Our Own Little Fishing Village

 Ferragudo, Our Own Little Fishing Village

Our dinner conversation last night, with the other American couple we know in Ferragudo,  turned to why we chose to live in Ferragudo. Incidentally, there are only five Americans we know of in the entire Algarve. We have discussed choosing Ferragudo several times before but I guess it gets richer each time we talk about it. However, I am not sure it’s not due to forgetting as does happen even at our relatively young retirement age, mid-sixties to seventy. 

We arrived here around the same time they did, two plus years ago. We went though a similar process of finding and choosing this town. After a couple years living with that decision our assessment is the same: Ferragudo is a marvelous place to live out our retirement. 

When we saw Ferragudo for the first time, just where the road turns to face the hillside village across the water, we were spellbound. Jan said, “My God! This could be Portofino! Or France!” 

The Church crowns the village as it stands above the old Castle guarding the harbor in the distance. The small hand-painted fishing boats bob at anchor, the harbor restaurants line the dock, the town square welcomes all. The white homes tucked together clinging to the sloping hillside are all reflected in the water below. Absolutely charming!

 The cosmopolitan mix of people here provide a rich and colorful palate. Virtually all of us agree we have found a wonderful place to retire. Ferragudo is and has the feel of a small town yet is near to all the conveniences of shopping malls, outlets, sight-seeing, night-life, live entertainment, outdoor activities, golf, beaches, boating, riding, hiking, football, fishing etc. 

It remains the last of the traditional fishing villages of the Algarve, a historic enterprise with roots here as old as time. It is a sleepy settlement of about 2000 people with tourists swelling the numbers to double that from about June to August or September. We are happy the town is not over-run with tourists. Many other towns in the Algarve boast of much larger crowds of tourists in season. 

The ancient Castelo divides two of our picturesque sandy beaches that stretch out beneath limestone and volcanic-rock bluffs. This landmark, recently purchased and renewed by an old established Portuguese family, is a reminder of the rich history this area has experienced. Several beach restaurants serve everything from snacks to excellent sea-food dinners and fine wines. One offers Sunday Jazz concerts a la carte. 

For a small town, we have a surprising number of good to excellent restaurants serving differing tastes and budgets. Unlike the other villages nearby, we do have a town square  facing a tidal estuary with room for a half-dozen cafes and restaurants, post office, a band stand with live music, several shops and the local social club. 

The people of this area have, over the many years of their history,  absorbed influences from many civilizations; the original early paleolithic hunter-gatherers were joined by: Celts, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths, Moors, and other Portuguese. More recently expats from: Britain, Germany, Netherlands, Brazil, Angola, Goa, Macao, and a few Americans, etc.have joined the mix of immigrants looking for a good place to retire. 

.The gentle, conservative and genial Portuguese people who have emerged from this ancient crucible are the core of today’s cosmopolitan mix.

The idea of living in and learning about a culturally different country is one very important goal of ours and, like a compass seeking North, it drew us to this place. Portugal is different enough to satisfy the learning curve we seek and not so radically different we can’t relate. On our recent trip,  Marrakech, Morocco impressed us as a significantly different world, wonderfully fascinating but just a bit too different for us to identify with.

Living in Ferragudo regularly provides us with venues where we interact with people who have lived all over the world and have interesting perspectives from their exposure. It is not unusual for us to go to a dinner party and sit with Brits who have lived in Nederlands, America, Germany; others who have lived in Brazil, England, Japan, China; Swiss people who have lived in Central Africa, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Mozambique and a South African who has lived in Ferragudo for 30 years spending half-time in Cape Town and more with similar well-traveled lives. They have all decided Portugal’s Algarve is the best place to live in retirement.

Studying and visiting exotic lands is an enriching and informative exercise, however, it cannot compare to the process of total immersion in a different culture. We are growing and developing simply by living in a foreign community and accommodating to the different macro and micro processes that define the ways of life here. 

The pace of life is slower. I grew up in New York and know what a New York minute is. I moved to San Francisco as a young adult and I found the pace there much less compelling and far more relaxed. Later moves to Marin and then Sonoma rolled back the urgency even further. 

