[Sticky] AS REQUESTED: The Coimbra-specific forum/group (-:

@terrell Terrell, you have just made our day.  We are so excited to find dark sky communities closer to Coimbra than the Alqueva. My husband jumped up from his computer (which he rarely does) to run to mine to see the site.  Thanks so much for sending the link.

Before your note, we thought we would have to travel to Alqueva every time Bob wants serious stargazing.  This community makes Coimbra an even more attractive location to us and just about seals the deal.  Although now my husband will probably want to move to your area instead of Coimbra.  You have no idea how much he loves astronomy.  We'll see how that works out...

Thanks so much for the offer to meet you while we're there.  We would absolutely love to visit with you.  It's always so much better to see an area with someone who knows it.  Would you like to connect?  I'll send you a connection request in a minute.

Best of luck with your move.  We are very grateful for the information.

@kkcwalton stargazing is really easy near Coimbra. My grandmother's village is just 20min drive from here and I would do that from her bedroom balcony. There are plenty of Schist Villages in Lousã (closer than Góis) and I know them quite well as I guide tours and hikes around these villages. If you're searching for a secluded place to live, then you should consider them but keep in mind that there is really nothing in those villages and you have to drive everywhere (groceries included but also doctors etc). I understand the pros but also the cons when it comes to living in these villages, that's why they slowly lost their population, so make sure to know about them really well before you make such a decision. I never left Coimbra because we have everything here, and are still close to those places for when we need that off the grid location for a few days or just one night.

Alright and with this being said, you know I'll be available for more detailed information when you need me 🙂 all the best!

@luise Thanks for the response!  Really looking forward to viewing your video.  We'll subscribe and watch it today.  We've heard great things about the Silver Coast as well, and would be our first choice except for access to the university.

We plan to be in PT next year mid-Feb - mid-May to explore the country top to bottom and decide where to move, visas and pandemic allowing.  It's a bit fast for a full country tour, but we're limited by the 90 day Schengen requirement for US citizens.  Bummer.

I'm Karen BTW.  Nice to meet you!

Posted by: @saracruz

@kkcwalton about the damp in the buildings... that happens because people don't have the money to remodel the houses AND the knowledge to use a proper ventilation system. Well I would risk saying 98% of the houses in Portugal don't even have any ventilation system (even those with interior bathrooms). Most construction in Portugal is made without an architect on sight and obviously that affects the overall quality of living in the buildings. It took me 2 years for me and my husband (who studied architecture) to figure that out for our apartment, some bad experiences with people and lots of consultations to different companies etc... anyway with with proper information and a plan you'll be able to solve it wherever you want to live in Portugal. We have no problems with damp anymore (why should we, our country has MUCH better weather than Central and Northern Europe and they have better construction for a reason!).

There are certain parts of Coimbra (and Portugal) that suffer more with humidity (this has to be with the geomorphology of the territory and how/where the city halls allowed to construct, so you need to be aware of that). I'll be more than happy to let you know all about that in more detail when you're ready.

All the best!

@saracruz I think Gary is planning to cover this subject for one of the webinars. I for one CAN'T WAIT! 🙂 

It will be very popular I'm sure.