In a word—different

As originally posted on http://azores.paulofernandes.net

Hello and good day from the island of Santa Maria in the Açores. This trip has been an amazing one thus far, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who’s up for an adventure. For the non-Portugese types, having some Portugese assistance on your side certainly helps and is also highly recommended.

There are many differences between the North American and Açorian lifestyles. The adjustment has been going well, but there are still some interesting differences between our cultures.

Pace of Life
The pace of life here in Portugal is much more laid back than in Canada. While we’ve only been here for the weekend and thus can’t really speak on how life is during the week, it certainly seems as though life is lived in a more relaxed way. Lounging on the beach, late lunches and dinners, and hanging out in cafés for hours contribute to this.

Coffee
Coffee, called café here, is espresso all the time. Asking for one in a local coffee shop yields an ounce and a bit of very strong coffee in about 20 seconds, and in 10 more seconds it’s on a saucer along with a packet of sugar sized perfectly to the coffee and a specially-sized stir-stick. It all fits together extremely well. The coffee here is some of the greatest I’ve ever experienced, and it’s making me think about moving to Europe.

Casual Drinking
It’s hard to avoid having a drink daily around here. The Portuguese are far from a nation of alcoholics—they simply enjoy a drink with their meals and when relaxing in the afternoon and evening (like most other European cultures), and don’t think twice about it like many of us do in Canada. We aren’t consuming copious amounts of alcohol, as the “portion sizes” here are smaller. It’s just the custom, and I could get used to it. Red wine is good for you, after all.

Driving
Driving in the Açores is most certainly an interesting (read: sometimes treacherous) experience. As you will see in our photos, the roads here are narrow and often winding. Roadways more-or-less one and a half lanes wide become two lane roads, and to keep drivers on their toes, people often park in essentially one of these lanes. All of these factors lead to a phenomenon known as car shrinkage that often prevents accidents. Needless to say, car shrinkage occurs more commonly here in Portugal than in my collective North American driving experience.

That’s about all for now, as it’s about time to get back to the relaxation here. Life’s good, and we’ll continue to update as we can. Enjoy the photos!

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