Since we moved to Portugal, two years ago, I have learned,”If you are in a hurry, this is not the place for you.” The Portuguese say, “Nao faz mal” It doesn’t matter. It makes no difference. Don’t worry about it. These are the loose translations that validate this s a place where we don’t sweat the small stuff. People are accommodating. They are gentle. They are calm.

A car might stop on a narrow road to talk with a friend for a few minutes and not worry much about those stopped behind because they know they would do the same seeing their friend along the road. Those stopped behind learn to be patient and understanding, It is not cool to honk incessantly to try to make the obstructing car move on.

Another example illustrating the civilizing aspects of slowing down to enjoy life is found in the dining ritual. Lunch or dinner at a restaurant is a leisurely affair. You can take hours if you choose and no-one will disturb you just because they need the table for other customers. Lunch is a bit less so because some people need to return to work after their lunch break. But you can be leisurely if you have time. 

Most places have outdoor seating as well as indoor and we tend to like sitting under a large umbrella on a patio. Tables are set, customers are seated and the “couvert”, literally, “cover”, arrives served by your waiter or another worker. This is a basket full of nice chewy sliced rustic-bread, butter or oil, olives, cheese, sardine paste, pickled carrots and or a variation on this theme. It costs a euro or two extra and all or part of it will be removed if not wanted. 

Eventually, the waiter(tress) comes by again to get acquainted a bit and take the order. Most are very friendly people-persons who seem to actually take an interest in you. Most speak English, well or good enough to communicate simply. If you were in a hurry to be waited on, you could be disappointed, or you could raise a fuss and get quicker service. Best to be not in a hurry. 

I believe it is the law that restaurants must have a “Prato do Dia”, plate of the day, daily special. It is often a good bet since it is featured that day. Some places have a half- dozen daily specials of different varieties. Here in the Algarve, there is always a choice of fish or meat of some type. Barring the daily special, you can choose from the menu.

We have come to learn which restaurants do which plates particularly well and have developed old reliable preferences that never disappoint. 

Many places first ask for your desired "Bebida?", drink, before coming to take the meal order so you can have wine, or beer, soft drink and water with your olives and bread. We usually order a small carafe, half liter, of “vinho tinto do casa” house-red and are rarely disappointed by this very inexpensive, about 4 euros, table wine that comes out of a barrel or a box. We always order an “agua grande, sem gas”, large, 1 liter, still mineral-water, about 1 euro.

Waiters are helpful about suggesting what is particularly good today. Most restaurants in the North and some in the south, have such huge servings, they often recommend a “half dose” per person, or two can share a single order. Our Portuguese is still very limited, but we do menu-Portuguese pretty well.

The meal arrives after a while, freshly cooked, not micro-waved. If a starter, appetizer was ordered it will come first followed by the main course. A (usually) grilled delicious meat or fish of your choice accompanied by french fries, rice, steamed vegetables, salad. 

Only when the waiter sees you have finished at your leisure will he ask if he can remove the dishes. The table is cleared, the last wine is finished, and, eventually, the waiter returns to ask for your dessert order that is often included in the price. 

Dessert is served and eaten at your leisure. Coffee order is taken after dessert is completed. Coffee, tea is served and consumed as slowly as you wish. It is noticeable that the waiter does not hint at an approach to your table until signaled to do so and you ask for the check, "a conta por favor”. 

He ultimately arrives with the check and some complimentary liqueur, almond or acquavit, (firewater) in a small glass. He will not return to collect until signaled that we are done and he takes the money which is generally not a lot and tips are appreciated but not expected, just a few coins for outstanding service if that is the case. 

There is no rush! Enjoy your meal!

We joined an English-speaking Rotary Club here to maintain our involvement in serving the local communities as we had done in Novato for many years. We have become friends with a number of these mostly retired fellow expats who are similarly motivated. The needs here are many and we do what we can to help out.

Having been long time members with an outstanding club in Novato has served us well in terms of replicating some of the helpful community service projects we implemented there. We have also received direct support from the Novato club and several of our Rotary friends came to visit us when they travelled here for the International Rotary Convention in Lisbon this year. They could see up close and personally why we love it here.

Richard Bailey