Retired in Ferragudo, Portugal

I want to introduce you dear Novatans to my new blog for the Novato Patch. My wife, Jan and I lived in Novato for many years. We both raised our children in Novato- long before we met and married, the second time around. We have many friends there now and visit from time to time. We moved to Sonoma and lived there a number of years but have always thought of Novato as home. 

We are now retired and for the past two years, have lived in Ferragudo in the Algarve of Portugal.  

I wrote this piece not long after we arrived and it is a good way to begin letting you know about our adventures here:

Americans: You Really Can Retire to the Algarve

We have! We remain puzzled why only a select few Americans have discovered the beauty and affordability of the Algarve in Portugal. 

The warm-temperate weather is similar to San Diego year-round, the coastal cliffs, caves and sandy beaches are spectacular, the people are warm and gentle, some English is spoken by most. We love it.

My wife Jan and I began visiting Portugal: Lisbon, Sintra, Porto, Lagos and Portimao, a few years back, then we focussed on the south coast, the Algarve, and ultimately decided to begin our retirement here. 

Ferragudo: Our new home is in an ancient unspoiled fishing village called Ferragudo, a town of perhaps two-thousand that has been occupied since prehistory. It was fortified by the Moors about a thousand years ago, it has sustained its people through small scale fishing, orchards and farming ever since. We have our own ancient castle still guarding the harbor entrance from marauders. 

The night we arrived offered the most beautiful sunset I’ve seen in many years illuminating the hand-painted fishing boats in the glimmering waters of the estuary as we savored grilled fresh-fish and fine wine at a nice restaurant on the fishing dock. We fell in love with Ferragudo at first sight!  

We walk to sandy beaches with room to stretch out , swim and climb the cliffs above. My daily walks to the lighthouse with our new dog reward me with spectacular views of the coast from Sagres to Carvoeiro a distance of some 50 miles.  Tour groups from all over Europe come to see our “unspoiled village” and, thankfully, leave each night. 

Restaurants: We have three favorite restaurants in town, two Portuguese and one Italian, that are within two or three blocks of our place. Having lived in France and explored Italy where it is hard to find a bad restaurant, I find all three comparable to those reknowned cuisines for food, service and ambience  but at a far lower price. 

Local Sites: Within a 15-20 minute drive we explore villages and richly historic small cities like Silves with its hauntingly beautiful Moorish fortress still dominating the town from its perch above the Arade River. We love Lagos, home of Prince Henry the Navigator who inspired the early voyages of discovery from here. We can even visit ancient stone-age burial mounds and megaliths predating Stonehenge and only  ten minutes away.  

As a recently retired psycho-therapist I am fascinated with the way past events help form present behavior and attitudes. The history of the Algarve is one of occupation by one dominant civilization after another: Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths, Moors, Crusaders, Spanish, Napoleon, tourists,  etc. The Portuguese people, having been here from paleolithic times, have found a way to absorb the helpful aspects of each visiting group while maintaining their integrity as Algarvian Portuguese.

Traveling from Here: We embarked on a road trip to Spain, France and Italy in spring this year visiting many towns and cities that are within striking distance from here. Seville, Granada, Nice, Eze, Carcassone, Tossa de Mar and Florence being my favorites on this trip. 

Flights to  Britain are easy and inexpensive from nearby Faro. We explored the Cotswalds, Wales, Salisbury, Stonehenge and Christchurch two months ago and we are going back for our second British trip this year in a couple weeks- exchanging our home here for a lovely place in Lancaster not far from the Lake District. 

Last week we drove to Arcos de la Frontera, one of the “White Hill Towns” south of Seville, two and one half hours from here for a couple days, and spent another  delightful two days in Granada searching through the Albaycin and the Alhambra. 

These trips would have been prohibitively expensive from California where we have lived for many years, but by living here and planning carefully, they are easily affordable.

Much of Portugal is worthy of a visit. Lisbon has a flavor reminiscent of San Francisco, with streetcars, hills and a bridge like the Golden Gate. Sintra, just north of Lisbon, is captivating. 

Recently, we drove a few hours to the next province to the north, Alentejo, and found many fascinating villages and towns like Monsaraz with its hilltop fortress and great wine. Few foreign visitors ever visit this well preserved medieval gem.

The People: The populace of the Algarve is more Portuguese than not but also holds a large number of expatriate British, German, Dutch, some French, South African and almost no Americans. We have begun some good relationships with a few expats who share our love of this place. We are slowly learning Portuguese- very slowly. We have Portuguese friends who patiently converse partly in Portuguese when the conversation would be far easier for all in English.   

Costs: Expenses for almost everything are lower than those in most of Europe and much of the U.S. One can find a way to live here on almost any budget from the smallest to the quite extravagant. We are retired and on a fixed income that is not extravagant and can live quite well with these resources. 

Vacationing here can run the gamut from cheap to very expensive depending on your preferences. All levels of comfort are available. The peak months are July, August and  September. Hotel/Apartment prices decrease dramatically the rest of the year. 

Vacationers can enjoy beautiful golf courses, sailing, fishing, water slides and all the usual tourist attractions are available. 

Conclusion: I really don’t want the Algarve over-run with Americans any more than Brits who have already discovered this paradise. During the past twenty years over-development in a few areas has replaced  some unique habitat with high-priced glitsy resorts and ugly high-rise tourist apartments.  More recent development has taken care to provide needed space attractively without sacrificing the environment. 

We have found what we want here and we don’t want to inspire a horde of Americans doing the same, we just can’t fathom why so few have found this lovely place. For Americans who might yet do what we have done: You will find the rewards are many and the regrets are few. 

Stay tuned to Dick and Jan’s Adventures. Lots more on the way!

Richard Bailey