So it’s January in Terceira. Clouds hiding the tops of mountains around us. Fog and rain hiding the bay, the beaches, the ocean, and the cows, we see from our warm, wind-battered casa. Walks are curtailed, trees bend constantly, and the neighborhood smells of the wood burning in our stove. We watch more news on TV, old movies and new, and of course nibble on local cheese, bread, sweets, and coffee or tea. Of course we watch with jealousy the newscasts from the states of snow storms, violent winds, and rain throughout the states.
A tranquil new year also allows us to reasses some things which we normally don’t take time to think about. From the blogging perspective, one or two readers point out that my blog mentions many of the great elements of retiring into the Portuguese Azores, but seems to rarely highlight some of the singificant challenges. So I’m going to work on that in the next year…there are some down sides to coming here from the United States, and “fair and balanced reporting” should mention them as well. So I’m turning over that new leaf.
Arguably the best part of the “nasty weather” which I love here is that we get plenty of time to review the year; the great trips to Romania, Lisbon, Sao Miguel, and the fantastic friends we’ve made, visited, reunited with, and discussed plans for further meetings and adventures. Sorting photos, sending them, smiling, and reminiscing make for enjoyable evenings as the rain and winds pound. Good times abound!
In all fairness, each trip or visit also had some “challenging” aspects, and remembering those also bring smiles. For example, the trip to Lisbon and Sintra with Craig and Rosa was fun and educational…but mainland Portugal set records for hot days and nights. So as we smile about the castles and palaces like the photo above, we also appreciate the winds, rain, and clouds in Terceira in January:)
So we recall them as we’re scheduling our next year’s travels!