Madeirans are very far from a progressive, tolerant society and are very attached to an old, very backwards, uneducated way of living but the island has great infrastructure, absurd natural beauty and much dignity. Couldn't be more the opposite from Portugal mainland.

Hi Doug and Monique! I could definitely appreciate many of the topics you covered in this one, especially regarding the highways and big vehicles. When we visited the island in March, it was really nice to drive on highways that don't have 6 or 8 lanes and not have to worry about dodging huge pickups and giant SUVs! It was great to see you guys outside in this video. Those new mics are working out great. I was also really impressed by the cool shots and b-roll in this video. Cheers!

It’s interesting that you two pronounce Madeira differently 🙃

Groceries in Britain are much cheaper than in the US if you compare supermarkets in typical towns. Concessions at Phantom in London aren’t typical 😉. I especially love that HEALTHY food is cheaper in Britain.
So fun to see and hear about all the beautiful walking trails on Madeira! I do miss that when I’m in Texas.

Hi guys! I just found your channel today while riding the train in Austria!
I’m an American named Dara and my husband Ian is a dual citizen US/UK. We have semi retired and semi got rid of all our stuff and semi moved from Texas to England. But we did buy a home there. I’m excited to follow your journey. Always interesting to hear other couples FIRE stories 😉. Clicking the red button now. Nice to meet you! Dara

Just found your channel and subscribed! Looking forward to more about this Portuguese island. Best wishes on your retirement too.

Thanks so much for all your insight and information..I'm so on the fence to starting the final chapter in life, and it would be so nice to slow things down and really enjoy things.. WiL

Hi friends!! Good summary of the most shockers we found when flight back to our first half of live. Definitely, much of them are found also in Latin. I would rank among the harder that portugueses (perhaps all the europeans) are very reserved and have a quite different concept than us regarding service. Of course, I am not trying to make a negative judgement, but just saying that it’s hard because in our Latin countries we are extremely open and friendly with all, even more if the people are foreigners!… Hope to see you soon

Thank you for this video. What's the app you used to identify the plants?🌺

Great information and thank you for sharing your insight. Nice work on the video too, scenery was beautiful!

Those "shocking truths" seem mostly trivial?

As far as buying a home on Madeira who do you suggest for a real estate lawyer and where do you suggest looking for properties on the market? Thanks

#1 made me put the clip back on the bag of chips that I opened up just to watch the video. 🤣

Regarding billboards, I wrote this several years ago on a 4:30 AM cab ride to an airport.

Snippet

Riding in the cab at dark-thirty. Headed
to the airport—heading home. While most
of the world around me and the quiet cabby
remains dark and asleep, sucking kilowatts,
the billboards light the desecrated way
of 24/7 commercialism.
I notice only one. In huge letters it reads,
“The land of more.”

What it certainly lacks in grace it
does, I decide, afford in honesty
about whatever it was that I
was supposed to be wanting in this
land of more.

It doesn’t really matter that I missed the product.
The subliminal programming code has
been uploaded. One viral snippet of code—
the land of more.

So many things in life I want less of
in this land of more. Billboards, for one.

From "Looking Out onto Our World" by TP Graf

Take us on more walks. We enjoy the scenery!

Mimimal, frugal and free. Think I need a t-shirt with that on it.. 😉

Yeah America sucks .
Can’t wait to get outta here .
The gun violence is depressing and escalating .
I dream of Madeira every day and night.

Thank you, I enjoyed your video and thought it was mostly accurate. I do want to mention that 10 pounds British sterling (for a drink) is not equal to 20 dollars, neither in US nor Canadian. It is not a fair comparison for what you will pay for a glass of bubbly at a top west end theatre, which will always be expensive. With that said, food and drinks are crazy expensive now. Inflation! Yikes!

Awesome view from your patio! Again loved your video thanks for sharing.

So true – When we moved to the US from Europe, we were amazed over the serving size of food plates in restaurants. We were also annoyed when servers in restaurants kept coming back again and again asking 'do you need anything else'- If you said, 'we are ok', they would simply put the check on the table and say ' whenever you are ready'. This does not happen in Europe, as you also mentioned in your video. You can finish your meals and then kept talking and chatting until you are ready to leave. No one comes to you with the check, you have to ask for it. On the other hand, we just came back from a trip in Europe and the weather there was pretty warm and they don't have air condition in the hotels, nor they have ice dispensers. Also, fridge in hotel rooms are not always provided- We have become so used to these amenities here in the US. Regarding size of cars, we had to rent two cars in Europe for six of us because we did not find any mini vans, or were extremely expensive as opposed to two sedans.

Very nice video, really enjoyed it since I will be moving to Lisbon in a couple of months from Arizona. I am anxiously awaiting immersing myself in the culture and enjoying life there.

Great video. Just reinforces that I'm making the right decision moving to Portugal next year. Your pup is gorgeous!

