The mall

Malls are horrible places. Anti-culture. But sometimes they are necessary. I need to get a local SIM and, hopefully, a MiFi device. Reading around on the web has confused me massively as to what deals are on offer. A blogger recommended “Phone House”, which is Portugal’s “Carphone Warehouse”, as having knowledgeable staff who’ll help you get the best deal on the things you want.

There isn’t one in Porto city. Google lied! The nearest one is in an out-of-town mall reachable on the metro.

Hopefully I’ll be truly mobile and connected by the end of this afternoon!

Goodbye Bela Star

Barring signing on the dotted line I’ve agreed to move into Ana’s very lovely apartment located on the edge of the old town of Porto. I’m looking forward to getting to know a new area of the city. Being there gives me a month to a month and a half of settled existence to plan my next moves.

We agreed I’d move in on the 19th giving me six more nights to float around. I wonder if I could find somewhere funky or quirky to live for that time. A boat on the Douro comes to mind. Ana suggested living in a hippie commune (she knows some people). I’ll have a Google around and see what I can turn up.

Don’t get sick

Admin had to catch up with me sooner or later. My Mum sent me my prescription from the UK. That’s possibly illegal but I still live in Scotland. I’m just having an extended holiday. Right? Seven days later and no parcel has arrived. These are the kind of pills you aren’t supposed to just stop taking.

A local pharmacy was happy to dispense the medicine. Taking me at my word that I’d been prescribed them in the UK. They cost 36€! That’s 1.30€ a day for something I normally pay nothing for. Isn’t the NHS a great thing?

Apparently the EHIC means you pay what a local does. Not what you pay in your country of residence. Being sick in Portugal is expensive!

I usually avoid admin until it catches up with me. Maybe I should do some reading on the ins and outs of living abroad. There are probably tax and social security implications and goodness knows what else.

Long lunches

Thankfully the temperature today was back down under 30° with low humidity and a nice breeze.

My morning work routine was a little disturbed by some locals getting on the beers. This is at eighty thirty in the morning!

At lunchtime I walked the fifteen minutes or so to Ana’s apartment. I felt I’d left the ‘real’ city as I’d arrived at a main road and the place was surrounded by large buildings and other tower blocks. Not ideally the kind of location I want to live in.

I took the lift up to floor 6 of her block. She has a very nice one-bedroom apartment that she’ll be leaving for just over a month to go and do an internship. The rent would be around 500€.

We left the flat so she could show me around a bit. The location is actually much better than I thought. We walked through the gardens and immediately emerged in the old part of town. Nice streets, cafes and shops are very near by. We zig-zagged a bit and ended by having lunch at a great Lebanese place. By the end of which it was somehow almost four o’ clock!

I made my way back the Capitólio and worked away until quarter to seven. A day’s work or near enough! I started to wonder if I’d out-stayed my welcome there as António didn’t seem as chatty as normal. However I think he was just hot and bothered! Later, when things were quieter we had a chat about this and that and all seemed fine.

During the day another meet up was posted by Molly, a Chinese student. A few of us met around eight and headed out to Matosinhos for some dinner. Afterwards we took a leisurely stroll along the waterfront. I was surprised how many people were out and about approaching midnight. Apparently, at weekends, the place is busy until the sun comes up.

I’m undecided what to do about an apartment. Ana’s flat is very nice and the arrangement suitably casual and flexible. However I was describing to her the Gaia flat with the panoramic view of Porto’s World Heritage site. It reminded me that I’d like to get a place with a terrace or roof somewhere in the heart of the ‘action’. I also spoke with António. His friend, who was going to talk to me about places, didn’t pass by today but I think renting António’s place is still a possibility. There are so many places with ‘for rent’ signs in the windows that I thought it’d be easy to find a place online. Ana said it’s probably better just to call the number on the notice if I see a place I like.

