6.5 Weeks in Ericeira

Feels like home :)

Burnt out (and sick) from traveling almost every week for two months, I was thrilled to arrive in Ericeira for a whopping month and a half. I finally had a room (and bathroom) of my own and all I wanted to do was cook, stretch, write, sleep, and generally decompress. While I was able to do some of these things, my plans for Total Reclusion were ultimately thwarted by substantial friend-making and near constant fun-having. Ugh! ;)

La la la, living my best life

As you can see, the beauty of the Portuguese coastline would be reason enough to relocate. But what’s really sealed the deal for me is all the people I’ve met who either already live here or, like me, have plans to come back. It took a year but I think I’ve found just about everything I was looking for.

This draft has sat largely untouched for almost a month since I starting writing it. Because how does one accurately describe the quotidian magic of living amongst new friends in a curvy, cobblestoned surf town when many of the details themselves are as banal as “we ate chicken and laughed,” or “we drank wine and danced,” or “we made vision board collages while sharing life-defining stories of past loves?” We certainly did plenty of things worth mentioning, such as surfing, attending the local Soup Festival(!), hosting an expat Thanksgiving, dressing up for a Greek myth themed party, and even getting tattoos—but a lot of the twinkle came simply from doing Regular Life Activities together, like going out for coffee or dinner, co-working, lounging in the living room, and even going to Ikea. In lieu of rehashing every small yet significant-to-me moment, here are some photos and haikus to convey the gist of my contentment.

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Surf, market stroll, brunch

Catching light upon the cliffs

One perfect Sunday

New year, brand new friends

Sweet buns and happy sea tears

Happy birthday, me!

SOUP FESTIVAL, WOOO!!!

Limitless soups, keepsake bowl

I love Portugal.

Scene from Eat, Pray, Love

Grateful for this adventure

and one another

Surf friends, finally!

New kind of community

Synchronistic, sis.

Postcard perfection

With room to grow, build, and dream

Must acquire visa

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Ericeira Food Highlights

• Taberna Lebre - very good sandwiches and soups, plus the best fries in town

• Terço do Meio - excellent sourdough bakery with superb loaves, cinnamon rolls, and cardamom buns

• Churrasqueira do Largo - €7 for succulent chicken, crisp salad, and savory rice

• Ippolito & Maciste - cozy natural wine bar where wiener dogs run wild

• Spirited Coffee - the best coffee by Dino

• Dear Rose - sunny spot for good coffee, avocado toast, acai bowls, and more

• Balagan - Oceanfront Middle Eastern restaurant for dinner or daytime coworking

• Vizinha (plus the unnamed bakery beside it) - organic produce, buttery pastries, and—you guessed it—soup!

• Secret Oven & Pepe Verde - both good pizza spots

Cool. Now, where the heck is Emily?

After departing Ericeira on December 14th, I spent a few days in NYC/Jersey before heading back to the west coast (of the U.S.). I visited my friends at Lost Valley (which was LOVELY) before spending Xmas with family in Portland. I caught a cold from my cousin and rounded out the year sick in LA.

I’m currently in LA for the next few months while I work towards the singular goal of moving to Portugal by the end of this year. Plan A is to get the ‘digital nomad visa’ (D8), but I also have backup options of B) marrying my Belgian friend (he proposed!) or C) stranding myself in Portugal for a year or two while I apply for a different kind of visa (I need to do more research on this option). The point is, I am getting myself there one way or another!

In parting, please enjoy this photo I took of a Gomphocarpus physocarpus, colloquially known as ‘hairy balls’ for obvious reasons.