Monthly Recap: January 2023

We are in a brand new shiny year of 2023!  My goal is to revive this blog, again.  Hopefully, creating posts at least twice a week.

At Dom Carlos Park, Caldas da Rainha, Portugal

Destinations Visited

Another goal for 2023 is to go on a vacation (where just a weekend away) every month.  This year started off with a 6 day trip to Caldas da Rainha.

Caldas da Rainha, Portugal
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Check out my posts about Caldas
Phallic Pottery - Caldas da Rainha's unusal ceramic trade.
Where to Eat in Caldas da Rainha

Expenses

No major expenses this month.  I'm still hovering around my €2,200/month budget (my sweet spot that allowed me to retire early to Portugal) even with my trip to Caldas da Rainha earlier this month.  I even ate out 10 times for the grand total of €137.85 - that averages to €13.79 per meal, and these were at nice restaurants.  I think a $14.00 meal in the in the United States is impossible these days, except maybe at a fast food restaurant.  Perhaps, not even there.

My Favorite Colorings

I finished 14 colorings in January.  Although I started the hummingbirds (pictured in the middle below) back before I left Florida.  This is artwork by Jody Bergsma (one of my favorite artists) that I downloaded from the internet and printed in black and white, creating a grayscale, and then colored.

Highlights

I started back with my Portuguese lessons on January 23rd.  Unlike the private classes I took at the LUSA school back in August, these are held at the local high school and are through the government.  Class is on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7 - 9:45 p.m.  The best part is that it was only €10 for the semester class (not the €200+ I was paying each week at LUSA) and if I successful pass the class, it will count towards my language requirement to get citizenship at the end of the 5 years.

I also had my first physical here in Portugal.  I saw the doctor in late December.  She prescribed a bunch of tests. I gave those scripts to my health concierge at Serenity and she scheduled all of the tests for me.  She did a great job of scheduling them back to back at the CUF hospital in Alvalade (one metro stop from my apartment).

New Recipes on the Blog This Month

Being a Local Tourist

Lisbon is a great tourist destination.  So I make an effort to do at least one touristy thing every week.

Lisbon Street Art Walk
A visit to the Oriente Museum for Chinese New Year.
I went on a Fado Walking tour with some friends.  Our guide told us about the history of Fado and treated us to a private mini concert as the end.  She was an amazing Fado singer.

What I Read This Month

This year, I’d at least like to get back to finishing one book per week. 52 books in 2023 seems like a reasonable goal to hit!

Louise Penny's newest Inspector Gamache book A World of Curiosities.

I've recently hopped on the Bridgerton series bandwagon (perhaps because I keep hearing about the series) in late 2022.  This month, I read two of the Bridgerton novels - Romancing Mr. Bridgerton and To Sir Phillip, With Love. 

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.

Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone.

A Bookshop Christmas by Each Burton.

How was your January?