Ana is off in ten days so I’ve til then to dither. It’d probably be wise to take her place. It’s very nice and well located. A month-or-so is hardly a big commitment either. We’ll see what happens with António in the meantime and I might make a call or two if I walk past a place for rent that I like. It’d be nice not to be in the Bela Star for too much longer.

Over lunch I mentioned the van plan to Ana. She knows some hippy types with campervans so gave me a contact. Daniel got back to me tonight with some friends of his to ask to see if they are selling or know of people wanting to sell a van.

We also taked about Madeira as she’s from there originally. Flights are cheap and direct from Porto and it sounds like a really nice place. Plenty of WiFi and she recommended a place I could stay for 10€ a week. I think it’s a now on my itinerary (as much as I have one!)

4,5 litros

That’s how much water I’ve drunk so far today. I’ve never sweated so much in my life. We’ve been having record temperatures here. Up around 40°. It’s not been very humid so I’ve largely coped ok. Until today.

It was a little embarrassing being sat at lunch with new people with a soaking shirt. I had to constantly fan myself and mop my brow. It didn’t really help. Also, not an ideal day to go commando!

Lunchtime was another event arranged through meetup.com. Eduardo, whom I’d met at the startup event, was there along with four others. I asked about flat-hunting and Ana said that she was leaving Porto for a few months and that I could stay at her place for that time. Great! I’m going around tomorrow to see where it is and what it’s like. António’s friend is coming to the cafe tomorrow to talk about apartments too. Hopefully I’ll be out of the Bela Star soon.

A Russian chap called Denis was clearly lacking for things to do today because, after our lunch, he accompanied me on the 40 minute round trip to my hotel to get the plug adapter I’d forgotten to take in the morning. He than sat down in my ‘office’ (my usual table at the cafe). I did explain that I was working but he wanted to chat. Today I didn’t mind too much as I was doing mundane stuff. Pretty sure he hung around for a good couple of hours!

During that time one of the Swedish girls at lunch came in. I’ve started to see the same faces pass the cafe in the morning and she’s one of them. She came and sat with myself and Denis. I explained that I didn’t mean to be rude but that I was ‘at work’. “Maybe we’re bugging you?”, she asked. Something that apparently had not occurred to Denis!

Eventually I was left to sweat through a problem that is probably something to do with VirtualBox’s shared drive implementation.

Yaaaaasssssssss!

What a game that was. Was it ever in doubt? I don’t think so. There were brief flashes of the old Murray but I think he’s got the head game sorted now.

I’m very glad the Captólio cafe didn’t mind me changing the channel over to the tennis. “Not something Portuguese people usually watch in a cafe”, I was told. Well, they had to today.

I was sat beside a regular at the bar and we managed a little man-chat about the tennis. I explained I was Scottish and therefore supporting Murray. He explained he liked Djokovic because of his even temperament.

“Posso uma photo?”, I asked. I’m not sure what his reply was so I took a photo anyway (People pics are usually more interesting than buildings but I’ve hardly taken any. I’d like to take more but without causing offence.)

He left after a while and said, “até logo” – see you later. Acceptance!

To accompany the match I had one of the “Pratos do dia”. A delicious and extremely garlicky steak.

The oven chip hasn’t arrived in Portugal. They still make their “batatas fritas” from actual potatoes that they cut up and fry.

A missed appointment

My cafe manger friend is called António. I know this because I had to write him a note this afternoon. We’d arranged to meet at 9.30 this morning to go and see the apartment he is moving out of to see if I wanted to take it on.

Unfortunately I didn’t make it. I went for ‘one’ beer on the way home in the trendy bar area of town.

Given the weather and the fact that places are open until 4.00am (at the earliest!) it can be quite hard to go home!

I set my alarm for eight but didn’t hear it and first woke up at almost ten. Around one housekeeping knocked on the door.

I headed down to the cafe. After much misunderstanding I eventually roped in a young Scout to explain that I wanted to leave a note for ‘the other man that works here’. I scribbled my apology in French.

