European Living in Ericeira
It is July 13th here in Ericeira. Rachel has been visiting me here, and we have been having a great time together. We have been balancing work and fun, surfing, and just being together. It has been great getting into a routine together and growing our relationship.
I guess I should give my current feelings and thoughts about Ericeira since I have been here for almost two months. In the beginning, I had the "honeymoon phase." I really enjoyed Ericeira and could foresee myself living here. For the first couple of weeks, walking through the fishing village felt really nice. Everything was walkable, the surf was great, and I felt like I could live here.
But after the honeymoon phase of two weeks fell away and everything became less novel, I really started to think: Could I actually live here long term? The first thing that came to mind was the winter. People were saying it gets really cold and changes a lot between winter and summer. And as you live in a place for longer, you realize being part of a community—and maybe joining a football or basketball league—is important.
Even though Ericeira has good infrastructure, I still didn't feel like I fit in or wanted to be part of the community. It felt half Portuguese and half hippies, you know. Waking up, going to a cafe, working, surfing, and hitting the sauna is an amazing routine. But when I actually thought about raising a family or living here with kids, I couldn't really start foreseeing it.
I left Costa Rica, where I really liked being in the jungle but was craving more infrastructure. Then I came to Ericeira, Portugal, and it felt a little too European and like maybe too much infrastructure. So now, as I keep looking for that place, I am realizing I want a balance. I really love the jungle, the adventurous vibe, and adventure itself, and I want that to be part of my life. But I also want a place with a good community.
Places like Siargao and Bali come to mind, and still Costa Rica—maybe just not Santa Teresa. I still need to check out Hawaii too. But I guess there is never a perfect place, and being with good people and having a good community is always the best.
With Rachel being here for two and a half weeks, it has just been so awesome being together, walking around, having our routine, and just, yeah, enjoying it.