You only need to put milk in the refrigerator after you open it; the small beers are so you drink them fast enough so they dont get warm, and the GNR you usually only see them in smaller (rural) locations, in cities there's a different police force called PSP. Enjoy Portugal 😛
So, what you are saying is that Guns 'N Roses (GNR) are the police force in rural areas of Portugal, while Playstation Portable (PSP) enforces the law in portuguese cities?
The small beers are also called three shots. Go to alentejo during the summer and you will find out that mini was the greatest invention since the wheel.
Exactly - that reminds me of having once taken some American friends to ''Festa do Avante'' just to see Dexys Midnight Runners live; their faces paled as they were reading that acronym all around the place, and thinking some big PCP-dealer was sponsoring the festival...
There are lots of school buses here, it's just that they are all different models and are rarely marked as "school bus". Some belong to the local authorities and are used for other things during the day, some private schools subcontract regular passenger buses to pick up and return the kids home, etc. Everything in Portugal tends to be done on a very tight budget so nobody has buses parked to be used only in early morning and late afternoon.
@@Teodoroviski I don't think I'd ever thought about it and it just came to me one day... "hey! I haven't seen a school bus around here!" not realizing school busses might not look the same here. :)
And also most kids go to school in public transportation, bus, metro and subway. After 10 years old it is totally normal. Only private school s have bus and in rural areas because the schools can be far from home.
@@arturjcrebelo3275 What you described is common practice elsewhere in Portugal as well. Growing up in nearby Viseu, I never needed to use the bus as a schoolchild, but several of my colleagues at the time did, and they took regular busses unaccompanied from as at least as young as 10 years old. Also, os meus avós eram de Lamego! 👍
I'm a huge gin & tonic fan, borderline gin snob. And I really appreciate the effort most Portuguese places put into serving a proper G&T. Even smaller cafes will make the effort. Each gin is served with at least a decent tonic, and appropriate garnish. In the States, even at some "higher-end" bars and restaurants, I'd order a Hendricks, and get it served in a pint glass, with a slice of lime and whatever awful tonic they have coming off the gun. Here? That Hendricks will arrive in a nice glass, Fever Tree Indian tonic and a couple slices of cucumber, just like God intended. Each variety of gin will be matched to a nice tonic and the appropriate garnish. So nice.
I've been researching retiring in Portugal for quite some time and even visited this summer. I've never heard about this attention to gin and tonic. Now I definitely have to move there. Cheers!
There is an Australian man (and family) who moved to Portugal some yrs ago. He opened a gin and rum factory in Porto...called Ivicta. He is profiled in an episode of Expacts Everywhere. Quite interesting. Though he has been there 6 yrs, he did learn the language yet. He didn't know how to produce Gin and Rum before got there, besides starting up the business process, getting construction done, etc....all of which probably provided him with plenty to do as he was working with ppl speaking a diff language. He said he didnt research PT nor research the market for it but he used Port wine in another product they had in a different location so in 2017, they went to PT. That was way before there were fb grps and yt vids talking about it.
The neon vests are mandatory. If we get stoped at a traffic stop, usually the first thing they ask is for the drivers documentation, the cars documentation AND the neon vest plus a security reflective triangle. You are supposed to use them when you have an accident or any kind of issue on the roads! 😊 if we don’t have them, we can get a fine.
Lease and rent are different legal "things" in Portugal. A "leasing" is a rental that gives you the option of buying at the end of the contract. So you can rent a car for a week (from a car rental company like Hertz), but the company that you work for supplies you with a leased car for four years (leased from a financial company), and at the end of those four years you have the option of buying it from the leasing company (sort of a non taxed benefit as the price will be way below the market price for that 4 year car).
there's pickles in every major retailer btw, they might be on their own section but its common to find at least cauliflower carrot onion all mixed and cucumber pickles which was actually an American influence, cucumber pickles became popular here due to the MacDonalds and started showing up on stores. The big slabs you mentioned early in the video are actually entire pork legs dried and salted, you might know it as prosciutto in Italy, its kinda normal to buy one for events when you host lots of people and its a big Spanish influence, they have entire stores just for cured meats. The charcoal is actually natural charcoal made from burning wood, the America one is industrialized and have added chemicals and it comes out evenly due to the factory process. Milk is pasteurized and doesn't need to be refrigerated until it is open at home and then you keep it in the fridge, eggs also have natural protection, in the US they are washed with antibacterials which removes the natural protection and so they need to be refrigerated. In Europe they are naturally preserved and so might be a bit dirty sometimes. Cats and dogs in restaurants??' Im Portuguese and never saw it, maybe more in the interior I guess.. I think its actually against the sanitary laws.
Penso que você não está bem informado sobre a presença de cães e gatos nos restaurantes a lei permite.mas também os donos dos restaurantes podem optar por não querer dentro do restaurante animais.
Ha restaurantes proprios que sao Pet Friendly. E outros há em que o dono nao se importa com a sua presenca. Mas a maioria dos restaurantes nao aceita animais no interior, a nao ser Cães-Guia e com coleira.
@@acceleratum a lei em relação aos animais em restaurantes mudou há muito pouco tempo (meros meses), por isso é algo que ainda não se vê muito. Há muitos restaurantes que ainda não permitem
The slice of meat is presented to you, so you can confirm if the thickness of the slice is to your liking, or if you prefer more or less thick :) because the thickness of the cut can make all the difference in the taste, or be important in how we go about it consume. For example, in a good cured Iberian ham, such as a "pata negra", the thickness of the cut is decisive, so that it literally melts in the mouth.
Chris and Melissa, Awesome video, my Wife and I plan on retiring to Portugal in 4 years when we retire and your videos are very helpful in preparing us for what to expect when we do. thank you Michael
There’s a good chance the change of air quality could be lowering Melissa’s allergies to cats etc. Friends of mine who live in London all seem to become allergy free when they come to the Algarve, in the south of Portugal. I’m a Retired Brit , been living here for twenty years. Thanks for the vid.
The use and possession of a weapon in Portugal has a very restrictive legislation, which is also extinct to the sale of weapons. As a rule, the use and carrying of weapons is only given to someone who justifies this use due to security issues taking into account their profession, for example a jeweler's owner, members of the security forces or sport hunters. In all cases limited to certain weapons and caliber.
@@chrisplusmelissa I share the same opinion and I believe that it has contributed to Portugal being positioned in the Top 10 of the safest countries in the world for over a decade and in the Top 5 in the last 5 years
@@chrisplusmelissa completely agree with Quinta Torneiro. My grandfather was a jeweller, and had a small pistol. He had a permit for it, issued by the Police, but, as mentioned, this was only given under certain circumstances. He also enjoyed hunting and owned a few rifles. He also needed a license for those. What you don't see are civilians carrying weapons on the street.As a side note, before the revolution in 1974, you needed permit for cigarette lighters as well. Don't ask me why.
@@pmrribeiro you need a license to lights, just to make it harder to use lighters lol to people continue to use matches. Matches where made here, lighters not. Same reason they forbide Coca-Cola, to people jeep drinking wine, Sumol and Compal. But Coca-Cola there's another reason, besides protecting national companies, and it was Fernando Pessoa fault. When they initialy started seeling Coca-Cola, Fernando Pessoa made the first ad to Coca-Cola, the phrase "Primeiro estranha-se, depois entranha-se". Autorities thought that that shows Coca-Cola was adictive, so it was banned.
@@almahperditae Holy shit thats some insane backstory there for something that should not make much sense overall , never knew any of that and im Portuguese , and it also sounds 200% legit portuguese thinking, for better or worse they were also probably right since back in the day small doses of Cocaine were indeed added to Coca-Cola😂
In fact there is not a great variety of pickles; but it is normal for most stores to have them for sale. They are usually sold in the section where bottled olives are sold.
PSP vs GNR; someone already commented here and well the main differences between one and the other. I just add to understand better. Policing and civil security in large urban centers is provided by the PSP (Public Security Police) and in rural areas and in general in small urban areas these services are provided by the GNR (Guarda Nacional Républicana) which is a military force. As a rule, traffic operations on motorways are ensured by the GNR
There are many restaurants in Portugal that, at the end of the meal, offer a small glass of port wine or a liqueur as a gesture of courtesy and thanks.
Regarding the climate, they are correct; knowing that this winter there have been colder and wetter times than usual. It should be noted that Portugal has a colder and rainy climate in the north and hotter and that it becomes increasingly dry and sunny the closer we get to the south. There are also differences between the coast and the interior due to ocean currents; but what many foreigners don't know is that Portugal has a huge amount of micro-climates and many of them in areas very close to each other. For example, it is common on a day in the peak of summer in Lisbon, the thermometer reads 40 degrees, there is not a cloud in the sky and in Ericeira or Mafra which are located north of Lisbon (search on the map), it is completely cloudy, or even rain and the thermometer reads 20 degrees :)
Years ago i went to the beach in Cascais, it was a clear sunny day, temp around 30ºC when we left, had to drop a friend in Sintra, a few kms after the autodromo there was a wall of grey fog...all the way to Sintra, it was like entering a different dimension! My friend jokingly said that in Sintra nobody goes to the window to check if the weather is good to go to the beach.
I grew up in Lisbon and my parents either drove me to school or once I got older I would take public transport by myself! Some private schools have the buses but I believe is more common in rural areas.
The word written on the side of the bus was in 30+ yrs ago the school district that owned the buses but nowadays there are companies that own them and subcontract the bus services. Rules of the road are very different for yellow school buses vs any other type of bus. For a yellow school bus, all traffic must stop on both sides of the road...since some times the school kids need to cross the road to get off. If ppl speed through on other side of road or go around the bus, they will get fined. Buses nowadays gave cameras by the stop sign arm so they will catch the person who drives by or around if the person managed not to create an accident or hit the child.
Regarding the eggs, it is also due to the different hyeginization and cleaning processes of US and EU eggs. Which explains why the US has a higher rate of food poisoning from eating eggs than the EU.
@@chrisplusmelissa I know of some cases of Americans who, for many years while living in the United States, had various dietary restrictions due to allergies, etc... And when they arrived in Portugal, they started to eat what was bad for them and until today they have never had any problems. There are many chemical and other components that are allowed in food and agriculture in the US and completely banned in the EU; for example transgenic food. One of the reasons is that by principle in the USA the culture is to allow everything until there is proof that it is bad for your health; while in the EU, the culture is first to prove that it doesn't hurt and only then allow it.
