At the end of January 2021, my husband our dog and I moved from Oakland, California to Portugal. For the last three months we have been living in Coimbra, the ancient capital, where my ancestors lie buried. This city is also home to the country’s largest university, though until recently, you wouldn’t have noticed this as all students were either at home with their families, taking part in distance learning, or were staying indoors all day, as the state of emergency dictated by the government required. It was surprising to us to arrive here and see that everyone in the street, in the grocery stores and post office was wearing a mask. It was also shocking to us to feel we were in a near ghost town, as everyone was truly following the pandemic mandates and staying home. Portugal is now reopening, slowly, as new cases, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID continue to drop.
Distant Witnesses
Distant Witnesses
Distant Witnesses
At the end of January 2021, my husband our dog and I moved from Oakland, California to Portugal. For the last three months we have been living in Coimbra, the ancient capital, where my ancestors lie buried. This city is also home to the country’s largest university, though until recently, you wouldn’t have noticed this as all students were either at home with their families, taking part in distance learning, or were staying indoors all day, as the state of emergency dictated by the government required. It was surprising to us to arrive here and see that everyone in the street, in the grocery stores and post office was wearing a mask. It was also shocking to us to feel we were in a near ghost town, as everyone was truly following the pandemic mandates and staying home. Portugal is now reopening, slowly, as new cases, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID continue to drop.