From Here To There...

July 4, 2019

Hi there - we know you want to know more about our move. 

It began in 2013 talking about Donald’s retirement from Warner Brothers. It was to be the catalyst for moving from Los Angeles to somewhere else. A year later, Donald decided on January 1, 2018, to be the date. My task became to research the place to retire. 

In 2014, we started traveling intending to search out a place we could call home. Our considerations were more than a few; from California to other states in the U.S. and other countries within the Americas, Europe and beyond the horizon. Although we liked and enjoyed every location we visited, none were contenders.

Our first vacation to Lisbon, Portugal, was in 2016. Upon our arrival, a sunny day presented itself, and a cozy hotel waited for us in Baixa-Chiado by the Tagus river. Our comfy room invited us to a deep sleep, helping us to shed the jetlag after a long flight. Later that evening, we had a yummy dinner, followed by a pleasant stroll through the busy, glowing streets that led us to the edge of the river. The upcoming days promised new discoveries, but first, we had to become familiar with the touristy areas that surrounded us.

Soon thereafter, we took the train to Porto, which is set at the north end of the country to begin our descent. We visited other cities and towns as we headed south to Faro, on the Algarve, before coming back to Lisbon. Time flew by and the days filled themselves with good times, friendly people, delicious food, and warm weather.

After getting back home and into our daily routines. Thoughts of Portugal came and went. We reminisced with joy and one day, without hesitation, we agreed this small country was right for us. It was a sound choice to consider. Let’s investigate it further, we said!

When 2017 came, we traveled to Lisbon in the Fall to experience winter. Will it be too cold? I wondered. After all, we’re warm-weather people. The answer was "no", unless we preferred the colder regions of the north or the heat on the south end. The locals confirmed Lisbon had a comfy temperature throughout the year, like Los Angeles in summer and winter in San Francisco–where I grew up. Getting into the groove of things did not take long. Within one month of living in our serviced apartment, we succeeded at feeling like “living here”. Our daily walks took us on train rides, little cable cars (San Francisco style), and the buses and metro introduced us to the various neighborhoods from the list we had. At the end of our visit to Portugal, while flying back to the United States, we said, Lisbon, we'll see you again. 

In 2018, our third visit confirmed Portugal was our preferred choice! It was a place to call home. In mid 2019, the move from the U.S. was smooth and our spacious one-bedroom apartment welcomed us to our new city. We're now going through the Portuguese residence-visa process, slowly but surely. We look forward to exploring this country, to meet the people and make new friends, learn the culture, its language, and enjoy many adventures to come. 

Thank you for having read this far. This blog is where we'll keep you updated, so come back and check it out.

Ciao ~ Kami