LOL I'm Portuguese and you made me laugh with a few of your observations.... It's so funny to see how others see our country. Enjoy! Little beers are great! Just enjoy when they're fresh and alive (meaning with some gas as opposed to pee like liquid :D). Kids go to school in public buses, not school ones. I don't know what restaurants you're going to though :D I didn't notice cats in restaurants ahahahaha
Great list! My husband and I have made a couple of trips to Portugal and noticed a few of these things, but a lot of it was new info, and good to know for the future!
As usual, your video was very entertaining and informative! We looked at each other and laughed when we saw the one about the bird sounds in public restrooms!😂 Keep up the good work!
Some observations about your observations: #6 - What you call grocery stores in the US are what we call supermarkets. Here in Portugal, a grocery store is what we call "mercearia", which is normally a small, local, sometimes family-run store. 🙂 #10 - Those are not hot dogs, they're just the sausages you put in the hot dogs. And in the Francesinhas! 😉 #18 - Why would there be pumpkin pie filling for sale in Portugal when we don't have the tradition of making pumpkin pies? We have many varieties of pumpkins, why don't you buy the right one and make the filling yourselves? #21 - Yours is the one that's not charcoal. Charcoal should be burnt wood and nothing else. If you knew enough Portuguese you'd see that in the bag it even says "No Toxins". #35 - School buses do exist but you haven't seen one here because they're not yellow. They're more common in the rural areas, where the public transport system is less available or inexistent. Students get driven to school by their parents or if there's public transport, they take it. Or they walk, if they don't live very far. #38 - That's not entirely correct. There are two police forces in Portugal: the PSP and the GNR. The PSP is a civilian police force and the GNR is a militarised police force. Each have separate competences and areas of jurisdiction. #42 - And it's mandatory, either to carry one in the vehicle or to wear it in an emergency. You can get fined for not having one or not wearing it when required by law.
Thank you for your observations. None of my observations of Portugal are critiques or complaints. Often times, I try to find the things I think are much more intuitive than where I come from. Other times, I just like to find goofy/funny things. We love the differences of all the places we go to... that's what makes the world fascinating. If we were all the same, it'd be pretty boring.
@@chrisplusmelissa - I understood the point of the video but things like expecting to find typical american products in the portuguese supermarkets and not finding them, should be understandable and not odd. 🙂
No, I bet you live all your life in a big metropolitan area, like Porto and Lisbon. I n small cities and locals, there are buses that literal only exist to serve the kids and because of schools. I used to live in Várzea de Abrunhais almost 10 kms away from Lamego and they put a bus for all the kids from 10 to 18 y.old that need to go to Lamego Middle school and High School. In local small town we had only a small primary school with at time less than 20 kids (we had only 2 teachers and kids from 6 years old to 9 years old are together in same class room. But when we reach 10 years old we need to go to Lamego (biggest city in my region) and that local bus where used not only for the school but for adults that need to go to the city.
@@arturjcrebelo3275 - No what? Read what I wrote again, you're basically agreeing with me. And btw, if you had put any money on your bet, you'd lose it. Country man all my life.
I"m from Canada and have been here 3 months now, The hot dogs in cans and jars is hilarious to me. The types of dryers you're referring to are called condensation dryers. The way the buildings are constructed here makes it difficult for venting to be installed. Which is one of the reasons you also won't see central air conditioning in most homes. I love all the cats and dogs as I rent and I'm not allowed pets. However I did notice the clean up for them in the residential areas seems to fall on the city workers, and folks don't seem to be bothered if there dog is barking or causing a ruckus. I'm loving it here so far and it sounds like you are as well....hope you keep up with the posts...cheers
Also hardly anyone has dryers because it is an energy hog and ppl have high enough energy bills as it is. Now just think about how things are dried in the winter without a dryer! Especially if it's sunny in the morning but by the afternoon....rain! Lots of constípção (colds and flus...having damp clothing that you hope will dry on you doesnt work very well in winter...unless you have rain pants. Unfortunately I only realized rain pants were smart in my adult years...
@@maryr7593 Didn't have a problem at my place, covered balcony, just takes longer in the winter. Also I'm in Portimao in the Algarve so not much rain here.
@@maryr7593 Odd every single rental unit I looked at had a covered patio or balcony, I'm guessing it could be because most of them were new construction (post 2000).
@@retired_in_portugal yep, that's the ticket. I was in PT in the '90s and everybody used the clotheslines. But in that time frame, as a student, we all rented rooms from ppl instead of renting apartments....somehow this wasn't popular. I did find a room to rent in a 3 bedroom apartment with two other gals but it was outside of Lisbon called Brandoa. I looked it up the other day because I couldnt find it on the map and turns out it and another small bedroom suburb were consolidated. It was easy getting into Lisbon though because there was a bus that got me to the metro station Sete Rios (where the zoo and US Embassy are located), and then took metro to my university. My rent was way lower than other students I knew but the trade-off was that I couldn't stay out as late as they could because I had to catch the last bus of the evening by a set time....11:30pm guessing. Nowadays, if I were to look, I wouldnt want to be in the big city...castelo branco, guarda, viseu areas....if they could get their public transport back.
Hi! Love to see foreign friends describing differences in Portugal. You definitely need to try bacalhau food. Is the best, with potatoes and olive oil. We dry it wit salt so it can stay conservated for months or years, before freezers were invented. Our milk doesn't need to be refrigerated before be opened, they have an expiration date with several months. Guns are allowed just with a special license. Most of the people don't have a gun. It's not a normal thing here. Much safer :) Neon vests are mandatory if you get out of the car in the side of the road, for safety reasons. If you don't use it, you can take a ticket. And if you don't even have in the car, you can take a ticket too. Here school busses are rare, just for some private schools. The majority of kids go in public transports or their parents take them. Saloons for ladies, barbers for the guys. GNR and PSP for police. We have 2 kind of police forces, depending the geographic area. American football is not popular in Portugal. It's rare to see them in stores. Here soccer rules, and we call it just football. Thanks for being here! You need to try the Madeira Island. It's beautiful, temperature it's higher in average all year and life is even more affordable and calm. But it depends the area of Portugal that you are living in. Cheers! :)
Beautiful things! From was I see, I tell you something … you are wonderful great observers of this beautiful reality in Portugal … and from what I could imagine, you have been only to one of the many regions in Portugal … I invite you to go to different little towns from north to south, and the islands, you will be amazed and we will have FUN!:) Thank you for being here, and #50, we noticed more Americans than before, thank you!:)
Yes, there are a lot of americans moving to Portugal right now. Some say they no longer feel safe in the US because of gun crime and the "toxic politics" & cost of living makes life there very unpleasant.
@@chrisplusmelissa btw, guns aren't allowed. Hunters can have, usually shotguns, people like jewellers and such and for sport, but it's highly regulated. Even security companies don't have weapons, with the mindset that if someone goes there to steal and knew that there is a security guy armed, chances of shooting first ask later would be high. Enjoy Portugal, oh, and you need to do something about Bacalhau, there are hundreds of recipes but i will only suggest 2 for starters, Bacalhau com Natas and Bacalhau á Brás...
@@chrisplusmelissa have you tried buying clothing for Chris yet? I have heard it is quite difficult. I'm 5'8" and I towered over ppl on the sidewalks and helped friends' parents get stuff down off high shelves. They'd be getting out their chair or stool and I'd say, what do you need...walk over pluck it from shelf. They would always say what did your mom feed you as a kid? My Family is of germanic origin...I'm the shortest one. Want to make friends with the neighbors, esp the elderly neighbors..offer to get stuff down off the shelves or put it ack up. (Similar to back in the day when you might ask a neighbor to open a jar for you or borrow an egg.
Regarding covers/songs played in public places, whether these are of a private nature such as a cafe or supermarket for example; it is essentially a consequence of the amount to be paid for copyright, enshrined by law in Portugal. Copyright on a cover of a Beatles song is much cheaper than the original copyright.
The fire blanket can be very useful properly used, in the first moments of a large flame, for example, cooking oil burning in a pan; since fire feeds on oxygen and the blanket serves precisely to muffle the surrounding oxygen. And so the fire is extinguished.
That is very practical. We are taught use water or baking soda depending upon type of fire and most people panic and forget the baking soda is for the grease fires. I wonder how easy it is for kids to take them out though?
I love everything pumpkin and wanted to try American-style pumpkin pie for a long time but it's true we don't get it already puréd and canned. Last year I finally decided to make my own and it's super easy (and I have no doubt much better than the canned ones). Either cut the pumpkin in about 1 in squares and roast or cut same size and cook in a pan with a bit of butter, don't stop stirring or it'll stick like there's no tomorrow! You can season as you prefer. After a couple of tries you'll find it a really simple process. You can even get pre pealed and cut pumpkin from any supermarket.
There are school buses, just not yellow. Depends in the school/municipality. Kids also take public transport, walk, bike or just get dropped off by the parents.
The GNR joke goes even beyond Gun'N'Roses as there is a portuguese rock band called GNR. The actual law enforcement force called GNR, short for Guarda Nacional Republicana (Nationsl Republican Guard) is a germanderie, meaning, they are a literal military force with policing duties in rural areas, while the portuguese police force - PSP or Policia de Segurança Publica or Public Security Police - enforces the law in urban areas. We have no such things as Sheriffs though i think they used to exist here in the middle ages.
What an interesting list - I wonder what Melissa's list would be? Shows how people can go to the same place, at the time, on the same day and 'note' something completely different. Sounds like the two of you are enjoying your time in Portugal, you also seem more relaxed which is great. Take care and enjoy life!
It's been nice here and it seems to get better each day. Melissa doesn't know what her list would be... she prefers to dig into literary quests and is usually thinking about that stuff instead of paying attention to what's going on around her. :D
The tiny beers which we call "Mini" or the plural "Minis" are very popular because we drink them in few gulps while still cold. And they are easier to control the booze.
Charcoal is not the same as burnt wood. Charcoal is actually not burnt even though it looks like it. It’s just as flammable as charcoal briquetes but don’t need to be soaked in lighter fluid. I use to make my own in the US.
