – I can waste time with ease. I waste so much time it’s frightening.
The majority of things I’d like to do more of – like cycling, walking or running don’t actually require any money.
I can easily do the things I would like to in two places with minimal effort.
Husband would rather I did the things that made me happy and would be very upset to know I was using him as an excuse.

The key points of the day where I lose time are after lunch and dinner. I get sucked into games (they are designed to do that – but still an excuse) and before I know it the day has disappeared. I am going to try to be more mindful and when I spot the boredom or lethargy set in I am going to make a conscious decision to do something constructive. There are a million and one things I could do in that time – sewing, knitting, crochet, swimming, cleaning, ironing, baking, reading, learning, even writing blog posts.

So, I owe it to myself, my husband and my friends to fully embrace this opportunity that I find myself in and throw myself wholeheartedly into retirement.

Lunch with a view — This week, husband and I went to have lunch at Porto do Abrigo, an amazingly tranquil restaurant overlooking the fishermans marina

Albufeira, Bristol, Food and drink, Portugal

Compare and Contrast

February 10, 2019February 10, 2019 Steph TJ

I am in the very fortunate position of spending my life living in two amazing places; Albufeira in Portugal and Bristol, United Kingdom.

We are often asked how it is we can bear to live in such a busy place as the centre of Old Town in Albufeira, especially as it gets busier in the summer months. It gets louder – with music from the bars going on into the early hours of the morning. There is more traffic and there are way more people. Yes, our home is in the middle of all of this, but it’s set back on a little side street, away from the hustle and bustle – so we are sort of in the midst of things, but also out of it, on a small one way street that leads to nowhere. We consider it relatively quiet, especially when you compare it to our home in Bristol.

You couldn’t really get more of a contrast. We have made our home right in the centre of town, in about as busy a spot as you could probably find. Buses run all day and also through the night. We are surrounded by office blocks and student accommodation and often when we are awake in the night are treated to the most amazing choirs. Most of us have belonged to such a choir at some point in our time – the choir made up of people on their way home from the pub, confident in the knowledge that they are the best singers EVER! We’ve had Oasis, Aha, The Three Tenors, you name it, we’ve probably heard it and each time, you just can’t help but smile!

In Albufeira we have the beaches. One right on our doorstep, but then other smaller, secluded beaches all along the coast. We have the changing colours of the sea, the differences in the waves and the tides, every day is a different view – something will have changed. When the tourists arrive all with their different coloured beach umbrellas it brings a real sense of excitement to the town, particularly at the beginning of the season. Then in Bristol we have the harbourside. So busy and bustling, with the brightly coloured boats, floating happily besides great boats such as the Matthew and the SS Great Britain. We have Gromits, Gorillas and Shaun the Sheep standing to attention, there is even a crocheted crocodile in homage to the crocodile of Bristol that apparently makes his home in the harbour!

In both locations you have the old next to the new. One of my favourites in Bristol is the view of the Church of St John on the wall, part of the original old city walls, right next to iconic pieces of street art, ‘Where the Wall’ and ‘The Vandal’. Obviously we also have Banksy. So much so that I don’t even notice them anymore – they are just part and parcel of every day life. Clearly not in the same league, but in Albufeira several of the electricity boxes have been covered with pieces of street art which reflect the heritage of the town. Our apartment sits within the original city walls, yet within 5 minutes you are right in the centre of the newer square, and all of the bars and restaurants. One of my favourite times of year in Albufeira is Easter. It’s still very much a religious festival in Portugal with processions all across the Easter weekend – through the hoards of tourists there to enjoy the sun.

And as for food! Both places provide a huge variety of cuisine that vary in Italian, Indian, Chinese, Portuguese, Vegan, Tapas. In Bristol we have the added benefit of street food, that really does cover every nationality, including Caribbean. In Albufeira if you dig deeply enough – well actually – not all that deeply at all, just leave the main tourist areas you can find some outstanding food at reasonable prices. You might not get a wide choice, but the quality is something else. Likewise in Bristol, there are just some amazing restaurants, popping up all over the place, some of which are housed in small cargo sheds. In Bristol it’s really hard to find middle of the the road chain restaurants, we are a picky lot and like our food to be high quality and independent and we will pay. Equally in Portugal – you can find the middle of the road, microwaved meals, but walk around the back streets and you will find so much more, fantastic little independent restaurants, run by families who are so very enthusiastic about their food and your experience with them really matters.

