In this episode we discuss what we find the most annoying about life in Lisbon. We talk about how we protect our peace in a city filled with tourists, traffic and construction work almost 24/7 (welcome to Lisbon ;-)). We share what we do to escape the loudness and how we deal with being overstimulated. Also we have some advice for people that live in a crowded place or want to move to a busy city, and are easily overwhelmed.
If you’re interested in knowing how to protect your peace and if you’re a highly sensitive person – like us, this is your episode! Enjoy listening and don’t forget to follow us on your favorite podcast app (we’re on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts & Podimo) and subscribe to our channel on YouTube – we have video episodes as well!
With love, April Betts & Anna Jirina.
About From Lisbon With Love
Welcome to From Lisbon With Love! A podcast about real stories of love, laughter, and life in Lisbon — from women who have left it all behind. We share real stories about moving to Lisbon, starting over and figuring life out along the way. We talk love, dating, friendships, breakups, healing, growing, all of it. Basically, the stuff we usually talk about over coffee ☕️ or vinho 🍷. If you’re thinking about moving abroad, already here or just love honest conversations with heart: you’re in the right place! Learn more about our story here.
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Do you enjoy our podcast? Become a part of our Patreon family to get access to extra content, such as bonus episodes, blooper and behind the scenes content, Lisbon vlogs (where we take you to the coolest events and give you an insight in what life in Lisbon looks like), Lisbon tips, Q&’A and much more! You can sign up here to become a Patreon member and get direct access to all extra content. It’s also a great way to support us and help us continue with From Lisbon With Love!
The downside of living in Lisbon
As much as we love Lisbon, life in Lisbon isn’t only sunshine and glitters – as we’re discussing in this episode 👀. Every country has it’s own pros and cons and so does Lisbon. The biggest problem in Lisbon at this moment is the rising cost of living, that doesn’t match the salaries at all. Locals are priced out of their homes in the city centre, making space for Airbnb’s.
Tourism is not only creating pressure on the locals but also on the city’s infrastructure. The city centre of Lisbon is extremely busy, the traffic is crazy and therefore public transport is slow and overcrowded. Also the city’s hills and cobblestone streets can be challenging to walk on, especially for elderly and people with mobility issues.
When you think about Lisbon, you probably think of sunshine and drinking a sangria at the waterside. We get it though, because we love a good happy hour ;-). Spring and summer are absolutely the best seasons to visit the city: the winters in Lisbon are rainy and damp and since most old building are not made for it, the city has a really big mold issue.
Also Lisbon is known for it’s difficult and time consuming bureaucracy. A lot of people struggle with long wait times, complex systems, and, when you’re a foreigner, difficulties when it comes to different visa.
How we experience life in Lisbon
First of all: we think Lisbon is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and we’re really grateful to be living here. Also we’re very lucky that our process of moving to Lisbon was quite smooth and we didn’t find that much difficulties on the way – although it was still challenging.
Overall we really love life in Lisbon, but of course that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Curious to hear our honest opinion about life in Lisbon and the things we find the most annoying about the city? Listen our episode on your favorite podcast app (we’re on Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Podcasts) or use the audio player above.