#38 As some people already stated, there are several police forces in Portugal. Both GNR and PSP are responsible for public safety tasks, road patrolling and investigation of smaller crimes (small drug trafficking, thefts, agressions, etc). While GNR, which is a militarized force, has jurisdiction in the countryside and small towns, PSP, a civilian police, works in urban areas. The portuguese main criminal police (PJ - Polícia Judiciária) is responsible for investigating the more serious crimes. Another LEA, called SEF (Alliens and Borders Service), controls borders and (the same way as PJ) investigates crimes of illegal immigration and human trafficking, but it's due to be disbanded until Ocotober 2023.
It's great to see other cultures reaction to ours. I think it's the best way of getting to know ourselves. Didn't see anyone mentioning in the comments that we have two kinds of milk. The daily milk, wich is refrigerated, and the long life milk, with is on the shelf. Also we have school buses but they are not yellow and only in some big cities, like Lisbon where I'm from. Don't mind the negative comments, the video was fun. Hope you are still enjoying your stay and I hope you can find some time to travel around the country because there's some really beautiful places here.
Regarding small beers, in my opinion as an occasional drinker; It has to do with the alcohol content. Since, as a rule, I can drink a much larger amount of beer in countries like Germany, Holland or Belgium; I usually drink one or two big mugs and here in Portugal I drink one or two in a regular glass and that's enough to avoid crossing the border :)))
Not really, it's really because of the heat, especially in summer not to give the beer time to warm up. If you go for example to some places in Alentejo on the summer, you will understand :D
Of course we have Burguers with Buns, but usually if you order them in Restaurants, they will come served on a plate with a side of salad/rice/fries. (even spaghetti!) Funny story: The first PT Burguer joint opened in Almada during the early 70's and they are still in business.
Hi, saw this video randomly. As a Portuguese I must say something about the dried Cod. First you ask to cut in steaks, then you put the steaks on water, some of us use milk to take of the salt, and then u cook it in a pot with water and then shreds the fish, for example to make ''bacalhau com natas''- Cod with Cream, is very tasty. That type of Cod is usely to make plates where the Cod is ''hidden''. Thank me later!
The GNR are military police they are the ones you find on highways most of the time and sometimes normal roads, then we have the PSP they are regular police.
Kids take the city buses and schools are close to where they live and do the old fashion walk or ride their bikes to school. I have also seen parents picking up kids in their car. Although I have seen many preschools have vans to pick up kids. Of course I live in a city and I see kids traveling to schools on the train going from one town to another for high school also.
Pickles aren't stored in the groceries section. It's in the vegetable aisle. At least in Auchan it's like that. There's jars and buckets. Next to the olives... Usually...
Got to love this list 😁 About kids and school buses... yeah... we dont have them. Usually kids go to school on foot (if the school is near), take public transportation, their parents drive them to school and in some rural areas where public transportation is scarce the local town hall provides a van to pick up kids. Welcome to Portugal! P.S. - Please Chris... dont go naked on any beach, you might get fined 😂, we have beaches where nudity is allowed or have areas where is allowed. Only Topless is allowed, and common, in every beach
I think toplessness for women became generally accepted on beaches in the 80s and 90s as new equality laws became standard in Portugal. You cannot fine a man for being topless (without a shirt) on a beach so you cannot fine a woman either, it would be discriminatory. But you may notice that on some beaches popular with families, there are no topless. Full nudism is regulated by law, and restricted to approved places. Some beaches are designated for the practice of nudism, anyone can go there nude or clothed, they are open to anyone as any other beach, you'll only notice a sign at the main access points stating that you are entering an area used by nudists, but practicing nudism outside these areas may attract complaints and the police could give you a warning or even a fine. Nothing too serious.
Eles têm uma sotaque do meio do país que é mais claro do que outros que pode encontrar no yt. Escuta ao Destino Portugal e pode ouvir o ingles de UK. (Sou Americana mas aprendi portugues na universidade no meu estado e depois fui a Lisboa por um ano. No ano de 1990, foi o primeiro restaurante Brasileiro em Lisboa. Conhecia algumas pessoas Brasileiros em Lisboa mas eram estudantes. Nunca conhecia uma familia Brasileira la. No meu estado há muitos estudantes Brasileiros quem estudam na universidade aqui. Estudam muita coisa mas a maioria estuda Animal e Dairy Science...há um professor Brasileiro quem introduz a universidade aos todos.
Hello, glad you are enjoying Portugal. Regarding the "burgers" without a bun: We sometimes call the patty in a burger with the same word. So an hamburger might mean just the patty, specially if its in a place that doesnt specialize in hamburguers. But its not the same as a steak or "bife"
The packaging have diferente languages because we have many people from other countries that don't know Portuguese and tbat helps them know what they are buying in their own language.
No, the Police in Portugal is not called GNR... The Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) is a sort of militarized police force, that patrols the motorways, provides security for the presidential palace, parliament, etc, patrols the coast and mans the police stations in the countryside and small towns. In the bigger cities, that job goes to the PSP (Polícia de Segurança Pública), in cooperation with the several municipal police forces. And there's also the PJ (Polícia Judiciária), which is the investigative police force (something like the FBI)
Little Beers (bottles) BUT higher % alcohol / volume, I would think. Bird Sounds ~ maybe gives the feel of Shopping in Nature or Peeing in Nature per say.
Kids get to school often with their parents or through a private school that has a small van. In my case, since I work from home, I drop and pick my children myself which allows them to spend the minimal time at school.
Yes, there are pickles. Jardineira. If you go out and eat frango assado com batatas fritas, you can get pickles a jardineira with it (garden variety). They should be in big glass jars at the grocery store, probably in their own section.
Small tip: Portugal is one of the world top 3 countries in fish consumption p/ capita (Japan, PT n Norway… by the way we re the only ones that usually respect the original name of food, like the Norwegian “bacalau” for cod). We consume 4 times more fish than the european average!
We both are from the midwestern USA... fishing is popular in the lakes of MN, but fish consumption isn't very high. The ONLY fish I ate growing up was fishsticks... and they weren't very good. Melissa does not like fish and I'm getting better at trying and eating more fish. We both can't eat shellfish as we're allergic.
@@supersueca1 yes my friend you re right, current norvegian word is Torsk. Maybe i didn’t express me well to cut a long story short n save people a long historic “massage”… but ok, here it goes: as you know, the “pioneers” of fishing, consuming n trading cod were the Vikings. They were the ones also “starring” the revolution of the Middle Ages fishing around XI cent (offshore/ longer distance fishing). That’s when the dry code trade in large scale begun. According to scandinavian researchers, warmer weather originate a decrease of fish in the Baltic n in the Northern seas. Compensated by fishes of other origines: XI century cods from the Artic ocean or the Atlantic were founded in the Viking town of Hedeby (currently Germany). Atlantic cod from the XI/XII cent.s were also discovered in Eslevic city (also current Germany). Well my friend, at the time there wasn’t any word like “torsk” neither in the scandinavian nor the low German, that those fisherman’s spoke. In fact, the word for several species they dried was “Bakkeljau”. Now… if one remembers that precisely in that period the wife of dannish king Valdemar II was princess Berengária of Portugal (daughter of our 2d king Sancho I) a great lover of dry cod herself, and that it was by that time that we started to appreciate the fish… It becomes easier to understand why that’s the most accepted theory for the origin of our “bacalhau” (as well as for the french n bascque current names of the fish) and why i said what i said. Despite the “torsk” …. 😉👍
@@SuperLuisferreira And if I may add... the reason dried "bacalhau" from the North Sea became so popular in the country was that during the dictatorship of Salazar, Portugal was impoverished and on the verge of famine, with no means of importing food as our currency was worthless. During the winter it was not easy for fishermen to go out to sea in tiny litlle boats against the roaring ocean. The Salazar regime sponsored the creation of the special fleet "frota bacalhoeira" who would go out to the North Sea and Iceland to fish for cod during the summer months and come back home with a cargo of salted fish, ready to air dry and be stored and distributed throughout the winter without the need for refrigeration (no electricity in rural areas). It reached every town and village in Portugal, even today most portuguese keep some salted cod at home, ready for a meal. It's as much a pantry staple as, say, tuna or pasta. A little goes a long way, good for adding flavour to otherwise plain ingredients. The government subsidized this cod fishing for a long time so that the price was cheap and accessible to all, today it's no longer subsidized and therefore quite expensive. But forever loved... we no longer go out to the North Sea to fish it but the norwegians fish it and salt it for us... just the way we like it. Thank You Norway! ❤💛💚
@@donnacosta5633 very well Donna, exactly 👏👏👏 i would just add an important “nuance” to the Salazar policies n the country in the verge of “famine”… It’s not only the empoverished isolated corner of Europe. The first reason already under Salazar rule was… the Spanish Civil War! Being from the Douro Valley i was raised hearing my father’s memories how in those remote towns suddenly there was no meat n for ys people can only cook n eat the blood of the cows. Literally all the meat available, by Salazar s command, was send to Spain to supply Franco s army. People do lines wth their buckets waiting to colect the blood at the butcher… That was 1933 so early Salazar dictatorship. With Europe already “boiling”, he didn’t support the spanish dictator oppenly, but all the logistics were costed by Lisbon (as later on he would secretly support Germany selling them all the Douro wolfram, basic for cannon bullets). And my father remember how that poor starving people proudly paint in the bandwagons of the Douro steam trains “Aqui Vão as Sobras de Portugal”/“Here Goes the Remains of Portugal”!🙂 not a joke, that’s historic…
Chris, pickles are in the charcutaria area, all supermarkets have pickles in portugal xD and guns are alowed, but you can only carry hunt guns, and allways locked and in a specific bag.
This was fun to watch. One thing about the vests. You have to wear them if you get out of the car in a road. It's mandatory by law. That's why every car has them.
These yellow vests may save your life if you break down in a busy road. Likewise you must use the triangle to raise the awareness of other drivers that there is a problem ahead...
Only problem is that if they are rear-ended in an accident, they most likely will not be able to get their vest or triangle out of truck of car. Been rear-ended at a stop light in US, the entire trunk section is squashed.
As a portuguese it was very funny to notic you pointing out things that are so "normal" for us and weird for you. Although I must point that some of the things might have been what you specifically experienced in your place as they are not normal, like cats and dogs in restaurants. By law, as a business owner, you may choose to allow or not but there aren`t that many people that take them in. I did last week as I was travelling with my dog but it was just one time and I did felt weird taking him in.
Hi. Guns are NOT allowed in Portugal. They are only allowed in very very particular cases or for hunting purposes. Thanks for the video and to give as a heads up of the way American see our culture and way of living.
