A SOUTH AFRICAN NOMAD
AT HOME IN LISBON
‘Let’s go back to Greece.’
‘Let’s not. Let’s try somewhere new.’
‘Well, let’s go to Lisbon and see what all the fuss is about.’
- And so we did.
And so we did.Now, as a team of South African nomads, myself and my friends consider ourselves well travelled. In fact, you could be forgiven for accusing us of being travel fanatics. After four days of swiveling heads and adoration at the altar of yet another gorgeous Portuguese tile, I turned to my friends and whispered ‘Why haven’t we been here before?’. I was rewarded with blank stares and sheepish shrugs. We laughed and cracked on to Porto, but the memory stays in my mind.
During my first ten days I gathered 4kg’s of unwanted weight – fondly attributed to the irresistible and unassuming little Pastel de Nata. Watch out: this is a small tart with a big kick! Those devilish little sweethearts cling to your hips like limpet mines!
A few days later, as I waved goodbye to my friends – now off to Greece – I wondered vaguely why I had elected to stay, then promptly hired a car and took a trip over the Ponte 25 de Abril , Lisbon’s famous suspension bridge. Armed only with an unpronounceable list of Portuguese names given to me by my friend Ivan, (at this point I have to digress and say that everyone needs an Ivan in their life – someone who tells you with conviction not only where & what but also how to avoid the tourist traps) I set off.
I wasn’t sure at that point what it was that made me stay – resisting the turquoise blue of the Aegean Sea is certifiable and I’ve lived in other European cities such as Paris, Florence, Barcelona, Greece and Rome and loved them all. I just sensed I hadn’t quite had enough of whatever it was that gave me this healthy dose of carefree happiness, the kind one experiences with the first lick of an ice-cream, the innocent thrill of simple pleasures. Perhaps I had forgotten what it was like and just liked being on holiday?
I didn’t want to travel highways so I put the GPS tracking system onto bicycle mode and set forth in my hire car to parts unknown. Crossing the bridge was exhilarating.
The Alentejo region (South central and southern Portugal) was nine days of heaven. I travelled out to the Spanish border through villages and countryside. The roads I found myself weaving through were easy to navigate, including the odd olive grove and cork forest.
As a single person I avoided making plans but I had one basic rule: one village, one night, one cultural delight. I was lucky or maybe my gods were paying attention because I discovered the delights of Portuguese hospitality and a people who reach out in friendship to a solo traveller at a table for one.
Using AirBnB, every night was a new delight and I was never disappointed. One of my most memorable nights was staying in the last room at Casa Nazare on the Arrabida Coast, a simple spot dedicated to the enjoyment of a tiny coastal port. A blink-and-you-miss-it affair, the luxury here is in simplicity. Every day was a heady mix of breathtaking scenery and a feeling of belonging. Each day consisted of making memories: a feast at Restaurante O Farol under the mindful eye of its owner and host Orlando; dinner at a restaurant in Evora’s Botequim da Mouraria where the owner/chef put me at his own table to accommodate the ‘latecomer’ rather than have me dine alone. And who then offered to share his bottle of delicious Alentejo Red to go with my Cozido à Portuguesa à moda do Alentejo (lamb stew). And for that touch of culture that you’ll find in abundance all over Portugal, The Chapel of Bones in Evora that was at once beautiful and dreadful: ‘We bones that here are, for yours await!’.
My favorite memory is of a moment in time that might have been choreographed. After an introduction to the owner-chef’s friends, I was invited to view the works of Luis Pedras – the bon vivant, ceramicist and host of his excellent and intimate family restaurant Pedras Do Castelo in Elvas. Luis makes a friend of all his guests and is happy to show them his impressive studio of works that inhabit the corner tower of the Castelo de Elvas.
That night the full moon put on a splendid show and as Luis pointed out the great panoramic views over a landscape that stretches deep into the Spanish heartland, he produced a pocket harmonica and began to play. The full moon, the wine, the castle walls, the view, the harmonica, the man… It was hard to stick to my ‘one village, one night, one cultural delight’ rules and move on, but I did.
