Portugal – another amazing country which took my breath away…

Port of Lisbon

It is the best decision, to spend my recent birthday trip in Spain, and especially Portugal. Having the “wrong” perception that Portugal is somewhat similar to Spain, I was totally blown away by how amazing and unique this small country was! I can’t wait but writing down how special Portugal holds a place in my heart – one of my top 5 retirement destinations so far!

Porto street art

Uniquely different from Spain:

First of all, I was impressed by how many and well people speak English in Portugal. While I met many young people speaking no English in even big metropolitans like Barcelona and Madrid, I was amazed by how well young people in Portugal speak English and even some old people can speak limited English. To my surprise, many young Portugese have either a very nice British accent or more prevalently good American accent.

Belem fortress

Second of all, even though Portuguese cuisine shares some similarities with Spanish (such as having tapas, sangria, and many similar kinds of fishes), the way the food is prepared is way more “spiceful” than Spanish. To my Asian taste, it means Portugese food is much better. 😀

Faz Gosto – best fine dining restaurant in Faro

Third, Portugal holds many unique “records” as I was told by my walking tour guide: 1) biggest cork exporter in the world, 2) the most beautiful MacDonald’s in the world in Porto, 3) Churches with real gold leaves worth on average 25 million EUR each, and so on… 😀

Beautiful tram in Lisbon – uniquely Portugal I guess

Amazingly friendly and kind people:

The older I get, the more I appreciate kindness. When I was younger, I didn’t give a shit about the people I met for once in a lifetime – If they are nice, I’ll be nice and if they are assholes I will just be assholes to them. However, nowadays I appreciate the countries much more when the people are friendly and kind. And Portugal has offered me the best kind of hospitality, kindness, friendliness and smiles. That is one reason why I ranked this country in my top 5 retirement destinations.

Friendly local girls asking to take pictures with me

Amazingly charming cities:

Porto beach

While Lisbon – the city of seven hills enchanted me with breathtaking views, diversely charming neighborhoods, intimately beautiful alleyways, and startling architectures with houses and churches made from tiles, Porto hypnotized me with all that was mentioned packaged in a petite size with which I can experience an intimate touch, especially over a glass of Port wine. 😀

Lisbon – city of 7 hills and the sister Golden Gate Bridge

Amazingly beautiful coastal towns and beaches:

Faro beach

Having only been to Faro and Loule (not a coastal town) in the Algarve, I was already impressed by Portugal’s beautiful towns in this region. They are definitely not the best according to my local friends as well as pictures easily found from the Internet. However, even the Faro beach already changed my perception that only The Caribbeans, Asia and Australia have breathtakingly beautiful beaches. 😀 Moreover, those small cities are totally mesmerizing with uniquely beautiful architectures, fine dining restaurants and bars with characters and top-notch qualities, making them ideal destinations for a more tranquil and intimate holiday. 🙂

Faro beach

Amazingly to die for food:

Loving seafood and spices, Portugal proved an understanding, sympathetic and serving lover to my demanding stomach. Food is so important to me that it is one of the decisive factors whether or not I like a city, or a country. Having said that, Portugal has scored another critical point in my consideration of retirement destinations. So here stands Portugal in the top 5, along with Vietnam, Thailand, Italy (Tuscany or Italian Riviera), and Greece (Greek islands).

Seafood is my favorite thing in Portugal

Not enough words to describe how I loved Portugal. But you gave me more motivations to focus on my retirement plans, Portugal babe! ❤

Love you Portugal – from Victoria viewpoint in Porto