We still have them hiding, there’s illegal gun trafficking even the Portuguese military munition stockpiles were robbed for trafficking and there are shootings in Portugal!
Here in Portugal, you can be naked.. 100% in some beaches.. 50% everywhere !!! We learned with our lovely friends from Africa and Brasil !! I like to do it!
3:16 smoked meat is the bestttt, most people have it on a wooden thing in the kitchen and you just take slice every time you want some 5:57 and ya you said it wrong its Bacalhau, idk just search up how to saw it, oh and it's like really salty i guess, but you should try it, it is a traditional dish 16:46 yep no school buses, we have just normal busses that do bring people to school and all, but its not just for students, and we also like bus passes mostly green so that students don't have to pay
Technically GNR are military, and only PSP are police. In practical terms though, those two forces do "policing" and both are seen by the population as "police". We obviously also have the regular military, that do look like a military force. The distinction between the PSP (police) and the GNR (military that mostly do police work) is not easy to understand and has roots in the past history of both institutions. To grossly oversimplify (that's a tautology) you'll usually see PSP in the cities policing traffic, and GNR doing that in the countryside, and also performing several other duties in the countryside. The PSP hierarchy has magistrates at the top/a government minister, while the GNR has military commanders at the top.
@@chrisplusmelissa We also had a rock band called GNR, which actually preceded the American Guns N' Roses (ours was formed in 1980). They were quite successful for some two decades and I think still exist: ruclips.net/video/anwCv3tO8W8/видео.html
Pls, I'm curious, in 1990 when I lived in Lisboa, the guards standing outside the banks with their machine guns...every bank, two guards...very intimidating...what police were they? Or were they a private security service for the banks? With that type of security, I guess you need not worry about bank robberies.
The problem is not the bread, but the toaster. The toaster you use it is for factory white bread like american Wonder bread, but usually bread in Portugal has not a standard shape or size. I have a large opening toaster which does not have that problem, works with any size and thickness.
There are school busses, they're just not yellow, but they're used mostly for rural areas where the children are further away from school. Otherwise, kids travel by public transport, by foot, or parents drop them off and pick them up when they're younger.
Topless is natural and common in Portugal and in some European countries. As for nudism, there are duly marked beaches for nudism; but it is common on many beaches, in the "wild" areas that are not licensed for the exploitation of a bar or beach services, for people and families of nudists to coexist with families and people in bathing suits. Where everyone respects each other and no one is peeking at anyone :) If you ever go along the stretch of beach on Costa da Caparica (beaches south of the Tagus river and Lisbon) it's natural that in the non-concession areas, especially further south, you'll start to see most bathers doing nudism :)
@@chrisplusmelissa But don't forget that there are beaches where nudism is allowed and which can also be under concession :) I'll put the list here so you don't get mistaken lol Naturism in Portugal has 9 official naturist beaches! Almada - Praia da Bela Vista and Praia da Adiça; Sesimbra - Praia do Meco; Sines - Praia do Salto; Odemira - Praia dos Alteirinhos and Praia do Malhão; Aljezur - Praia das Adegas; Faro - Praia da Ilha Deserta or Barreta; Tavira - Praia do Barril.
#48 Never seen a dog in a restaurant here in central Portugal! (it's only allowed by law since a year or two). What bothers me most in restaurants is the smell of different perfumes that ruin the taste of food. Please ladies, scale it down!!!!
I am very sensitive to perfumes, colognes, etc....I can barely leave my house in US without being assaulted by cleaning products, cigarette smoke, fragranced everything in US...even garbage bags have floral scents. It's awful!
Welcome Melissa+Chris. I understand completely how you see this foreign country. I experienced the same when I was in the States in my long-gone glorious days. One finds things that look odd simply because of your culture and traditions yet, once you become one of them, everything makes sense and you actually enjoy it. So please do and I wish you a happy and safe stay.
Eggs are not refrigerated because in Europe chemicals are forbidden tu be used on them, so it´s not necessary. In the US Chemicals remove the natural protection on the egg so they have to be refrigerated there. Kids go to school either on foot, public transportation, or their parents take them, some go on bike or motorcycle.
Foi uma grande luta para que os cães de estimação pudessem acessar aos restaurantes . Os restaurantes decidem se querem ser " pet friendly " ou não . ( onde o único local restrito é onde se cozinham os alimentos , se bem que alguns restaurantes só permitam o acesso à esplanada ). Existe um aviso na entrada , informando que o estabelecimento é " pet friendly " e óbviamente , só acessa quem quer . E ainda bem que há liberdade de escolha para todos .
30+ yrs ago when I lived in PT, dogs were meandering in and out of restaurants at will...since most restaurant doors were open. I think these were street dogs who just entered and laid down. They didn't beg or steal food from plates, minded their own business. Always seemed to lie down away from tables and out of way of waiter traffic. I thought they came inside to get out of heat or the rain (of winter). They'd eat a scrap if you gave it to them but it wasnt common. Had never seen a cat in the restaurant though.
Wearing neon vests is actually mandatory whenever you have to stop your car on a dual carriageway or a motorway (sorry about the British terminology...) under pain of being fined on the spot.
Pickles is not a thing in Portugal because we don't need to preserve vegetables as northern European countries do. We have fresh vegetables all year round and pickles are more used as a condiment/garnish...
#16 Automated Garage Doors, they're called PSR for short or Porta Super Rapida, translated it's Super Quick Door, and those white ones don't have Marketing on them, but we use that technic to push stuff to buyers.
Even the swing doors in the US usually have a sound when someone is about to come out of them...warning those on other side...I imagine Chris heard the bells or whistles, wondered what all that commotion was about and that's how he got distracted by the door. The folks who are phased by any ding/dongs, whatever sound...gotta watch out for them. Having carts with 4 rotating wheels...wow...instead it's like having carts with roller skates attached and you literally have to pick up the entire cart to get it to where you want. US companies are too cheap to make stuff that would actually help a consumer manuever themselves better in a store. Plus they probably figure kids can run over other shoppers much more easily with "4-way" drive wheels. :-)
something about us and our country is if you leave Algarve and go to Alentejo you will have diferent experience, and if you keep going north to Ribatejo you will be another diferent experience. Just for exemple, each region has more then one traditional bread, each region has its own traditional food, wine, and so on...... What you have to try is the dryed cod, just try it boilded with patatos, chickpea and cabbage and olive oil on top in a restaurant. Dont try to do it at home till you learn how to hydate 1st.
16:55 the thing is they are not yellow, they are just regular small buses.. or by public bus transportation.. kids from the age of 10 usually just go by public buses...
@@chrisplusmelissa We are in south central Ontario. It's great in the winter if the parking around the grocery store is full. You can park anywhere near an entrance to the mall and walk through the mall to the store rather than through the cold/slippery parking lot.
The type of shops in shopping malls (called shoping centers in Portugal) is decided on the basis of what the area needs. I've seen adds for vacant shops in malls which state that the vacant shop is only suitable for a cafe, or a post office, or a bank etc. The municipality & management aim to have an adequate balance of services for the area. No everything is about profit.
Hi am portuguese loved your video.. Kids go to school in a normal bus for free ower busses a gas driven.. Health care his free and dogs and cats in restaurants depends what type of restaurant personally i haven't had that experience.. Saying that try coming to Lisbon.. We have a Golden Gate like the one in San Francisco and many other plaxes to see and enjoy wish you well.. Grande abraço
16:56 By bus, train, metro, the parents' car. Schools are generally not that far away from your house in Portugal, so I don't think there is not any problem about this.
# 42 Neon vests are mandatory if you have to leave you car during a emergency stop like a flat tire, the "triangle" (do you have triangles in USA? by the way when you picked up the vest i saw a red case, that's the triangle, learn how to mount it) must be placed no more than less 30 meters informing other drivers that there's a car stopped ahead, we call it "pre-signaling the danger" and fines can go from 120€ to 600€ so be aware of that.
You only need to put milk in the refrigerator after you open it; the small beers are so you drink them fast enough so they dont get warm, and the GNR you usually only see them in smaller (rural) locations, in cities there's a different police force called PSP. Enjoy Portugal 😛
Also not trying bacalhau in Portugal it’s a crime enjoy that beautiful country
So, what you are saying is that Guns 'N Roses (GNR) are the police force in rural areas of Portugal, while Playstation Portable (PSP) enforces the law in portuguese cities?
The small beers are also called three shots. Go to alentejo during the summer and you will find out that mini was the greatest invention since the wheel.
Exactly - that reminds me of having once taken some American friends to ''Festa do Avante'' just to see Dexys Midnight Runners live; their faces paled as they were reading that acronym all around the place, and thinking some big PCP-dealer was sponsoring the festival...
@@zedaadega7420 That's exactly right; we have the most entertaining police in all of Europe!
There are lots of school buses here, it's just that they are all different models and are rarely marked as "school bus". Some belong to the local authorities and are used for other things during the day, some private schools subcontract regular passenger buses to pick up and return the kids home, etc. Everything in Portugal tends to be done on a very tight budget so nobody has buses parked to be used only in early morning and late afternoon.
That is good to know and makes a lot of sense.
@@chrisplusmelissa I'm intrigued. Were you expecting to see the same yellow bus you guys have in the US? LOL
@@Teodoroviski I don't think I'd ever thought about it and it just came to me one day... "hey! I haven't seen a school bus around here!" not realizing school busses might not look the same here. :)
And also most kids go to school in public transportation, bus, metro and subway. After 10 years old it is totally normal. Only private school s have bus and in rural areas because the schools can be far from home.
@@arturjcrebelo3275 What you described is common practice elsewhere in Portugal as well. Growing up in nearby Viseu, I never needed to use the bus as a schoolchild, but several of my colleagues at the time did, and they took regular busses unaccompanied from as at least as young as 10 years old. Also, os meus avós eram de Lamego! 👍
I'm a huge gin & tonic fan, borderline gin snob. And I really appreciate the effort most Portuguese places put into serving a proper G&T. Even smaller cafes will make the effort. Each gin is served with at least a decent tonic, and appropriate garnish. In the States, even at some "higher-end" bars and restaurants, I'd order a Hendricks, and get it served in a pint glass, with a slice of lime and whatever awful tonic they have coming off the gun. Here? That Hendricks will arrive in a nice glass, Fever Tree Indian tonic and a couple slices of cucumber, just like God intended. Each variety of gin will be matched to a nice tonic and the appropriate garnish. So nice.
