Digital Nomad Diary: Spain and Portugal Edition

Culture in Spain and Portugal

We appreciated the lifestyle, culture, and connections made in the smaller villages over the big cities in both Spain and Portugal.  The more years I spend traveling, the draw of major cities seems to lessened. 

Places like Cordoba, Granada, San Sebastian, Lisbon, and Porto were teeming with tourists in the summer of 2022 — not surprising after two years of COVID.  I despretely tried to find the magic in each city but felt more compelled to explore outside of them.  

We had deeper connections in the smaller villages, the restaurant food tasted better, and while the cities have always been the cultural epicenters, we felt more included in the ceremonies, festivities, and events in the smaller towns anf felt that those places were the highlights for us.

Our immersion learning fell short.

Coming to Spain and Portugal we thought it would be a great way to learn the languages.  We were ambitious and hoped to be fluent in both within four months.  We studied using Duolingo, Coffee Break Español and attempted practice with locals. 

We didn’t have a study plan, we didn’t stay consistent in our learning, and we traveled to quickly to have a true immersive experience. Had we stayed in fewer places, built better relationships, and taken the time to communicate more, we would have absorbed more.

We had more success in Portugal and found speakers were slower and more patient with us. 

Portugal was on everyone’s radar last summer and will continue to grow as a tourism, expat, and digital nomad destination. 

Tourism has its ebbs and flows.  However, there are countries that get a lot of noise and recognition, and they quickly become tourist meccas.  In 2019, it was Croatia. In 2022, it was Portugal, 2023 I kept hearing about Albania.   

Some places become popular due to the development of the tourism council, their friendliness and accessibility, cheap flights, pocket-friendly accommodations, as well as travel influencers on TikTok and Instagram.  I can understand the appeal, it is very special country with wonderful and kind people, a rich landscape, and unique architecture.

We witnessed what has been coined “revenge travel,” but really it was pent-up energy and the desire to travel everywhere and see everything post-COVID restrictions.  Demand went up, prices went up, yet most people didn’t care — they were determined to travel.

 

It is difficult to escape the noise in Spain. 

Wow!  This was unexpected.  We loved the energy and passion of the Spaniards. 

The vibrant and jubilant festivities, late-night parties, live music, loud music, bad music, static and weak radios, nightly televisions infomercials, YouTube, construction, sirens, barking dogs, anxious drivers sitting at red traffic lights, rumbling tractors at 4 am, bakery delivery trucks announcing their arrival on each side of the street of every mountain town, bells in the church towers, bells on the cows, bells on the sheep, rolling rapids and waterfalls, strong winds on the mountain tops. Humming refrigerators, whirling fans, whooshing air conditioners, toilets flushing, neighbors yelling.  

It was incredible.  The noise was everywhere.

The stunning architechture and design.

At some point in my life, I dream to have a swimming pool covered in Moorish tiles.  I fell in love with the symmetry, colors, and shapes inspired by the Alhambra in Granada or the Royal Alcazar in Seville.  A sanctuary amidst the summer heat, with nods to Moroccan architecture and design.

The Nature

The Nature and Landscapes are spectacular. 

My first few trips to Spain highlighted the major cities and I overlooked these gems.  My nature prior was the beautiful coastlines and parks within the cities.  I would plan far more time exploring the National Parks of Spain and Portugal next time. These were some of the most beautiful and preserved areas in these countries and saw the fewest tourists and locals. 

World-class climbing is easily accessible in Spain, the hiking is less so.  The approaches for some of the most phenomenal climbing in the world can be as quick as a 5-minute walk.  When carrying heavy gear, this is fantastic. 

There are so many beautiful and developed crags to rock climb throughout Spain, however the hiking is far less developed.  We found many trails on Alltrails or Strava to be misleading, overgrown, and not well-maintained.  We did some excellent hikes within Spain, but an equal amount of bushwhacks. 

Cuisine in Spain and Portugal

The Portuguese cuisine was welcomed and felt fresher, healthier, and more palatable than the Spanish one.  The food was prepared simply with not a lot of fuss. 