Sometime later, as  I sat tucking into some pork chops, I was handed the cafe phone. António! I repeated my apology. He was very gracious about it.

A friend of his is (or used to be, I’m not sure) an estate agent and has found some apartments for me to look at. António knows I want to go month-by-month so hopefully that’s the case with these places.

The cafe has a TV. My thoughts turned to the tennis. “Posso?”, I asked the owner while pointing at the telly. He handed me the remote. As I was flicking through the menu a young chap took the stool beside me. The owner asked him to help me find what I was looking for. I explained I was looking for the Murray match. He looked a little confused. “What day is it on?”, he asked. The penny dropped. Call it getting in at 5am or the 40° heat or whatever. I was thinking it was Sunday!

The guy then explains he is the son of the manager. The other man that works there. António! He’s heard about me from his Dad. We then have a very nice chat. He tells my about the incredible apartment his family is moving out of. The one I should have seen today! I ask him if he knows where I might buy a campervan. His Dad knows a few car dealers quite well so he’s sure he can point me in a useful direction.

 

River panorama

Pedro took me to see two top-of-the-range apartments today.

The first sits right on the riverside with amazing views over to the old town of Porto. It has two bedrooms on three floors. White walls and wooden floors throughout. The best feature is the master bedroom on the top floor. It has a panoramic window that frames a lovely view across the river. To top it off the blackout blinds are remote controlled. As is the sky-light (which closes itself if it starts to rain). It’s an incredible apartment. Rental price is 900€ but that can perhaps be negotiated down. The second bedroom would make a great office/gym to work and work out in. You could not get anything like this in the UK for that money.

The other place was of a similar spec but it was surrounded by roads and malls and other tower blocks. Very nice inside but the location was horrible.

As mentioned there is the rental period problem. Pedro says you have to stay somewhere for at least six months. Then you can negotiate your way out (which may take a month or two). But eight months in a lovely flat close to best parts of Porto and Gaia is hardly a hardship! As the place is fully furnished too I don’t even need to make any commitment in terms of ‘stuff’. I keep my possessions to a rucksack and carry-on suitcase!

However, I’ve spent the afternoon perusing rooms for rent as I assume that can be done on a more casual basis. Many of the rooms seem aimed at students so are away from the spots I’d like to live in and are not of a quality I’d like.

My French-speaking cafe-running friend is going to show me his place tomorrow as he is about to move out. Four bedrooms for 400€ (I think). No idea what it’ll be like but it’s worth a look.

I still have this romantic notion of travelling about though. Sometimes I think I just need something like this

with a fold-up chair, one of those roll out tables, a stove, a Thermarest and a sleeping bag! (And a 4G dongle of course!) I wonder if it’d actually work….

Best lunch so far

You can’t go wrong with steak, egg and chips!

First flat viewing

I’ve just been to see my first apartment. For the terrace alone I think it’s worth it. It’s big and south-facing. Not your wee balcony affair. Enough room for table, chairs and weights bench!

The rest of the place was nice. Modern, wooden-floors and all the mod-cons.

However there may be a flaw in my plan. The typical rental period is a year. I either need a Portuguese guarantor or to pay six months in advance. That doesn’t fit with my hobo notions! I don’t want to be tied down.

I possibly need to change tack and look for more casual arrangements. Unlike NY there doesn’t seem to be the same sub-let thing going on here. But I’ll keep looking. There are rooms about but I was kind of set on having a batch pad. Still, a shared flat would be a good way to meet folks.

Maybe, by paying six months up front I can get a six month lease then just decide I’m here for that time. It’ll fly in. It already is!

Tomorrow I’m going to see some ridiculous apartments. Riverside lofts with designer furniture. I think one place has a pool. We’re only talking 800€/month though! It has to be worth a look!

UPDATE: I’m a bit of an eejit really. Turns out you can rent some pretty decent looking rooms in actual flats or houses on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. All for less than I’m paying for my super basic guest house room. I’ve just fired off some emails and I’ll hopefully hear back soon.