Yes. That is a great point. G&Ts are pretty awesome in PT.
I've been researching retiring in Portugal for quite some time and even visited this summer. I've never heard about this attention to gin and tonic. Now I definitely have to move there. Cheers!
There is an Australian man (and family) who moved to Portugal some yrs ago. He opened a gin and rum factory in Porto...called Ivicta. He is profiled in an episode of Expacts Everywhere. Quite interesting. Though he has been there 6 yrs, he did learn the language yet. He didn't know how to produce Gin and Rum before got there, besides starting up the business process, getting construction done, etc....all of which probably provided him with plenty to do as he was working with ppl speaking a diff language. He said he didnt research PT nor research the market for it but he used Port wine in another product they had in a different location so in 2017, they went to PT. That was way before there were fb grps and yt vids talking about it.
The best part of this video is seeing your connection as a couple. You feel the love between you. Have fun, enjoy our Portugal
Thank you Ivo.
The neon vests are mandatory. If we get stoped at a traffic stop, usually the first thing they ask is for the drivers documentation, the cars documentation AND the neon vest plus a security reflective triangle. You are supposed to use them when you have an accident or any kind of issue on the roads! 😊 if we don’t have them, we can get a fine.
Lease and rent are different legal "things" in Portugal. A "leasing" is a rental that gives you the option of buying at the end of the contract. So you can rent a car for a week (from a car rental company like Hertz), but the company that you work for supplies you with a leased car for four years (leased from a financial company), and at the end of those four years you have the option of buying it from the leasing company (sort of a non taxed benefit as the price will be way below the market price for that 4 year car).
Same in Canada. We can also lease cars from car dealerships.
there's pickles in every major retailer btw, they might be on their own section but its common to find at least cauliflower carrot onion all mixed and cucumber pickles which was actually an American influence, cucumber pickles became popular here due to the MacDonalds and started showing up on stores.
The big slabs you mentioned early in the video are actually entire pork legs dried and salted, you might know it as prosciutto in Italy, its kinda normal to buy one for events when you host lots of people and its a big Spanish influence, they have entire stores just for cured meats.
The charcoal is actually natural charcoal made from burning wood, the America one is industrialized and have added chemicals and it comes out evenly due to the factory process.
Milk is pasteurized and doesn't need to be refrigerated until it is open at home and then you keep it in the fridge, eggs also have natural protection, in the US they are washed with antibacterials which removes the natural protection and so they need to be refrigerated. In Europe they are naturally preserved and so might be a bit dirty sometimes.
Cats and dogs in restaurants??' Im Portuguese and never saw it, maybe more in the interior I guess.. I think its actually against the sanitary laws.
Penso que você não está bem informado sobre a presença de cães e gatos nos restaurantes a lei permite.mas também os donos dos restaurantes podem optar por não querer dentro do restaurante animais.
Ha restaurantes proprios que sao Pet Friendly. E outros há em que o dono nao se importa com a sua presenca. Mas a maioria dos restaurantes nao aceita animais no interior, a nao ser Cães-Guia e com coleira.
@@vascoapolonio2309 é a impressão que tinha 👌
@@acceleratum a lei em relação aos animais em restaurantes mudou há muito pouco tempo (meros meses), por isso é algo que ainda não se vê muito. Há muitos restaurantes que ainda não permitem
lidl usually has the little cucumber pickle jar and other options too
The slice of meat is presented to you, so you can confirm if the thickness of the slice is to your liking, or if you prefer more or less thick :) because the thickness of the cut can make all the difference in the taste, or be important in how we go about it consume. For example, in a good cured Iberian ham, such as a "pata negra", the thickness of the cut is decisive, so that it literally melts in the mouth.
Chris and Melissa, Awesome video, my Wife and I plan on retiring to Portugal in 4 years when we retire and your videos are very helpful in preparing us for what to expect when we do. thank you Michael
Oh good! I'm sure you'll love it, and I'm glad our videos are helping you out!
There’s a good chance the change of air quality could be lowering Melissa’s allergies to cats etc. Friends of mine who live in London all seem to become allergy free when they come to the Algarve, in the south of Portugal. I’m a Retired Brit , been living here for twenty years. Thanks for the vid.
She has been doing better for sure. :)
The use and possession of a weapon in Portugal has a very restrictive legislation, which is also extinct to the sale of weapons. As a rule, the use and carrying of weapons is only given to someone who justifies this use due to security issues taking into account their profession, for example a jeweler's owner, members of the security forces or sport hunters. In all cases limited to certain weapons and caliber.
Those seem like such sensible rules.
@@chrisplusmelissa I share the same opinion and I believe that it has contributed to Portugal being positioned in the Top 10 of the safest countries in the world for over a decade and in the Top 5 in the last 5 years
@@chrisplusmelissa completely agree with Quinta Torneiro. My grandfather was a jeweller, and had a small pistol. He had a permit for it, issued by the Police, but, as mentioned, this was only given under certain circumstances. He also enjoyed hunting and owned a few rifles. He also needed a license for those. What you don't see are civilians carrying weapons on the street.As a side note, before the revolution in 1974, you needed permit for cigarette lighters as well. Don't ask me why.
@@pmrribeiro you need a license to lights, just to make it harder to use lighters lol to people continue to use matches. Matches where made here, lighters not. Same reason they forbide Coca-Cola, to people jeep drinking wine, Sumol and Compal. But Coca-Cola there's another reason, besides protecting national companies, and it was Fernando Pessoa fault. When they initialy started seeling Coca-Cola, Fernando Pessoa made the first ad to Coca-Cola, the phrase "Primeiro estranha-se, depois entranha-se". Autorities thought that that shows Coca-Cola was adictive, so it was banned.
@@almahperditae Holy shit thats some insane backstory there for something that should not make much sense overall , never knew any of that and im Portuguese , and it also sounds 200% legit portuguese thinking, for better or worse they were also probably right since back in the day small doses of Cocaine were indeed added to Coca-Cola😂
In fact there is not a great variety of pickles; but it is normal for most stores to have them for sale. They are usually sold in the section where bottled olives are sold.
PSP vs GNR; someone already commented here and well the main differences between one and the other. I just add to understand better. Policing and civil security in large urban centers is provided by the PSP (Public Security Police) and in rural areas and in general in small urban areas these services are provided by the GNR (Guarda Nacional Républicana) which is a military force. As a rule, traffic operations on motorways are ensured by the GNR
There are many restaurants in Portugal that, at the end of the meal, offer a small glass of port wine or a liqueur as a gesture of courtesy and thanks.
Specially if you are a repeat customer with a group.
Regarding the climate, they are correct; knowing that this winter there have been colder and wetter times than usual. It should be noted that Portugal has a colder and rainy climate in the north and hotter and that it becomes increasingly dry and sunny the closer we get to the south. There are also differences between the coast and the interior due to ocean currents; but what many foreigners don't know is that Portugal has a huge amount of micro-climates and many of them in areas very close to each other. For example, it is common on a day in the peak of summer in Lisbon, the thermometer reads 40 degrees, there is not a cloud in the sky and in Ericeira or Mafra which are located north of Lisbon (search on the map), it is completely cloudy, or even rain and the thermometer reads 20 degrees :)
Years ago i went to the beach in Cascais, it was a clear sunny day, temp around 30ºC when we left, had to drop a friend in Sintra, a few kms after the autodromo there was a wall of grey fog...all the way to Sintra, it was like entering a different dimension! My friend jokingly said that in Sintra nobody goes to the window to check if the weather is good to go to the beach.
I grew up in Lisbon and my parents either drove me to school or once I got older I would take public transport by myself! Some private schools have the buses but I believe is more common in rural areas.
I'm planning a visit to Portugal this year. I'm looking forward to it!
My home stay student from Spain was so excited when she saw the American yellow school bus. She thought it was only in movies, not for real. 🇨🇦❤️
Oh my gosh! That's so fun to know!
And they always look the same, so old fashioned, don't they?
The word written on the side of the bus was in 30+ yrs ago the school district that owned the buses but nowadays there are companies that own them and subcontract the bus services. Rules of the road are very different for yellow school buses vs any other type of bus. For a yellow school bus, all traffic must stop on both sides of the road...since some times the school kids need to cross the road to get off. If ppl speed through on other side of road or go around the bus, they will get fined. Buses nowadays gave cameras by the stop sign arm so they will catch the person who drives by or around if the person managed not to create an accident or hit the child.
Regarding the eggs, it is also due to the different hyeginization and cleaning processes of US and EU eggs. Which explains why the US has a higher rate of food poisoning from eating eggs than the EU.
Good to know that we're safer consuming them here!
@@chrisplusmelissa I know of some cases of Americans who, for many years while living in the United States, had various dietary restrictions due to allergies, etc... And when they arrived in Portugal, they started to eat what was bad for them and until today they have never had any problems. There are many chemical and other components that are allowed in food and agriculture in the US and completely banned in the EU; for example transgenic food. One of the reasons is that by principle in the USA the culture is to allow everything until there is proof that it is bad for your health; while in the EU, the culture is first to prove that it doesn't hurt and only then allow it.
LOL I'm Portuguese and you made me laugh with a few of your observations.... It's so funny to see how others see our country. Enjoy! Little beers are great! Just enjoy when they're fresh and alive (meaning with some gas as opposed to pee like liquid :D). Kids go to school in public buses, not school ones. I don't know what restaurants you're going to though :D I didn't notice cats in restaurants ahahahaha
By the landscape they might be in algarve small towns. In the urban areas we never see animals inside restaurants.
Great list! My husband and I have made a couple of trips to Portugal and noticed a few of these things, but a lot of it was new info, and good to know for the future!
Thank you :)
As usual, your video was very entertaining and informative! We looked at each other and laughed when we saw the one about the bird sounds in public restrooms!😂 Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much!
Some observations about your observations:
#6 - What you call grocery stores in the US are what we call supermarkets. Here in Portugal, a grocery store is what we call "mercearia", which is normally a small, local, sometimes family-run store. 🙂
#10 - Those are not hot dogs, they're just the sausages you put in the hot dogs. And in the Francesinhas! 😉
#18 - Why would there be pumpkin pie filling for sale in Portugal when we don't have the tradition of making pumpkin pies? We have many varieties of pumpkins, why don't you buy the right one and make the filling yourselves?
#21 - Yours is the one that's not charcoal. Charcoal should be burnt wood and nothing else. If you knew enough Portuguese you'd see that in the bag it even says "No Toxins".
