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Post by desousa on Nov 22, 2018 9:22:06 GMT -5
My girlfriend Gloria and I went to Portugal a couple years ago and loved it. Her parents were both from there, so she speaks the language, which helps when you stray away from big cities. It was inexpensive, with great food and wine and really friendly people. We stayed in a small town, about a two minute walk to the Atlantic. Next time I'll bring a surfboard. Nice waves and no one else in the water. Perfect. One place I wouldn't surf. Nazare. www.bing.com/videos/search?q=nazare+surfing&view=detail&mid=986C3BACA926D9164304986C3BACA926D9164304&FORM=VIRE |
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Post by pippsheadache on Nov 22, 2018 11:24:07 GMT -5
My girlfriend Gloria and I went to Portugal a couple years ago and loved it. Her parents were both from there, so she speaks the language, which helps when you stray away from big cities. It was inexpensive, with great food and wine and really friendly people. We stayed in a small town, about a two minute walk to the Atlantic. Next time I'll bring a surfboard. Nice waves and no one else in the water. Perfect. One place I wouldn't surf. Nazare. www.bing.com/videos/search?q=nazare+surfing&view=detail&mid=986C3BACA926D9164304986C3BACA926D9164304&FORM=VIREMuch of Portugal is kind of a throwback to the way Europe was a generation or two ago. I love the easygoing feel of it. Even the biggest city, Lisbon, is relatively quiet compared to a typical Western European capital. I agree with you that coastal Portugal is great. Have you been to the port wine country of the Douro Valley? Wonderful. With a handle like Desousa, I assume you are Portuguese ancestry yourself? The reason I ask is that I know the famous American marching band composer/conductor John Phillip Sousa was Portuguese by ancestry. |
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Post by domeplease on Nov 22, 2018 11:40:32 GMT -5
IF any of you LOVE Japan = They are giving away FREE HOMES. It will get better in the next few years as these FREE HOMES will drastically increase in numbers. I plan to look into this 'FREE HOUSE' Concept when I visit Japan. However, I will want to negotiate for more benefits; like Citizenship, etc.
11-22-18: FREE HOMES IN JAPAN: www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/want-a-free-country-house-in-japan-heres-where-theyre-giving-them-away/ar-BBPY14E?li=BBnbfcL
On one website, several homes are free, with the buyer having to pay only taxes and fees such as agent commissions.
"This is usually because the owners cannot take care of the property anymore or do not want to pay the property tax that applies in Japan for a home that they do not use," said real estate site REthink Tokyo in an October report.
The free homes also usually require major refurbishment because they are old and run down. But some local governments — such as the Tochigi and Nagano prefectures — offer subsidies for renovation work on vacant houses.
For vacant homes that are not free, prices can range from 500,000 Japanese yen ($4,428.50) to close to 20 million yen ($177,140) depending on location, age and condition of the house, according to the listings seen by CNBC.
Suburbs, larger towns — and Tokyo
Across Japan, the number of vacant homes stood at 8.196 million in 2013, representing around 13.52 percent of the country's total housing stock, according to latest data by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
The 2013 figures were higher than 2008's 7.568 million empty houses, which accounted for about 13.14 percent of Japan's total homes that year, according to the data. By 2033, the proportion of vacant homes in Japan is expected to grow to surpass 20 percent, according to Fujitsu Research Institute.
Japan's vacant homes are largely concentrated in rural towns, but the phenomenon has started to show up in the suburbs and larger cities, according to various media reports such as The Japan Times.
In Tokyo, the proportion of vacant homes stood at 11.1 percent in 2013 — among the lowest in the country, according to official statistics. But that number is expected to grow above 20 percent by 2033, said Fujitsu Research Institute.
"Even by halving the number of new residences ... and doubling the number of residences torn down, it will be nigh impossible to reduce vacant housing rates. Vacant homes will doubtless become a more severe issue in the future," the institute said in a report.
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Post by domeplease on Nov 23, 2018 11:00:29 GMT -5
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Post by inger on Nov 23, 2018 17:18:06 GMT -5
We had a great dinner yesterday. Most of the time we have no cell reception, but we’re visiting Ruthie’s brother right now. Just amazing how light the traffic is out this way for the holiday...even though the Zodaho county right next to the state border is Kootenai County, which happens to be the fastest growing county in the entire USA...
The west has a long way to go to catch up in population...