So, all in all, the two places aren’t all that different – barring the weather obviously! I’m incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to experience the contrasts.

Portugal, Walking

Walking around Faro

January 24, 2019 Steph TJ

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to go on a guided walk around Faro. A ladies craft group that I am a member of, PALS, suggested that we meet up to do the walk with a small company that offers FREE guided walks of 2 hours around the city.

This is the first time I’ve really done a guided walk around a city as I’ve never been overly convinced that they add much value to a visit. I’ve spoken to several people who have been to Faro, enjoyed it, but not found it to be any more interesting than Albufeira, but I have to admit, having a guide really did add to the value of the walk and he was amazing. The walk lasted two hours and took us around the older parts of the city of Faro from the arrival of the first settlers in the 8th century BC right up to the modern day. Faro itself, has seen numerous name changes over the years dependent on who was in power at the time. It’s also seen invasion by Romans, Moors, Jews and Christians, and the influence of each is reflected in the architecture around the town. Obviously, being a Historian at heart, I loved every minute and especially hearing about key historical events from the point of view of the Portuguese. They have a totally different interpretation of the Spanish Armada, for example!

Obviously, I can’t include every aspect of a 2 hour walk in a short account, but there were a few points of interest that I’d like to share!

The vast majority of the city was destroyed in as part of the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755, the epicentre being in Sagres, not Lisbon! Following that, the vast majority of the city was destroyed and rebuilt and much of the current architecture dates from that time. Buildings tend to by only 2 stories high as they are more likely to withstand the impact of an earthquake. Despite that, there is still evidence of the original city all around.

One aspect of the history of Faro, and Portugal that I was particularly interested in was that of the period 1467 to 1501. Very specific, you might say! That is the period of history I taught at A Level, specifically focussing on the history of Spain – from the marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand in 1469 through to the death of Isabella in 1501. Why is this of interest, you might ask? Isabella and Ferdinand were experts at marrying their children into influential families across Europe. Katherine of Aragon, for example married King Arthur and then Henry VIII. Their eldest daughter (also Isabella) married Prince Afonso of Portugal who unfortunately died. She subsequently married Manuel I of Portugal – but would only agree to the union provided all Jews and Muslims were expelled from Portugal – heralding the arrival of the Spanish Inquisition in Portugal. Up until this point, all the various religious denominations had lived happily side-by-side.

Every town I have visited in Portugal has a street named 25th April. Obviously, I worked out quite early on that this must have some significant meaning – but didn’t know what. It is the day of the revolution in 1974 when the dictatorship that had gripped Portugal since 1930 finally came to an end. This is also known as the Carnation Revolution, due to how peaceful it was. I was quite surprised that the dictatorship had lasted so long, and also, that it had only ended relatively recently. Portugal is a very young democracy – which might also explain why some aspects of the country and its infrastructure seem so backward in many regards.

The beginning of the revolution was heralded by the playing of a song, ‘Grandola, Vila Morena’ written by Zeca Afonso. A number of his songs were banned under the dictatorship as he was vociferous in his opposition and so once his music began to be heard again, that sent the signal that things were beginning to change. His house still stands in Faro and is currently undergoing renovation, and a portrait of him is painted on a wall in Lisbon. There is an alternative version! 1974 was the year that Cliff Richard won the Eurovision Song Contest and that the song to herald the start of the revolution was, in fact, ‘Congratulations’. Now, I could be biased, but I know which version I believe!

Another sweet story that we learned on our walk was the history of the prevalence of custard in Portuguese cakes. The current archeology museum occupies the site of the 16th century convent of Nossa Senhora da Assunção (Our Lady of the Assumption). It would appear that the nuns used egg whites to starch their habits – leaving a high proportion of egg yolks which needed to be used up. These were used to make the custard for cakes and pastries, many of which are still popular in Portugal today.

There is so much to talk about, the stunning architecture, the history of the pavements, the storks that sit proudly atop many of the buildings, the chapel of the skulls, the history of the theatre. But you really need to do the walk yourself to understand the rich history of this beautiful city.

One thing I did discover is that free walks are much better than those you’ve paid for. Our guide’s tip (essentially his only payment for the two hours) was based on the quality of the walk he provided. As a consequence the quality of the walk and the information provided was outstanding. I definitely recommend this walk for anyone who is visiting Faro and for those who may already have visited. It was interesting and entertaining. There was so much more to Faro than I had anticipated and I will be going back shortly to re-visit some of the buildings and landmarks I heard about throughout the walk.