#35 - School buses do exist but you haven't seen one here because they're not yellow. They're more common in the rural areas, where the public transport system is less available or inexistent. Students get driven to school by their parents or if there's public transport, they take it. Or they walk, if they don't live very far.
#38 - That's not entirely correct. There are two police forces in Portugal: the PSP and the GNR. The PSP is a civilian police force and the GNR is a militarised police force. Each have separate competences and areas of jurisdiction.
#42 - And it's mandatory, either to carry one in the vehicle or to wear it in an emergency. You can get fined for not having one or not wearing it when required by law.
Thank you for your observations. None of my observations of Portugal are critiques or complaints. Often times, I try to find the things I think are much more intuitive than where I come from. Other times, I just like to find goofy/funny things. We love the differences of all the places we go to... that's what makes the world fascinating. If we were all the same, it'd be pretty boring.
@@chrisplusmelissa - I understood the point of the video but things like expecting to find typical american products in the portuguese supermarkets and not finding them, should be understandable and not odd. 🙂
No, I bet you live all your life in a big metropolitan area, like Porto and Lisbon. I n small cities and locals, there are buses that literal only exist to serve the kids and because of schools. I used to live in Várzea de Abrunhais almost 10 kms away from Lamego and they put a bus for all the kids from 10 to 18 y.old that need to go to Lamego Middle school and High School. In local small town we had only a small primary school with at time less than 20 kids (we had only 2 teachers and kids from 6 years old to 9 years old are together in same class room. But when we reach 10 years old we need to go to Lamego (biggest city in my region) and that local bus where used not only for the school but for adults that need to go to the city.
@@arturjcrebelo3275 - No what? Read what I wrote again, you're basically agreeing with me.
And btw, if you had put any money on your bet, you'd lose it. Country man all my life.
theres the "policia judiciaria" too, its the investigative police
This observations are so funny and accurate...😂... well done, guys.
I"m from Canada and have been here 3 months now, The hot dogs in cans and jars is hilarious to me. The types of dryers you're referring to are called condensation dryers. The way the buildings are constructed here makes it difficult for venting to be installed. Which is one of the reasons you also won't see central air conditioning in most homes. I love all the cats and dogs as I rent and I'm not allowed pets. However I did notice the clean up for them in the residential areas seems to fall on the city workers, and folks don't seem to be bothered if there dog is barking or causing a ruckus. I'm loving it here so far and it sounds like you are as well....hope you keep up with the posts...cheers
Also hardly anyone has dryers because it is an energy hog and ppl have high enough energy bills as it is. Now just think about how things are dried in the winter without a dryer! Especially if it's sunny in the morning but by the afternoon....rain! Lots of constípção (colds and flus...having damp clothing that you hope will dry on you doesnt work very well in winter...unless you have rain pants. Unfortunately I only realized rain pants were smart in my adult years...
@@maryr7593 Didn't have a problem at my place, covered balcony, just takes longer in the winter. Also I'm in Portimao in the Algarve so not much rain here.
@@retired_in_portugal lucky dog, covered balconies were few and far between.
@@maryr7593 Odd every single rental unit I looked at had a covered patio or balcony, I'm guessing it could be because most of them were new construction (post 2000).
@@retired_in_portugal yep, that's the ticket. I was in PT in the '90s and everybody used the clotheslines. But in that time frame, as a student, we all rented rooms from ppl instead of renting apartments....somehow this wasn't popular. I did find a room to rent in a 3 bedroom apartment with two other gals but it was outside of Lisbon called Brandoa. I looked it up the other day because I couldnt find it on the map and turns out it and another small bedroom suburb were consolidated. It was easy getting into Lisbon though because there was a bus that got me to the metro station Sete Rios (where the zoo and US Embassy are located), and then took metro to my university. My rent was way lower than other students I knew but the trade-off was that I couldn't stay out as late as they could because I had to catch the last bus of the evening by a set time....11:30pm guessing. Nowadays, if I were to look, I wouldnt want to be in the big city...castelo branco, guarda, viseu areas....if they could get their public transport back.
Hi! Love to see foreign friends describing differences in Portugal. You definitely need to try bacalhau food. Is the best, with potatoes and olive oil. We dry it wit salt so it can stay conservated for months or years, before freezers were invented. Our milk doesn't need to be refrigerated before be opened, they have an expiration date with several months. Guns are allowed just with a special license. Most of the people don't have a gun. It's not a normal thing here. Much safer :) Neon vests are mandatory if you get out of the car in the side of the road, for safety reasons. If you don't use it, you can take a ticket. And if you don't even have in the car, you can take a ticket too. Here school busses are rare, just for some private schools. The majority of kids go in public transports or their parents take them. Saloons for ladies, barbers for the guys. GNR and PSP for police. We have 2 kind of police forces, depending the geographic area. American football is not popular in Portugal. It's rare to see them in stores. Here soccer rules, and we call it just football. Thanks for being here! You need to try the Madeira Island. It's beautiful, temperature it's higher in average all year and life is even more affordable and calm. But it depends the area of Portugal that you are living in. Cheers! :)
You guys are hilarious!!! 🤣🤣 I really enjoyed this list.
:D. Glad you enjoyed!
This was a fun video. Thanks for sharing your observations. 😊
Beautiful things!
From was I see, I tell you something … you are wonderful great observers of this beautiful reality in Portugal … and from what I could imagine, you have been only to one of the many regions in Portugal … I invite you to go to different little towns from north to south, and the islands, you will be amazed and we will have FUN!:)
Thank you for being here, and #50, we noticed more Americans than before, thank you!:)
Obrigado! We plan to do much more exploring!
Yes, there are a lot of americans moving to Portugal right now. Some say they no longer feel safe in the US because of gun crime and the "toxic politics" & cost of living makes life there very unpleasant.
@@chrisplusmelissa btw, guns aren't allowed. Hunters can have, usually shotguns, people like jewellers and such and for sport, but it's highly regulated.
Even security companies don't have weapons, with the mindset that if someone goes there to steal and knew that there is a security guy armed, chances of shooting first ask later would be high.
Enjoy Portugal, oh, and you need to do something about Bacalhau, there are hundreds of recipes but i will only suggest 2 for starters, Bacalhau com Natas and Bacalhau á Brás...
@@chrisplusmelissa have you tried buying clothing for Chris yet? I have heard it is quite difficult. I'm 5'8" and I towered over ppl on the sidewalks and helped friends' parents get stuff down off high shelves. They'd be getting out their chair or stool and I'd say, what do you need...walk over pluck it from shelf. They would always say what did your mom feed you as a kid? My Family is of germanic origin...I'm the shortest one. Want to make friends with the neighbors, esp the elderly neighbors..offer to get stuff down off the shelves or put it ack up. (Similar to back in the day when you might ask a neighbor to open a jar for you or borrow an egg.
Regarding covers/songs played in public places, whether these are of a private nature such as a cafe or supermarket for example; it is essentially a consequence of the amount to be paid for copyright, enshrined by law in Portugal. Copyright on a cover of a Beatles song is much cheaper than the original copyright.
The fire blanket can be very useful properly used, in the first moments of a large flame, for example, cooking oil burning in a pan; since fire feeds on oxygen and the blanket serves precisely to muffle the surrounding oxygen. And so the fire is extinguished.
That is very practical. We are taught use water or baking soda depending upon type of fire and most people panic and forget the baking soda is for the grease fires. I wonder how easy it is for kids to take them out though?
I love everything pumpkin and wanted to try American-style pumpkin pie for a long time but it's true we don't get it already puréd and canned. Last year I finally decided to make my own and it's super easy (and I have no doubt much better than the canned ones). Either cut the pumpkin in about 1 in squares and roast or cut same size and cook in a pan with a bit of butter, don't stop stirring or it'll stick like there's no tomorrow! You can season as you prefer. After a couple of tries you'll find it a really simple process. You can even get pre pealed and cut pumpkin from any supermarket.
Melissa actually did make a pumpkin pie from scratch: ruclips.net/video/RzYuTnkqSWA/видео.html
As for cameras in cars. It depends on the brands and models; which are the same as those available in rent a car. My cars all have 360 degree cameras
Your video is so funny. I think your observation of the grocery carts very entertaining.
Thank you Sarah. :)
There are school buses, just not yellow. Depends in the school/municipality. Kids also take public transport, walk, bike or just get dropped off by the parents.
The GNR joke goes even beyond Gun'N'Roses as there is a portuguese rock band called GNR. The actual law enforcement force called GNR, short for Guarda Nacional Republicana (Nationsl Republican Guard) is a germanderie, meaning, they are a literal military force with policing duties in rural areas, while the portuguese police force - PSP or Policia de Segurança Publica or Public Security Police - enforces the law in urban areas. We have no such things as Sheriffs though i think they used to exist here in the middle ages.
What an interesting list - I wonder what Melissa's list would be? Shows how people can go to the same place, at the time, on the same day and 'note' something completely different. Sounds like the two of you are enjoying your time in Portugal, you also seem more relaxed which is great. Take care and enjoy life!
It's been nice here and it seems to get better each day. Melissa doesn't know what her list would be... she prefers to dig into literary quests and is usually thinking about that stuff instead of paying attention to what's going on around her. :D
Thank you for sharing! I'm retiring this year and will be moving to Portugal. ❤👌👍
You guys are so totally pleasant to listen to and upbeat!
😄 Thank you!
The tiny beers which we call "Mini" or the plural "Minis" are very popular because we drink them in few gulps while still cold. And they are easier to control the booze.
Charcoal is not the same as burnt wood. Charcoal is actually not burnt even though it looks like it. It’s just as flammable as charcoal briquetes but don’t need to be soaked in lighter fluid. I use to make my own in the US.
I have so much to learn. Thanks for the info. :)
Fire blankets are more practical and accessible than extinguishers, which are also heavy and need maintenance.
#38 As some people already stated, there are several police forces in Portugal. Both GNR and PSP are responsible for public safety tasks, road patrolling and investigation of smaller crimes (small drug trafficking, thefts, agressions, etc). While GNR, which is a militarized force, has jurisdiction in the countryside and small towns, PSP, a civilian police, works in urban areas. The portuguese main criminal police (PJ - Polícia Judiciária) is responsible for investigating the more serious crimes. Another LEA, called SEF (Alliens and Borders Service), controls borders and (the same way as PJ) investigates crimes of illegal immigration and human trafficking, but it's due to be disbanded until Ocotober 2023.
