In Search of a License

Even though we don't own a car (yet), it is important for us to exchange our driver's licenses while the opportunity exists to do so without a driving test. This is no small feat. It requires many steps, some of which we should have taken before arriving in Portugal. So this will be a cautionary tale, as well.

Here are the steps to be taken. 1) Obtain your driver's records from your current location and send them off to get them apostilled by your state authority.  2) Get a notarized copy of your driver's license and send it to the Portuguese embassy, along with $30 to request the Certificate of Authenticity of Driving License. This is the step we missed doing while in the U.S. and now we are having to do it via 3rd party.

And you also have to have your NIF (like a national identity number) and a Residence Card (the plastic card, not the temporary), as well as a medical exam.

The medical exam is why I am really making this post, since this was the first doctor's visit that we made in Portugal, using the National Health System. Even though we maintain private insurance (at very reasonable rates), the SNS examination is needed to certify for license exchange. And I was very impressed with the process. So here are some of the highlights.

Firstly, we needed an eye exam from an optician. We had one just at the end of our block and it was very thorough, with a cost of €20 each.

We were given an attestation of our vision to take with us to the doctor's appointment. When we initially received our Numero de Utente (the patient number you use with the SNS, or national health care), we were given the appointment one month away. This is probably the downside of free healthcare. However, if we had needed any emergency care, we were free to come in to the clinic at any time. It is just that scheduled visits are probably always a little longer. In fact, we were told to come on the weekend, if needed, as that was the best time to be seen by a doctor.

We were ushered into the office and the doctor saw us both, together. She looked over our paperwork, asked a few questions then took blood pressure as a matter of course. I was able to ask her for a prescription for the two medications that I take and she not only filled them, but suggested a better blood pressure medicine, since I had received a basic (thus cheaper) medication from VA. I'm not complaining about the VA medical. They took great care of me, but she felt that the medication I was prescribed was in common use in the U.S. and not the most effective. We shall see if it helps.

Denise, on the other hand, had very high blood pressure. Very unusual for her, as she is usually too low. So the doctor gave us orders for a blood panel to be taken by a local clinic. We will have to do that in the next few weeks, as well as make a daily diary of our pressure readings.

All-in-all, I was very impressed by the care we received and the patience shown by the doctor who worked with our limited Portuguese, but never made us feel bad about it. The total cost: €0. Our next steps are awaiting the Attestation from the Embassy (being handled by my sister) and on the medical side, getting our blood drawn for the examination to come.

This will be the last step to finalize our move here. We have to file taxes this year, but since we received a 10 year "pass" on paying, due to an incentive program we took advantage of, this will be a simple matter. Will keep you posted on our progress.

A Day At The Beach

 

O Farol da Barra

Finally, for the first time since I arrived, Denise took me to the beach. It is about 11k from our house, a 15 minute drive. Of course, since we don't have a car (OMG, how can they live like that?!!!), we took an Uber for a cost of about €9 each way.

We went to Praia da Barra and took the Uber to the lighthouse. It is the tallest lighthouse in Portugal and the 2nd tallest on the Iberian peninsula. At least that is what my wife says, and you can fact check Denise if you have the guts.

Walking out to the beautiful white sand beach after being shut in for so long was exhilarating.  It is very fine sand and the beach was clean... no trash. Of course, after months of lockdown, it's cleanliness will have to be gauged after it has seen some use.

A ways down the beach is a breakwater and Denise took a look off the end.

It was a warm day (low 70's), but by the afternoon it had cooled off, as clouds came in.

Eventually, the day came to it's end. We weren't able to enjoy any of the restaurants that would normally be open at the beach. And since it was getting cooler, we didn't visit the well known Costa Nova, with it's colorful striped houses, but we will leave that for another day.

For now, I am very happy we had a day at the beach.

A Little Destruction

 It has been some time since I posted. Denise and I arrived in Portugal in November of 2020 and since then, we have been furnishing the house, and making ourselves comfortable. There is still lots of work to be done, before we are satisfied. Some of the delay can be attributed to Covid-19 and some to the speed of workers in Portugal. One thing Denise has learned, since she made all of the arrangements for the repairs.... never pay all of the money, until it is completed. As a builder, I have learned that holding back even 15% can be a great incentive. That last 15% is pure profit. Alas... we have what we have. Our time in Uruguay has conditioned us to be patient.

Anyway - I have decided to take on a few projects, myself. While initially I thought I would just sit back and get the work done, I figured I might as well plunge in and take on some of the upgrades.

I am in the process of removing an old concrete sink in our side patio. Probably 100 years ago, it was the family laundry, but since we have a separate laundry room upstairs, we need the space for a sitting area and some lounges. What I have learned is that the Portuguese built things to last. I have never had a harder time than trying to demolish this old sink. But it has to be done. A little each day.

Our Old Concrete Sink

Next step will be removing the completely decorative fireplace in our tiny living room. Why anyone would make a complete fireplace, without a chimney... I don't know. But we need the space. Our little TV room is very small and this will make a difference.

Completely Decorative

As an update to our journey, here, we have received our formal temporary residence cards. We made all the necessary appointments in the U.S., then made our SEF (Border Control) appointment, and a few weeks later, received the cards in the mail. We have also registered with the National Health Service and received our health number. That means we have the option of using our private insurance (which is so much more reasonable than the U.S.) or using public facilities. We actually have an appointment in a few weeks for the examination needed to exchange our driver's licenses. There is still some paperwork needed to complete that, but that will actually be one of the last (if not THE last) thing we need.

Still unable to visit other places in the country. Looking forward to visiting Coimbra and Porto, not to mention Tomar and Lisbon. Denise has stayed in all those places, while she was here for the 5 months needed to secure the house, but I just came in November and straight into lockdown.

Portugal is slowly removing restrictions, and assessing the situation every two weeks.

So, this is the latest. Will try to do better as things progress.