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Post by desousa on Nov 23, 2018 19:10:53 GMT -5
My girlfriend Gloria and I went to Portugal a couple years ago and loved it. Her parents were both from there, so she speaks the language, which helps when you stray away from big cities. It was inexpensive, with great food and wine and really friendly people. We stayed in a small town, about a two minute walk to the Atlantic. Next time I'll bring a surfboard. Nice waves and no one else in the water. Perfect. One place I wouldn't surf. Nazare. www.bing.com/videos/search?q=nazare+surfing&view=detail&mid=986C3BACA926D9164304986C3BACA926D9164304&FORM=VIREMuch of Portugal is kind of a throwback to the way Europe was a generation or two ago. I love the easygoing feel of it. Even the biggest city, Lisbon, is relatively quiet compared to a typical Western European capital. I agree with you that coastal Portugal is great. Have you been to the port wine country of the Douro Valley? Wonderful. With a handle like Desousa, I assume you are Portuguese ancestry yourself? The reason I ask is that I know the famous American marching band composer/conductor John Phillip Sousa was Portuguese by ancestry. Portugal is a few decades behind most of Europe. Gloria told she went there in the nineties and her Aunt wouldn't let her out of the house without a chaperone. We didn't make it to Lisbon (next time), but spent a night in Porto and really liked it. We were having lunch a couple days before that and chatting with a couple who spoke English, and we mentioned we were going to Porto, they told us about a good hot dog place. We found it on a side alley and loved it. Who would have thunk? I love port wine, so I'll put the Douro Valley on my list. DeSousa is actually her maiden name, but her brother's last name is Sousa. Portuguese are weird with names. I'm French/English and my most famous relative is Lizzie Borden. She and my grandfather are buried in the same cemetery in Fall River, MA. |
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Post by inger on Nov 23, 2018 20:35:19 GMT -5
Lizzie Borden is a really cool famous relative. Thanks for sharing that with us...I always wondered if Mark Portugal was Portuguese...
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Post by inger on Nov 24, 2018 19:17:36 GMT -5
Looks like we’ll be spending the night in Dillon, MT. From the looks of things we may be the only ones here. The Motel 6 does NOT have a light left on.
I’m having a Coors Banquet at a little burger and pizza joint, and there are only 4 other customers in here...oops...two are leaving...
Quiet doesn’t describe this place. I love it!!! (:
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Post by inger on Nov 25, 2018 14:09:34 GMT -5
Looks like we’ll be spending the night in Dillon, MT. From the looks of things we may be the only ones here. The Motel 6 does NOT have a light left on. I’m having a Coors Banquet at a little burger and pizza joint, and there are only 4 other customers in here...oops...two are leaving... Quiet doesn’t describe this place. I love it!!! (: Decided to reroute our trip through Eastern Idaho and down into Utah to bypass the mess of snow left on the roads from Central WY and down into Denver, plus a rather large road construction project just east of Rock Springs, WY. It adds another 100+ miles, but we’ll see more of Utah than we did last time, and get to cross beautiful Monarch Pass at 11,007 feet on the way home... |
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Post by noetsi on Nov 25, 2018 14:20:37 GMT -5
the only place I get to travel to is middle earth....  |
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Post by inger on Nov 25, 2018 20:10:48 GMT -5
the only place I get to travel to is middle earth.... That sounds terrible, Russ. What is your prognosis? I thought the surgery went well and all...You gonna be all right? |
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Post by inger on Nov 25, 2018 20:29:46 GMT -5
So far we’ve pretty much not liked UT. SLC was a madhouse at 2:00-2:30 on Sunday afternoon. The city has some serious sprawl issues...
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Post by inger on Nov 25, 2018 21:06:26 GMT -5
Back to the story. We saw the lake from a distance. We weren’t excited enough by it in 30 degree weather to get close, though I’m sure it’s beautiful. We took SR 6 East out of town, which was a pretty drive, and to be fair the mountains that sit behind SLC are a long and rugged range that is every bit as beautiful as the pictures you see.
After driving for about 60 miles, we came to the town of Price, UT. The place seemed to be a horrible, hustling mess of a place for being in the middle of nowhere. Horn-honkers, rude stares when you choose a pump at the gas station, etc..
It didn’t make any sense to me that such a rural place, a good hour plus from SLC should be that way. Before we got to town, we were thinking about grabbing a room there, but I was so put off by the place that I decided to travel an additional 60 miles to reach I-70.
That’s when I figured out the problem... Just as we were cutting across to get to I-70, so were many others that were coming in from I-70 going the other way. It’s a natural “short cut” that even attracts tons of 18-wheelers.
So the little town that was probably quiet before GPS became a popular tool is now completely overcome and overpowered by travelers headed to and fro SLC. I think I’d be impatient and angery as well if I lived there...
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Post by inger on Nov 25, 2018 21:12:45 GMT -5
So, for tonight...it’s Green River, UT for us. Seems like decent fare for an Interstate town. Only about 400 miles from home, so we’ll make it back tomorrow. It’ll be good to pet the dog and kick the two cats again (aww, I admit it, I pet the damned things)...
Good to be able to cock my leg and go for full volume when farting, have control of the TV remote all the wonderful things being home means to all of us. And it’s good to know that Ruthie got to see family, and that her family seems to like me...
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Post by kaybli on Nov 26, 2018 4:09:08 GMT -5
Good to read your updates inger! And good to have you safe at home tomorrow!
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