In the fall of 2016 I just suddenly decided to move to Portugal. Why, you might ask, the answer is simple, I love sun and beaches, not winter and snow - which is what we have in Norway.. I packed all my junk and travelled the long way from Oslo to Lisboa. Because I wanted an adventure, I actually "hitchhiked" (or at least the millennial way, BlaBlaCar) the entire way. I went from Oslo to Flensburg, then to Cologne, then Paris, Aveiro and finally Lisboa. The whole journey took about two days. As I drove with different people the entire time, there were no stops. In Lisboa I settled down in a little town called Parede, I didn't want to stay in Lisboa as there are no beaches there, whereas in Parede it took me 5mins to walk to one :)
I went to the beach literally every day, and since there was nothing but sun every single day, I enjoyed the heck out of myself. The water was a little cold for "normal people" (around 18C), but for a viking it was absolutely perfect - especially when it was 40C in the shade. I snorkelled, surfed, tried SUP and just a buttload of swimming. Portugal is straight out to the Atlantic, so there were a ton of waves almost all the time. I was very fortunate to use goggles and fins, because the life guards wouldn't let anyone into the water if they weren't doing "sports". I did take it a bit too far a few times, because even me, an extremely avid swimmer, felt the "pressure". The waves were huge, and you really need to know what you are doing in order to survive. This was not my first rodeo, so I thankfully made it to shore safely every time.
I thought this bridge was supposed to be in San Francisco. Did Magneto (x-men fun), move it again?
It is not exactly safe to drive in Portugal, because everyone makes up their own rules, as you can see - parking gone wild..
Portugal is a beautiful country, and if you ever get the chance, GO. The people are wonderful, the sights are amazing, and the culture is vibrant. I am definitely going back soon!