Our favorite meals of the four months were black swordfish and whole sardines seasoned with salt and grilled over fire, Peri Peri chicken, and all served with steamed vegetables. 

While Spain is a Mediterranean country, seasonal fruit and vegetables are primarily eaten at home and not featured on a lot of Spanish menus.  Heavy stews, tortillas, and fried foods are the most typical menu offerings.

The transition from Austrian winter to Spanish dinner culture was difficult to acclimate to. 

We transititioned from winter in a country where it was dark by 5:00 pm and by 9 pm we were cuddled up in bed.  Dinner service in Spain usually doesn’t open until 8 or 9 pm, I struggled to keep my eyes open for the first few weeks to make it through dinner.  Once acclimated, we enjoyed having our summer days extended way into the evening.

I love “free food.”

While I may have slammed the Spanish cuisine for being too heavy, I do love the thought of “free” food. 
In Andalusia and Jaen regions, each vino or beer was attached to delicious tapas. 

The drinks always cost one or two euros more, so you really are paying for each bowl of olives or pan con tomate, nevertheless a welcomed custom.

I have zero self-control when they bring a bowl of potato chips to the table. 

Growing up in a non chip-eating household, I never learned how to moderate my potato chip consumption. When I would peer around at the tables with completely untouched bowls of potato chips I couldn’t fathom how it is possible to have so much control.

My Favorite cocktails

Vermut con Sifon – Vermouth, soda water, olives, and orange.  A refreshing and surprisingly balanced sweet cocktail with a little bit of brine to cut through the sugar. 

Another favorite was the Tinto de Verano — a cocktail of chilled red wine and lemon soda, but more often it was red wine with orange Fanta, it just worked. 

Remote Work

We traveled too fast. 
We both have experience working remotely, even pre-pandemic, and we combined remote work with travel.  While in Spain and Portugal, we were moving every 7-12 days.  Trying to balance work, culture and tourism, rock climbing, hiking, surfing, and general sanity was difficult. 

We didn’t manage our time well. 

We had different expectations of how we would manage our time and wanted to experience everything.  We often felt like we were less productive and ended up burnt out.

We learned to clearly define what makes a successful living and working environment. 

We needed to have a clear understanding of what we need in a successful work environment.  Many places on AirBnB offer a dedicated workspace.  I still have no idea how they define that.  Sometimes it was a kitchen counter with a barstool.  A bar stool doesn’t cut it when you are sitting in front of a monitor for 8 hours a day. 

For me, I require an environment with a lot of natural light, fast Wi-Fi, and a fully stocked kitchen.

For him, it’s a comfortable chair with a large rectangular table, a view and slow but steady Wi-Fi. 

When we figured out what helps each of us stay productive, it was easier for us to narrow down where we wanted to be working and living.

Communication with AirBnB hosts prior to booking.

We started asking for internet speedtests from the hosts prior to arrival. When we heard “It’s good enough for Netflix” it was never good enough for work; and a solid video call requires 10 Mbps. If the location was amazing, we sacrificed the speed.

Staying Accountable while working independently.

I struggled working independently and needed accountability to stay on the job.  Now there a Facebook groups, apps, and even meetups for this very purpose that I had no clue was out there.  Once I established a co-working group with other coaches I felt more compelled to tackle the administrative tasks I would usually procrastinate on.

Car Travel

Our Fiat Bravo was the perfect car for touring Spain and Portugal. 

It gave us comfort knowing that we could fit almost anywhere on these small roads and tight parking spaces.  

Spanish drivers seemed more careless.

We bore witness to a number of Spanish drivers pulling in and out of parking spaces, dinging, denting, and tapping neighboring cars without regard. Our little Fiat made it back with only a single minor incident to no fault of our own.  

Two was better than one. 

Often driving and navigating alone seemed somewhat challenging in cities such as Barcelona, Valencia, and Seville. With a million roundabouts it was nice to have a second pair of hands to zoom into the maps and say “exit NOW!”