In Monsaraz once again I secured the last room in the village at the Casa Dona Antonio. Perfectly placed within a courtyard of lemon trees overlooking the Alqueva Lake Dam, I could not have been more content. Four days passed into ten as I consumed the countryside and its enchanting villages one by one. Each day brought a new surprise, some random kindness and a taste of this country’s breathtaking landscape of castles, cathedrals, culture and history
On the tenth day as I made my way out of Portugal I dropped into the coastal resort town of Cascais, picked up a NIF (tax) number and opened a bank account with no particular agenda in mind, just a gut feeling.
Six weeks later I was back, having taken the advice of my extremely wise and intuitive sister, just to have another ‘look-see’. Several missed flights later, I finally conceded that these failed departures were more than just mistakes and my love affair could no longer be labeled a summer fling but a deep, committed and authentic connection that required further exploration. I found a place to live, invented a job for myself and became intimately involved and familiar with a creature of mythical complexity called ‘Portuguese Bureaucracy’. As a South African export I consider myself pretty stalwart in the maddening workings of bureaucracy, but nothing could have prepared me for the education I was about to receive…
“MY LOVE AFFAIR COULD NO LONGER BE LABELLED A SUMMER FLING”
Well, that was fifteen months ago. I now reside in Lisbon for a great deal of the year. I am learning the language and, having gone through the sometimes daunting processes required to get here, I have established a vital and highly specialised business providing South Africans (and other non-EU residents) with a turnkey service to buying property and obtaining a Golden Visa in Portugal.
From my own transition I have realised it is essential to have someone ‘on the ground and in the know’ and I have dedicated myself to becoming just that. Dixcart are my trusted partners and I have a reliable array of contacts and services that form part of my portfolio tailored to guiding my clients through the legal, financial and practical steps to securing a Golden Visa – a reliable overseas investment with a European base.
Just think of me as your go - to girl in Portugal. the person you know in places you don’t.
Just why have I made this transition is a question I am often asked: why Portugal, why now? The answers percolate through my mind and this is what I have observed: Portugal, while being exciting and forward-looking, doesn’t concern itself with being the most sophisticated, slick, primped or technologically advanced country on the planet or even in Europe. Its people are not concerned with style or aesthetics like their counterparts in France or Italy. The Portuguese are notoriously self-effacing and could use a tip or two on self-marketing. And while you will find the quality of food, wine and general feasting on life’s pleasures to be as good as anywhere else in the Mediterranean, that is not the only reason I love living here. As it turns out, my kicks don’t come from strutting my stuff or keeping up with the rat race… It’s very simple: I am happy and secure here.
Why?
The sun shines, the kindness of strangers is overwhelming and abundant and I have begun to understand that these things, along with simple pleasures, are gifts that we can no longer take for granted in our world.
My list goes on…
THE CLEMENT WEATHER
I love that the elements are kind and allow for many outdoor sojourns. Portugal has a reputation for mild winters, long summers and beautiful light – it makes life easier, clothing simpler and travelling on foot pleasant.
I FEEL SAFE
Never have I felt so safe, so much at ease and familiar with my surroundings. And I say that having lived all over the world. I love that whether I’m strolling the streets after dark or picking up an Uber bike to ride home after dinner, that the freedom I experience on a moment-by-moment basis seems simple and yet is profoundly affecting – it changes my experience of life. If someone stops me, it is to ask for directions, to share a pleasantry or to let me know I’ve left my iPhone on the bar counter.
This has become my new normal, as I explained to my distraught friend Claudia who had just arrived in the country and left her phone in the back of an Uber. She hurried back to her hotel in total panic imagining her life in tatters, and twenty minutes later messaged me to say the phone had been returned by the driver and her life was, indeed, intact. One is sometimes warned by concerned strangers about lurking pickpockets at the station or on the tram, but I have yet to experience anything of the sort. Returning on the midnight train from Cascais after enjoying the outdoor cinema overlooking the sea, there are people on the streets in good spirits, enjoying the summer air and life in general. The air is soft, the energy uplifting and adults and children can be, and are, care-free.