This Antonio is the correct answer to take u guys on a tour, because he is absolutely right.
It's great to see other cultures reaction to ours. I think it's the best way of getting to know ourselves. Didn't see anyone mentioning in the comments that we have two kinds of milk. The daily milk, wich is refrigerated, and the long life milk, with is on the shelf. Also we have school buses but they are not yellow and only in some big cities, like Lisbon where I'm from.
Don't mind the negative comments, the video was fun. Hope you are still enjoying your stay and I hope you can find some time to travel around the country because there's some really beautiful places here.
Thank you for the kind words. We're back visiting friends and family at the moment but are coming back to Porto for another year at least. :)
E as ruínas romanas q pra mim deviam ser a principal atração turistica de aí.
If you heard birds in a supermarket, it's quite possible it is actually birds in the supermarket. They get in sometimes.
Regarding small beers, in my opinion as an occasional drinker; It has to do with the alcohol content. Since, as a rule, I can drink a much larger amount of beer in countries like Germany, Holland or Belgium; I usually drink one or two big mugs and here in Portugal I drink one or two in a regular glass and that's enough to avoid crossing the border :)))
Oh wow! Good to know and something we'll need to watch out for when we have a drink.
Not really, it's really because of the heat, especially in summer not to give the beer time to warm up. If you go for example to some places in Alentejo on the summer, you will understand :D
Awesome!!! Loved it.
Of course we have Burguers with Buns, but usually if you order them in Restaurants, they will come served on a plate with a side of salad/rice/fries. (even spaghetti!) Funny story: The first PT Burguer joint opened in Almada during the early 70's and they are
still in business.
You guys are so cool, its so much fun hearing your thoughts about our country , please be welcome ❤
Thank you Rodrigo!
I love your vibes! Hope you're having a great life here! Best Regards ❤🇵🇹
Thank you! It's a delight.
In the small villages there’s the public transportation buses that bring the kids to School!
You are so Funny and nice couple. I m portuguese and i like very much your video
We have 365 recipies os salted cod. Its our national dish. Must try it.
Hi, saw this video randomly.
As a Portuguese I must say something about the dried Cod.
First you ask to cut in steaks, then you put the steaks on water, some of us use milk to take of the salt, and then u cook it in a pot with water and then shreds the fish, for example to make ''bacalhau com natas''- Cod with Cream, is very tasty.
That type of Cod is usely to make plates where the Cod is ''hidden''. Thank me later!
The GNR are military police they are the ones you find on highways most of the time and sometimes normal roads, then we have the PSP they are regular police.
Kids take the city buses and schools are close to where they live and do the old fashion walk or ride their bikes to school. I have also seen parents picking up kids in their car. Although I have seen many preschools have vans to pick up kids. Of course I live in a city and I see kids traveling to schools on the train going from one town to another for high school also.
Pickles aren't stored in the groceries section. It's in the vegetable aisle. At least in Auchan it's like that. There's jars and buckets. Next to the olives... Usually...
0:43 Thank you for the fun video!
Got to love this list 😁
About kids and school buses... yeah... we dont have them. Usually kids go to school on foot (if the school is near), take public transportation, their parents drive them to school and in some rural areas where public transportation is scarce the local town hall provides a van to pick up kids.
Welcome to Portugal!
P.S. - Please Chris... dont go naked on any beach, you might get fined 😂, we have beaches where nudity is allowed or have areas where is allowed. Only Topless is allowed, and common, in every beach
I think toplessness for women became generally accepted on beaches in the 80s and 90s as new equality laws became standard in Portugal. You cannot fine a man for being topless (without a shirt) on a beach so you cannot fine a woman either, it would be discriminatory. But you may notice that on some beaches popular with families, there are no topless.
Full nudism is regulated by law, and restricted to approved places.
Some beaches are designated for the practice of nudism, anyone can go there nude or clothed, they are open to anyone as any other beach, you'll only notice a sign at the main access points stating that you are entering an area used by nudists, but practicing nudism outside these areas may attract complaints and the police could give you a warning or even a fine.
Nothing too serious.
My kids were picked up by minibus when they went to school there
I live in Portugal, specifically in the Algarve. I'm Brazilian and I study English. You will help me a lot in learning.
Eles têm uma sotaque do meio do país que é mais claro do que outros que pode encontrar no yt. Escuta ao Destino Portugal e pode ouvir o ingles de UK. (Sou Americana mas aprendi portugues na universidade no meu estado e depois fui a Lisboa por um ano. No ano de 1990, foi o primeiro restaurante Brasileiro em Lisboa. Conhecia algumas pessoas Brasileiros em Lisboa mas eram estudantes. Nunca conhecia uma familia Brasileira la. No meu estado há muitos estudantes Brasileiros quem estudam na universidade aqui. Estudam muita coisa mas a maioria estuda Animal e Dairy Science...há um professor Brasileiro quem introduz a universidade aos todos.
Fun Fact some shopping malls even have a post office in them, not all but some
Hello, glad you are enjoying Portugal. Regarding the "burgers" without a bun: We sometimes call the patty in a burger with the same word. So an hamburger might mean just the patty, specially if its in a place that doesnt specialize in hamburguers. But its not the same as a steak or "bife"
The packaging have diferente languages because we have many people from other countries that don't know Portuguese and tbat helps them know what they are buying in their own language.
No, the Police in Portugal is not called GNR... The Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) is a sort of militarized police force, that patrols the motorways, provides security for the presidential palace, parliament, etc, patrols the coast and mans the police stations in the countryside and small towns. In the bigger cities, that job goes to the PSP (Polícia de Segurança Pública), in cooperation with the several municipal police forces. And there's also the PJ (Polícia Judiciária), which is the investigative police force (something like the FBI)
Thank you for the info. :)
Very interesting. You seem to have similar police structures to the Italian and the French systems. Thank you, Seattle.
Little Beers (bottles) BUT higher % alcohol / volume, I would think.
Bird Sounds ~ maybe gives the feel of Shopping in Nature or Peeing in Nature per say.
Kids get to school often with their parents or through a private school that has a small van. In my case, since I work from home, I drop and pick my children myself which allows them to spend the minimal time at school.
Yes, there are pickles. Jardineira. If you go out and eat frango assado com batatas fritas, you can get pickles a jardineira with it (garden variety). They should be in big glass jars at the grocery store, probably in their own section.
Small tip: Portugal is one of the world top 3 countries in fish consumption p/ capita (Japan, PT n Norway… by the way we re the only ones that usually respect the original name of food, like the Norwegian “bacalau” for cod). We consume 4 times more fish than the european average!
We both are from the midwestern USA... fishing is popular in the lakes of MN, but fish consumption isn't very high. The ONLY fish I ate growing up was fishsticks... and they weren't very good. Melissa does not like fish and I'm getting better at trying and eating more fish. We both can't eat shellfish as we're allergic.
The name bacalhau or bacalao isn’t of Norwegian origin. They call it “torsk” over there.
@@supersueca1 yes my friend you re right, current norvegian word is Torsk. Maybe i didn’t express me well to cut a long story short n save people a long historic “massage”… but ok, here it goes: as you know, the “pioneers” of fishing, consuming n trading cod were the Vikings. They were the ones also “starring” the revolution of the Middle Ages fishing around XI cent (offshore/ longer distance fishing). That’s when the dry code trade in large scale begun. According to scandinavian researchers, warmer weather originate a decrease of fish in the Baltic n in the Northern seas. Compensated by fishes of other origines: XI century cods from the Artic ocean or the Atlantic were founded in the Viking town of Hedeby (currently Germany). Atlantic cod from the XI/XII cent.s were also discovered in Eslevic city (also current Germany). Well my friend, at the time there wasn’t any word like “torsk” neither in the scandinavian nor the low German, that those fisherman’s spoke. In fact, the word for several species they dried was “Bakkeljau”. Now… if one remembers that precisely in that period the wife of dannish king Valdemar II was princess Berengária of Portugal (daughter of our 2d king Sancho I) a great lover of dry cod herself, and that it was by that time that we started to appreciate the fish… It becomes easier to understand why that’s the most accepted theory for the origin of our “bacalhau” (as well as for the french n bascque current names of the fish) and why i said what i said. Despite the “torsk” …. 😉👍
@@SuperLuisferreira And if I may add... the reason dried "bacalhau" from the North Sea became so popular in the country was that during the dictatorship of Salazar, Portugal was impoverished and on the verge of famine, with no means of importing food as our currency was worthless.
During the winter it was not easy for fishermen to go out to sea in tiny litlle boats against the roaring ocean.
The Salazar regime sponsored the creation of the special fleet "frota bacalhoeira" who would go out to the North Sea and Iceland to fish for cod during the summer months and come back home with a cargo of salted fish, ready to air dry and be stored and distributed throughout the winter without the need for refrigeration (no electricity in rural areas).
It reached every town and village in Portugal, even today most portuguese keep some salted cod at home, ready for a meal. It's as much a pantry staple as, say, tuna or pasta. A little goes a long way, good for adding flavour to otherwise plain ingredients.
The government subsidized this cod fishing for a long time so that the price was cheap and accessible to all, today it's no longer subsidized and therefore quite expensive. But forever loved... we no longer go out to the North Sea to fish it but the norwegians fish it and salt it for us... just the way we like it.
Thank You Norway! ❤💛💚
@@donnacosta5633 very well Donna, exactly 👏👏👏 i would just add an important “nuance” to the Salazar policies n the country in the verge of “famine”… It’s not only the empoverished isolated corner of Europe. The first reason already under Salazar rule was… the Spanish Civil War! Being from the Douro Valley i was raised hearing my father’s memories how in those remote towns suddenly there was no meat n for ys people can only cook n eat the blood of the cows. Literally all the meat available, by Salazar s command, was send to Spain to supply Franco s army. People do lines wth their buckets waiting to colect the blood at the butcher… That was 1933 so early Salazar dictatorship. With Europe already “boiling”, he didn’t support the spanish dictator oppenly, but all the logistics were costed by Lisbon (as later on he would secretly support Germany selling them all the Douro wolfram, basic for cannon bullets). And my father remember how that poor starving people proudly paint in the bandwagons of the Douro steam trains “Aqui Vão as Sobras de Portugal”/“Here Goes the Remains of Portugal”!🙂 not a joke, that’s historic…
Chris, pickles are in the charcutaria area, all supermarkets have pickles in portugal xD and guns are alowed, but you can only carry hunt guns, and allways locked and in a specific bag.
