When we arrived in our new neighborhood nearly six weeks ago, the first impression I had was of a stark cityscape. At every turn, the streets were flanked with seemingly unbroken lines of flat-faced high-rise apartment buildings with no architectural charm or distinction. Except for variation in the pastel hues of their concrete faces, they were indistinguishable from each other. I’d never seen a place that so literally lived up to the idea of “city blocks,” looking as if it had been forged from giant pale Legos.
I’ve come to see Setubal differently now. First, I’ve discovered that these long, unbroken lines of buildings standing shoulder-to-shoulder hide a bigger story. I’ve learned that most of these large buildings are designed so that each apartment has a front view and a back view. This allows the occupants to take full advantage of the sunny days in winter, and the cooling breezes in the warmer months. My experience with American apartments is that cross-ventilation is not very common. I’ve also learned to keep an eye open for ground level pass-throughs or “tunnels” in the ground floors of these long block fronts. While the street side of the buildings are a nearly treeless expanse of crowded sidewalks and jumbles of cars parked helter-skelter, the tunnels lead to another view. There are often parking lots behind the buildings, often with shade trees and grass, sometimes with play areas for pets and children. The tunnels also provide shortcuts to other areas, eliminating the need for pedestrians to walk the length of entire blocks, turning, and walking another distance to get where they’re going. By using the tunnels, a person can get from point A to point C without having to pass point B. Very handy when walking is your only form of local transportation! With two-view apartments, hidden open spaces, and convenient pass-throughs, the city design here seems quite people-focused. Add to that the many parks, and it becomes a very comfortable city in which to live.
Below, I’ve posted some photos of the stark street faces, the hidden spaces, and the tunnels so you can see what I’ve been talking about.
is at the upper edge of the photo.
Now, on to more personal notes. I’m happy to report that our social life has been picking. Our new acquaintances Helena and Mike who drove us to the Brazilian restaurant last week, opened a new self-serve laundry in the old town on Friday. We took them some flowers to help celebrate the big day and got a tour of their neat little shop. Laundromats are a new concept in Portugal, so this is pretty cutting-edge for Setubal. The place is completely automated, meaning Helena can open it from bed, using her phone. She can refund a customer’s money if they pay for the wrong machine, she can lock up and arm the fire and burglar alarms the same way. They’re very excited about this new venture, and we wish them all the best as they develop this new revenue stream.
After visiting their shop, they guided us a few blocks through the tangle of old streets in this section of town. They wanted us to see their other venture – a fully restored old building they’ve turned into a bed and breakfast. We saw their four beautiful rental apartments and their own home on the top two floors. They’ve done a beautiful job on the design and finishes, and created a way to support themselves here. They reflect an entrepreneurial spirit we’ve seen in so many Portuguese people since we’ve been here. We ended up spending a good deal of the day with them and then hurried the half-mile home in a light rain.
Yesterday, we met Ken and Jo for lunch in their neighborhood. After a leisurely meal that included good food and a small pitcher of nice local wine, we went upstairs to their wonderful apartment and spent hours talking about all sorts of things. Another really great day that reminds us both how lucky we are to be retired and free to spend our time as we please. By the time we left at 17:00 (5 PM), it was raining, so our friends gave us some umbrellas for the walk home. Sadly, it was far too windy to use them, but the rain didn’t dampen our spirits. I guess we’ve suddenly entered the rainy season we’d been warned about. If “rainy season” means we get a little shower every day for an hour or so, I’m okay with that – especially when we read about the wintry blast that currently covers most of the US.