Photo Album: Portugal, in Ruins, the One Nobody Shows You
Every second or third building in Portugal is in a state of tumble-down or disrepair.
When I first arrived in Lisbon, I didn’t realize that all the old and empty buildings I saw were normal. I thought I was in the bad side of town. Instead, I was pretty much high end. Nevertheless, for me, it was bliss. I have a camera that is permanently attached to me, and I see the world through a lens. As I left Portugal a few days ago, I wanted to share some shots with you. I also wanted to tell you about the Portugal precious few people write about.
It’s difficult to believe, but every second or third building or house in Portugal is either a ruin or so run down that it’s difficult to believe people are living there. Below is a picture of a home that demonstrates that people live in homes that have make shift repairs.
Of course, there are absolutely divine photos to be taken of centuries old homes, where nobody lives, and trees and flowers have grown to disguise the splendour of what they once were.
It’s quite common to see homes that have been left empty for decades, if not a century. They are overgrown, and you can often see broken windows, a damaged roof, and walls with holes.
Typically, you will see a run-down house between two renovated homes. I give you an example below.
When I first arrived in Portugal, I asked someone why there were so many empty ruined buildings. I was told that the government doesn’t know who the homes belong to, and they can’t just demolish them or sell them to a developer. Apparently, during the time of Salazar, the dictator, many people left Portugal. I find that difficult to swallow. The government has the power to advertise internationally and ask that anyone who has a home in Portugal lay claim to it, or the government will confiscate it in five years.
Portugal is the easiest country in Europe to immigrate to. When you have been a permanent resident for five years, you can apply for Portuguese citizenship, and once that is attained, you can live and work anywhere in the European Union. Many people take advantage of the Golden Visa program. That’s the one where you have enough money to buy your citizenship. Others, with sufficient retirement funds coming in, retire there. South Africans, particularly, love Portugal — well, the rich-enough in South Africa do. Unfortunately, it’s a very frustrating country to live in, especially if one is accustomed to living in a first world country.
Some of the culture is quite strange. Everybody hangs their washing out for all the world to see. I can’t imagine a Housing Association allowing that.
Living in Portugal is a nightmare. When I announced to my British expat group that I was leaving, the first comments asked me for my reasons. After I explained them (a lot more detailed than below), many said that they were packing up, selling up, or looking at other options. They found the same thing. I explained the following:
- I was tired of being cheated and ripped off. Despite official claims, business and tradesmen constantly overcharge ‘foreigners.’ As an attorney working at the consumer bureau explained to me, and I quote, “Yes, it is illegal to charge a year’s rent, but you’re a foreigner, and landlords are just protecting themselves from foreigners.”
- Portugal blatantly ignores the rules of the EU. As a result of being an EU citizen, I should be able to move into any country in the EU by simply presenting my passport. I should then be accorded all the rights of a local (except voting). This doesn’t happen. They won’t give you a tax number easily, and they will delay giving you a CRUE cetificate (residency) as long as possible. What they will do is delay you endlessly. When they finally run out of excuses, they will tell you that you need two Portuguese voters to verify you. Who, that is new to Portugal, knows two Portuguese voters who live in the same area? Just to be doubly difficult, these ‘Portuguese voters’ have to leave their jobs in the middle of the day to come meet the officials.
- Every time I move, I have to register for new residency. It’s not an easy procedure, although it should be. Every office has its own rules, and the Portuguese government allows this. So if the person behind the counter doesn’t like the fact that you speak English, you can kiss your arse goodbye. They are not going to give you the documentation you need.
- The food in Portugal is terrible. When I mentioned this in an expat group, my life was threatened by some of the Portuguese people. The owner of the website (who agreed with me) had to intervene. Other immigrants or European citizens DM’d me on the side and said that also thought the food was horrible. In fact, apparently, some years earlier a British chef had mentioned it, and all hell broke loose.
- It is impossible to register with a health authority. I took four months to get vaccinated and only after I burst into tears twice. However, the documentation of the vaccination certificate is not recognized because I need a health service number, and they won’t give me one. I haven’t even tried to get a booster. I more or less realized in January that it was pointless trying further. That’s when I decided to leave Portugal.
- I couldn’t get my Dell laptop fixed. Resources and facilities that were available in South Africa were not available in Portugal. There is no agency for Dell in Portugal. I will also never buy a Dell again. Despite endlessly trying to contact the company, they didn’t respond. In the end, I established that the motherboard was shot, and I had to ditch the laptop — after endless expenses trying to get it to work. I am now working on my ‘mini’ which is a damn nuisance, but at least I have a laptop. :)
- There are a myriad ordinary products that I cannot find in Portugal. They obviously don’t manufacture them, and they don’t import either. I guess when one is accustomed to cities where everything is available, it’s a perpetual nuisance.
- The fact that I couldn’t speak the language was problematic. This doesn’t matter in a country like Spain or Holland where most people speak English. That said, a lot of people pretend not to speak English. They tell you that they don’t speak English, and then you carry on talking, and they then answer, and you find that they are perfectly capable English speakers.
- Construmed, my landlords, are crooks, in my opinion. However, it’s not only my opinion. If you go to Google reviews, all the things I found, are par for the course. I didn’t get my deposit back, and the photos they sent me trying to prove that I had damaged the apartment were downright hiliarious. That’s another article!
The above home left me gasping. This is a middle class area, and this home is stuck between two homes that were in a fairly decent state. Did anyone live in the home? I have no idea.
Most people probably aren’t curious enough to go and see what lies behind half open doors. This ‘home’ was in a high tourist area.
Of course, the Portugal that the tourists see focuses only on some rather marvellous scenery. I will post a few below.
Of course, the Portugal that the tourists see focuses only on some rather marvellous scenery. I will post a few below.
I wish I could have given you a better selection of photos than these, but my mini laptop does not have the capacity to hook on to my external harddrive, and it keeps shutting down. So it has been difficult to find the photos I would have liked to share with you. However, these still give you an idea of some of the magnificent buildings, and the lovely vistas.
I would never advocate for anyone to live, retire, or relocate to Portugal — not unless they were desperate. I noticed this when I saw that digital nomads initially raved about Portugal, but all too soon, they moved out. It’s great for a vacation, but that’s as far as it goes.
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