We are the newbies on the Pure Portugal team and the ones taking care of the new website in French, Pur Portugal, as well as the French-speaking Facebook group. This video gives you a first taste of what we are all about:
Living in Portugal since April 2017, we are in the process of buying a property near Guarda. Our hope is to be as self-sustainable as possible and to set up a small ecotourism project.
We love to travel and discover local traditions and culture, are the kind of foodies that talk about their next meal over breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and are in the throes of learning Portuguese.
Beyond our more traditional bios, Francois is a watchmaker who makes a mean quiche and whose banana bread has been known to get teenagers out of bed before noon on a Saturday. He loves spending time outside, whether it’s in the garden, working on DIY projects, or going for exploratory walks. He reads everything he can get his hands on about permaculture and mushroom growing, says he’s a cat person but really loves animals in general, and enjoys spending time on motorbikes even though that doesn’t happen all that often.
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- Favorite color: purple
- Superpower: keeping time
- Drink of choice: beer (though Portuguese wines are a close second)
- Top three foods: wood-oven pizza, schnitzel, and mussels
- Book recommendation: Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-scale Permaculture
As for Shahnaz, her two favorite places to be in the world are in the saddle or curled up with a good book (she has yet to try combining the two) and she’s more of a dog person though since arriving in Portugal at least one cat has won her over. When she’s not learning (and daydreaming) about permaculture, gardening, and homesteading, she is probably writing a blog, an article, or something longer that cannot yet be named. Having always secretly wished she could learn to sword fight and joust, she’s particularly excited to spend time at medieval fairs and find ways to justify doing so.
- Guilty pleasure: going to the movies even if the sun is shining
- Favorite pastime: optimistic problem-solving
- Drink of choice: wine
- Top three foods: ice cream, ossobucco, and almost anything Persian
- Book recommendation: The Dirty Life: A Story of Farming the Land and Falling in Love
We look forward to getting to know you better – so don’t hesitate to say hi in the comments below or on the French-speaking Facebook group – and being a part of your journey to the property of your dreams and to “living the good life”.