IT’S EASY TO NAVIGATE
I love that I can get about with such ease and with such an array of affordable options at my disposal. I can put on my shoes and hit the streets, pick up a scooter, climb onto an electric bike, flag down a tram, catch a bus, use the metro, take an Uber, cross the river on the ferry and even unlock one of the many Drive-Now cars available on the streets of Lisbon. Never has a city been so accessible to its inhabitants across all budgets and ages. These options are all readily available, in good working order, reasonably affordable, on time and safe. Several modes of public transport are also geared to 21st century living: all you need is a green travel card (Viva Viagem available at any corner store) and a phone with the relevant apps.
IT’S AFFORDABLE
I love that I can live relatively cheaply whilst eating well and enjoying the vast array of entertainment this city has to offer. The restaurants, the museums and art galleries, the music and festivals, the street-life that is alive and freely available pretty much everywhere you go… During any of the numerous and regular Saint Day celebrations, the streets come alive with sardines on open fires, lively festivities and Fado (the strongly emotive traditional music) with plenty of free entertainment available to all. The Time Out market offers locals and visitors alike an array of Lisbon’s finest culinary offerings in a fun and feisty atmosphere – and it’s only a ten-minute minute walk from where I live.
AN INTERNATIONAL FLAVOUR
I love that the people I have met in Portugal come from all walks of life and all around the world. People come here for all sorts of reasons and they are welcomed by the locals. I sit down to dinner in a local ‘tasca’ (family run restaurant) at a table surrounded by Portuguese families. At any one time, my communal table will be made up of a United Nations of humanity: Italians, French, Uruguayans, Germans, Brazilians, Americans, Argentinians, Asians, Egyptians, Africans and myself. My world is forever opening up.
I love to catch a fifteen-minute train ride to the beach (everybody does) and to experience people going about the business of relaxing into the end of their day, going home, chatting and connecting while they travel. People are generally polite: young men make way for their elders and anyone who has his music going too loudly, once asked, seems unoffended and happy to turn it down. I also love that, when I hit the beach, I observe scenes like a gang of youngsters who have left their pricey speakers playing music on their towels while they go for a swim. No one pays it any attention and it would be highly unusual for their valuables not to be there when they return.
WORK CAN BE PLAY
I love that my office is in a park. When I need to work on my computer I can pop onto an electric bike and in ten minutes I’m seated at a table under the trees next to one of Lisbon’s iconic Quiosques. These are octagonal wood and iron structures located around the city offering food and drinks. My favorites are in Principe Real and the Jardim das Amoreiras where Wi-Fi is provided and I can spend a relaxed day working in nature surrounded by my fellow inhabitants who are walking, talking, jogging, playing cards or working, just like me. As the day progresses so the mood changes and by twilight the computers have been packed away and a fresh crowd have arrived to enjoy drinks, watch the fading light and gather in garrulous groups to pleasant music. I have decided that I want to grow old playing cards with my mates under a huge old tree in one of these beautiful parks. And I have never felt that way before. I love the proximity of the ocean and the Tejus River which surrounds Lisbon. It adds a particular visual thrill, much like my home town of Cape Town. What is it about a body of water that feeds our souls and keeps us feeling a little cooler in the heat of the day?
THE PEOPLE
I love that people here are kind and generally have time for one another. Whether it means waiting in the queue while the lady at the till catches up with each of her customers (which, I’ll admit, used to irritate me when I first arrived but now warms my heart) or a moment in an Uber where deep connections can be made in a moment. I’ve realized that the elderly have a lot to do with this. They are visible everywhere and a part of daily life in Lisbon. You will find them walking the streets at night, sitting on their balconies or front steps of an evening, in the parks playing cards or just wandering around their neighborhoods chatting. Portugal is full of churches and Sundays are filled with the sounds of bells and people gathered on their steps. While Portugal is profoundly Roman Catholic, you don’t have to share this religion or be an avid church attendee to be affected by the strong family bonds and community-focused ethics that pervade this society. As much as the elderly are included in the daily rhythm of life, so are the children. Parks are places for families with children young and older, as are restaurants. Because of the lack of crime in Portugal, children are always visible. The young are on their bikes, walking to school, on scooters, in the centre of town gathered in their posses around bars, coming out of colleges or universities and enjoying what this city has to offer without the fear of harm.