This was fun to watch. One thing about the vests. You have to wear them if you get out of the car in a road. It's mandatory by law. That's why every car has them.
These yellow vests may save your life if you break down in a busy road. Likewise you must use the triangle to raise the awareness of other drivers that there is a problem ahead...
Only problem is that if they are rear-ended in an accident, they most likely will not be able to get their vest or triangle out of truck of car. Been rear-ended at a stop light in US, the entire trunk section is squashed.
Thank you for the advice
As a portuguese it was very funny to notic you pointing out things that are so "normal" for us and weird for you. Although I must point that some of the things might have been what you specifically experienced in your place as they are not normal, like cats and dogs in restaurants. By law, as a business owner, you may choose to allow or not but there aren`t that many people that take them in. I did last week as I was travelling with my dog but it was just one time and I did felt weird taking him in.
Hi. Guns are NOT allowed in Portugal. They are only allowed in very very particular cases or for hunting purposes. Thanks for the video and to give as a heads up of the way American see our culture and way of living.
We still have them hiding, there’s illegal gun trafficking even the Portuguese military munition stockpiles were robbed for trafficking and there are shootings in Portugal!
Here in Portugal, you can be naked.. 100% in some beaches.. 50% everywhere !!! We learned with our lovely friends from Africa and Brasil !! I like to do it!
It is cold in the winter, yes..
3:16 smoked meat is the bestttt, most people have it on a wooden thing in the kitchen and you just take slice every time you want some
5:57 and ya you said it wrong its Bacalhau, idk just search up how to saw it, oh and it's like really salty i guess, but you should try it, it is a traditional dish
16:46 yep no school buses, we have just normal busses that do bring people to school and all, but its not just for students, and we also like bus passes mostly green so that students don't have to pay
Technically GNR are military, and only PSP are police. In practical terms though, those two forces do "policing" and both are seen by the population as "police". We obviously also have the regular military, that do look like a military force. The distinction between the PSP (police) and the GNR (military that mostly do police work) is not easy to understand and has roots in the past history of both institutions. To grossly oversimplify (that's a tautology) you'll usually see PSP in the cities policing traffic, and GNR doing that in the countryside, and also performing several other duties in the countryside. The PSP hierarchy has magistrates at the top/a government minister, while the GNR has military commanders at the top.
That's so good to know! There's so much to learn here.
@@chrisplusmelissa We also had a rock band called GNR, which actually preceded the American Guns N' Roses (ours was formed in 1980). They were quite successful for some two decades and I think still exist: ruclips.net/video/anwCv3tO8W8/видео.html
Pls, I'm curious, in 1990 when I lived in Lisboa, the guards standing outside the banks with their machine guns...every bank, two guards...very intimidating...what police were they? Or were they a private security service for the banks? With that type of security, I guess you need not worry about bank robberies.
@@maryr7593 There are no guards outside banks these days. Maybe there were in 1990 as our crime rates were higher then, but I can't remember.
The problem is not the bread, but the toaster. The toaster you use it is for factory white bread like american Wonder bread, but usually bread in Portugal has not a standard shape or size. I have a large opening toaster which does not have that problem, works with any size and thickness.
When we get an unfurnished place, we shall have to up our toaster game!
There are school busses, they're just not yellow, but they're used mostly for rural areas where the children are further away from school. Otherwise, kids travel by public transport, by foot, or parents drop them off and pick them up when they're younger.
They sell a barbecue lighter in the camping area.
Not all restaurants allow animal entries, but space for pets is required by law.
Good to know on both counts! Thank you!
Topless is natural and common in Portugal and in some European countries. As for nudism, there are duly marked beaches for nudism; but it is common on many beaches, in the "wild" areas that are not licensed for the exploitation of a bar or beach services, for people and families of nudists to coexist with families and people in bathing suits. Where everyone respects each other and no one is peeking at anyone :)
If you ever go along the stretch of beach on Costa da Caparica (beaches south of the Tagus river and Lisbon) it's natural that in the non-concession areas, especially further south, you'll start to see most bathers doing nudism :)
Ah so if there's a bar, restaurant, or concession stand there's no nudism. That's a good thing for us shy Minnesotans to know!
@@chrisplusmelissa But don't forget that there are beaches where nudism is allowed and which can also be under concession :) I'll put the list here so you don't get mistaken lol
Naturism in Portugal has 9 official naturist beaches!
Almada - Praia da Bela Vista and Praia da Adiça;
Sesimbra - Praia do Meco;
Sines - Praia do Salto;
Odemira - Praia dos Alteirinhos and Praia do Malhão;
Aljezur - Praia das Adegas;
Faro - Praia da Ilha Deserta or Barreta;
Tavira - Praia do Barril.
#48 Never seen a dog in a restaurant here in central Portugal! (it's only allowed by law since a year or two). What bothers me most in restaurants is the smell of different perfumes that ruin the taste of food. Please ladies, scale it down!!!!
I am very sensitive to perfumes, colognes, etc....I can barely leave my house in US without being assaulted by cleaning products, cigarette smoke, fragranced everything in US...even garbage bags have floral scents. It's awful!
Welcome Melissa+Chris. I understand completely how you see this foreign country. I experienced the same when I was in the States in my long-gone glorious days. One finds things that look odd simply because of your culture and traditions yet, once you become one of them, everything makes sense and you actually enjoy it. So please do and I wish you a happy and safe stay.
Thank you Fernando!
Eggs are not refrigerated because in Europe chemicals are forbidden tu be used on them, so it´s not necessary. In the US Chemicals remove the natural protection on the egg so they have to be refrigerated there. Kids go to school either on foot, public transportation, or their parents take them, some go on bike or motorcycle.
Foi uma grande luta para que os cães de estimação pudessem acessar aos restaurantes . Os restaurantes decidem se querem ser " pet friendly " ou não . ( onde o único local restrito é onde se cozinham os alimentos , se bem que alguns restaurantes só permitam o acesso à esplanada ). Existe um aviso na entrada , informando que o estabelecimento é " pet friendly " e óbviamente , só acessa quem quer . E ainda bem que há liberdade de escolha para todos .
30+ yrs ago when I lived in PT, dogs were meandering in and out of restaurants at will...since most restaurant doors were open. I think these were street dogs who just entered and laid down. They didn't beg or steal food from plates, minded their own business. Always seemed to lie down away from tables and out of way of waiter traffic. I thought they came inside to get out of heat or the rain (of winter). They'd eat a scrap if you gave it to them but it wasnt common. Had never seen a cat in the restaurant though.
Wearing neon vests is actually mandatory whenever you have to stop your car on a dual carriageway or a motorway (sorry about the British terminology...) under pain of being fined on the spot.
Pickles is not a thing in Portugal because we don't need to preserve vegetables as northern European countries do. We have fresh vegetables all year round and pickles are more used as a condiment/garnish...
#16 Automated Garage Doors, they're called PSR for short or Porta Super Rapida, translated it's Super Quick Door, and those white ones don't have Marketing on them, but we use that technic to push stuff to buyers.
Even the swing doors in the US usually have a sound when someone is about to come out of them...warning those on other side...I imagine Chris heard the bells or whistles, wondered what all that commotion was about and that's how he got distracted by the door. The folks who are phased by any ding/dongs, whatever sound...gotta watch out for them. Having carts with 4 rotating wheels...wow...instead it's like having carts with roller skates attached and you literally have to pick up the entire cart to get it to where you want. US companies are too cheap to make stuff that would actually help a consumer manuever themselves better in a store. Plus they probably figure kids can run over other shoppers much more easily with "4-way" drive wheels. :-)
something about us and our country is if you leave Algarve and go to Alentejo you will have diferent experience, and if you keep going north to Ribatejo you will be another diferent experience.
Just for exemple, each region has more then one traditional bread, each region has its own traditional food, wine, and so on......
What you have to try is the dryed cod, just try it boilded with patatos, chickpea and cabbage and olive oil on top in a restaurant. Dont try to do it at home till you learn how to hydate 1st.
Just another thing is, do you know where your bacon cames from? Well, our "presunto" cames from that meat in bags.
Thank you Cesar. :)
16:55 the thing is they are not yellow, they are just regular small buses.. or by public bus transportation.. kids from the age of 10 usually just go by public buses...
American goods and foods... I think there's a grocery store near El Corte Ingles department store in Lisbon.
Where we are located in Canada, we also have a couple of shopping malls that have grocery stores. They are so convenient especially in the winter.
That's awesome. What part of Canada. (We love Canada!)
@@chrisplusmelissa We are in south central Ontario. It's great in the winter if the parking around the grocery store is full. You can park anywhere near an entrance to the mall and walk through the mall to the store rather than through the cold/slippery parking lot.
The type of shops in shopping malls (called shoping centers in Portugal) is decided on the basis of what the area needs. I've seen adds for vacant shops in malls which state that the vacant shop is only suitable for a cafe, or a post office, or a bank etc. The municipality & management aim to have an adequate balance of services for the area. No everything is about profit.
Hi am portuguese loved your video.. Kids go to school in a normal bus for free ower busses a gas driven.. Health care his free and dogs and cats in restaurants depends what type of restaurant personally i haven't had that experience.. Saying that try coming to Lisbon.. We have a Golden Gate like the one in San Francisco and many other plaxes to see and enjoy wish you well.. Grande abraço
Kids go to school as in any other country, by foot (if they live nearby), taken by their parents by car or in not yellow school buses😁
16:56 By bus, train, metro, the parents' car. Schools are generally not that far away from your house in Portugal, so I don't think there is not any problem about this.
Hey buddy..they can't put a good man down
Looking forward to the speedy recovery of my favorite senior utuber
# 42 Neon vests are mandatory if you have to leave you car during a emergency stop like a flat tire, the "triangle" (do you have triangles in USA? by the way when you picked up the vest i saw a red case, that's the triangle, learn how to mount it) must be placed no more than less 30 meters informing other drivers that there's a car stopped ahead, we call it "pre-signaling the danger" and fines can go from 120€ to 600€ so be aware of that.
No triangles, no vests in US. People just use their hazard lights.
That was 23:m28s of enterteinement. Thank you and keep the good spirit!
Thank you. :)
my grandfather actually made a bib out of a napkin for his bottle of wine every time.
Americans being Americans, welcome to Europe.
Thank you Pedro.