Accomodation

Clearly Defining our Needs.

We were always searching for the unicorn. 

The inexpensive accommodations with fast wifi, direct access to nature, a kitchen (not just a kettle and microwave), a table and chair, a fan or aircon in warm places, a heatsource in colder places.  This was our constant battle:

“Cheap and comfortable, but not near Nature.”

“Comfortable and near nature, but slow Wi-Fi.” 

“Near Nature and cheap, but uncomfortable.” 

We were seeking accommodation that checked all the boxes and realized we needed to either up our budget, change our priorities, or put in more effort to seek these places out.

We tried Trusted Housesitters for the first time. 

When organizing a housesit, we make sure there are very clear expectations for both us and our hosts. We commited to our trip, because we confirmed a housesit outsit Barcelona.  Our first housesit was brilliant and the owners were lovely and easy to get along with. 

Our second, gave us PTSD.  She was a terrible communicator, and we received conflicting information (or no information).  After that experience we determined to vet our hosts thoroughly and get all instructions and information before the agreed to sit.  Since then, the housesits have been a fantastic way to stay.

Back to Co-living and the importance of labeling your belongings. 

We fell victim to volunteers, I mean, vultures, who abused the system scavenging the shelves and fridges for anything unlabeled.  It could have been fresh unpackaged tomatoes or a sealed jar of olives… no label, hasta luego.  The importance of labeling all food and food boxes is a good practice while staying in communal accommodation to ensure food stored in common areas doesn’t go unclaimed, rancid, or rotten. 

We needed more of a community.  

We enjoy the comforts of personal space in the long-term, and chose to work and stay in homes rather than hostels or co-living/co-working accommodations.

The downside is a lack of engagement with other travelers.  Working online can also be fairly isolating, and moving every two weeks, we weren’t as engaged with the local community as much as we hoped. 

We are a social couple and fortunately, we created friendships with fellow rock climbers and surfers, and were excited to meet up with friends from home who were also traveling, but socially we would have liked more.

A fruit bowl. 

When our ‘home’ is never ‘our home,’ it is essential for me to make it home as quickly as possible. 

We often do an extra clean before unpacking our gear.  Rearranging furniture to make the rooms flow better or be more functional.  Put away kitschy dust-covered ornaments, and I will always make a fruit bowl.  

Moving in usually takes both of us about 45 minutes and moving out, including packing, is 1 ½ hours.

Packing

Compartmentalizing our gear. 

We shuffled a lot, trying to come up with the best solutions for our belongings, and the easiest way to move in and out. 

We had a bag with our office, a bag for our clothes, a bag for our climbing gear, a “junk drawer” bag of out-of-season clothes and general overflow, a cooler tote, the green food box, and later a yoga mat and a beach chair. 

It all fit, but it was a point of contention playing Tetris with all our bags.  Having one of us pack the car was better than both of us doing it. The other just had to accept the arrangement without complaining. 

Having clothing layers for all weather conditions.  

We were hit with bone-chilling cold days in the middle of summer and celebrated Summer Solstice in southern Spain dressed in our winterwear.  We experienced unseasonal strong winds in the Algarve region of southern Portugal.  A week of rain in the Basque region, a heat-wave in central Spain and again in Lisbon and Sintra.   Flooding in Valencia.  Having the proper attire for all of these strange weather patterns have become essential packing must haves.  

Our essential food box. 

I love to cook, I love to eat, and food diversity is key.  I was prepared for any craving – Mexican, Indian, Thai.. We want it, I’ll make it. 

Outside of the major cities, typical Spanish cuisine doesn’t have much variety and definitely not enough spice, so cooking at home was essential for us. We carried a green Tupperware with olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, aluminum foil, a sharp knife, a veg peeler, tea towel, cutting board, coconut milk, chilis (I would resupply with a large stash of chilis wherever I found them), mustard, flour, honey, and a sealable box chock-full of spices. 

My sun hat.

If my husband had a say, “definitely ditch the gigantic sun hat that we dragged around for months.”  I retorted, “the hat stays.”