While writing this feature, I questioned myself. Was I just in the throes of new love and seeing things through rose-tinted lenses? To ground myself I looked up some statistics and found the following…
OVERALL PERSONAL SAFETY RISK: LOW
Portugal is considered an extremely safe country. Statistically it is ranked 13th out of 162 of the safest and most dangerous countries.
PICKPOCKETS RISK: HIGH
As a top tourist destination, there is a high pickpocket risk in Portugal. A few simple precautions will minimize your chances of being pickpocketed here.
MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
Portugal is an averagely safe country regarding the chances of being mugged. As in any country but particularly in bigger cities, be aware and ask for local advice.
SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
As in any touristic country there may be people trying to scam you in Portugal. Use your head and educate yourself.
TRANSPORT & TAXI RISK: LOW
Transports and taxis are generally very safe in Portugal.
NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
There are no environmental hazards in Portugal though seasonal fires do sometimes flare up.
TERRORISM RISK: LOW
Portugal is considered a very safe country with respect to terrorist threats.
RISK TO FEMALE TRAVELERS: LOW
As a woman, I can say that this makes a big difference to life in general. As always, be vigilant when walking or clubbing/drinking alone.
INTIMATE CITY LIFE
I love that this is a small, intimate capital city that borders on the edge of Europe. I can get to London, Rome or Paris in the blink of an eye. Africa is closer now than it has been before so I can also nurture my African roots. It helps that the connection between Portugal and Africa is long and deeply entrenched.
GROWING OPPORTUNITIES
I love that this country is opening up, developing and looking to the future. It is also inclusive of all races, genders and ages. I have many more opportunities and more to offer at my age here than I would experience in many other places. It is a country on the rise: small start-ups are becoming abundant, the city centre of Lisbon is developing and the country is open and available to a burgeoning tourism industry. Portugal has fairly recently emerged from a dark time of poverty and deprivation and its people are grateful and productive.
In conclusion, I now live and spend a great part of my life in an intimate and interesting city. I think of Lisbon as a ‘softer’ city than its counterparts of Rome, Paris, Milan, London or Berlin. Its safety inspires me in a profound and surprising way to the possibility of joy in each new day.
From my own transition I have realised it is essential to have someone ‘on the ground and in the know’ and I have dedicated myself to becoming just that. Dixcart are my trusted partners. They are a reliable contact and their services form part of my portfolio tailored to guiding my clients through the legal, financial and practical steps to securing a Golden Visa – a reliable overseas investment with a European base.
As I continue to discover what life in Lisbon and Portugal has to offer, my world is both expanding and comfortingly settled. So, If you are thinking of exploring new possibilities just think of me as your “Go-to Girl in Portugal – the person you know in places you don’t” Feel free to look me up on www.getgoldenvisaportugal.com or send me a note at josiehemingway@me.com.
JOSEPHINE HEMINGWAY BIO
Josephine Hemingway was born in the Far East, raised in the UK and currently lives between Lisbon, Portugal and Cape Town, South Africa. Her nomadic spirit, discerning eye for design, business acumen and effervescent spirit are a potent combination and have led to a creative career that incorporates property development, interior design, project management and property syndication. Her work in fractional ownership of exclusive hideaways and urban properties has inspired her to complete projects in Paris, Barcelona, Lisbon and South Africa. Currently, Josie heads up a bespoke advisory business from her base in Lisbon specialising as a real estate broker. She offers a holistic relocation service including legal and financial advice, assistance in Golden Visa and European passport application, as well as practical insight and on-the-ground support for those wishing to invest in, or move to, Portugal. For more details: WhatsApp: +27 826 296132 (South Africa) | Tel: +351 913 428232 (Portugal), or email josiehemingway@me.com.