We're soooo missing that view from your location
If you two decide to sell tickets for New Year's Eve party/ fireworks , let us know ahead a time
We're heading your way ( Madeira ) again next summer too
Hope it's all good in the 🏝️ and keep on enjoying the ☕ time ( well , any time ) is coffee time

So happy for you,America is not like it used to be …si much politics,so much political correctness…is tiring to watch the news and read so much negative staff in the papers.We are so happy for you guys,you have a beautiful home and life in Madeira, and certainly don't miss N America.I don't think America will ever be the same.Good luck.

Great Video guys thanks for sharing.

We no longer enjoy dining out in North America, mainly because we feel rushed out of the restaurant. We now save our dining out while on vacation… mainly in European countries

We went to Sintra this week for a few days… we missed our home in Setubal – homesick I guess.

It does show you that 'reversed culture shock' is a thing! Anything you missed in the US? Some US friends here in Setubal are missing the taste of North American steak – perhaps grass fed or different cattle feed in Portugal? The local vegetables are VERY different here in Portugal compared to the UK.

Doug – looking fit, stay healthy.
Monique – great opera dress.
Dog is precious. What's the name and breed?

You guys are great! Thank you for these videos. Very informative for those of us looking to move there. Keep them coming!

Great list and with many of them what I assumed they would be. Europeans have always had a much better sense of fashion. Athleisure wear has certainly exploded the last few years. It’s now slowly transitioning to business casual. Many of the brands like Lululemon, Rhône, and others have more business evening wear type of clothing. It’s comfortable and great for traveling too.

Very enjoyable video and one that gets to heart on why my wife and I want to pack up and move to Madeira. Its very interesting to be away for a relatively short amount of time and observe what and my wife and I take what is daily life for granted in North America. Keep up the very informative and enjoyable videos! Obrigado!

Very true about the lack of eye contact and reserved approach of the locals in Madeira. However, once the ice is broken, they are very welcoming and friendly. Had a great time in the island and look forward to bringing the kids next time. Such wonderful views and sites to visit. You need to be in good shape to do some of the hikes, but they are so worth the time and effort. Thanks for the great info!

G”day
Doug and Monique
Great to see you back on Madeira (Home)
I agree with the 10 things you noticed when you were back in the USA.
Medical Ads is another one
Try this mew medicine with 100 side affects.
Love the picture of the eucalyptus trees
Did you find any Koalas living up in the trees?
It is always enjoying to turn on YouTube and to see your smiling faces and enjoy watching your experiences
To everyone out their in YouTube land
Hit the Share arrow and forward videos to all your friends so we can help them get to 10,001 subscribers

Cheers!
Andrew and Monica

NO big bags of snacks for me!! I want to stay healthy during my retirement.

The biggest shock in the US is having our women fight for their rights in 2022. In the big scheme of things the rest is microscopic 🙁

I submit my D7 Visa next month and can't wait t get there in January!!

Of all your videos this has to be one of my favorites.

On #10 in Portugal, Madeira included, yes, people are a bit more reserved, not me by the way, my work colleagues and friends, always question me if I do have problems in my life, because I'm always happy, smiley, say hello to anyone, back to #10, we like you to prove yourself, working to be part of the "club" once we know your a genuine person, we let you in, and believe me, you will become a friend for life, and this were a lot of people make the same mistake, mixing Americans with Americans, possibly with British as well, French with French etc. the best way is, be genuine, try to speak in this case Portuguese, give someone a hand, break the ice, don't be shy, after that, things become natural, then you will be surprise how beautiful it is our way of life.

Nailed it! You hit all of the points that Carrie and I noticed after only being in Portugal for 2 weeks, and then returning to the US. We can't wait to come back for our next holiday, and eventually make it permanent.

Thanks for taking us along your hike! A change from the political news cycle and consumerism sounds lovely. You can certainly live outside of those in the States, but it is still ever-present.

The way middle-aged and older adults continue the comparisons that should have stopped in high school is so annoying. Even more annoying are all the bad habit that millennials have picked up. Some examples: laugh at comments that aren't funny, girls that wave their acrylic nails all over the place, including the words like and basically in every other sentence.
Have I left anyone out?
Still, Canadians are nearly always more polite, less annoying than Americans.

Never miss a video. I understand this is not a political channel but remember the famous quote from theologian Martin Niemoller about the importance
of speaking up. I'm not sure how long you spent back in the States. Let me tell you that people are seething with rage at the constant and deliberate
dismantling of traditions and rights. The blatant weaponizing of government agencies (DOJ) to ruin political enemies (and I come from a law-enforcement
family of local police officers, State Police and even a brother in the FBI so when I posit that the current administration is turning the U.S. into a Banana
Republic I do so with sadness). The systematic destruction of the dollar with endless money printing to usher in central bank digital currency. The egregious
wiping out of student debt while others (like myself and perhaps you) DID pay their obligations, and while others suffering under other types of debt are
treated with indifference. On and on and on. Sorry for the lengthy diatribe and negativity but it's very real and crucially important. Btw, I aspire to eventually
move overseas and your Portugal vids have been informative and helpful.

Great video! Did I miss something ? When did you get a dog what kind of dog is he?

About n10: what shocks me as a European is the artificiality of Americans always smiling. 😂 We enjoy other emotions, too, probably. It's not 'smile at all costs'. For me, watching US vlogs is disturbing, artificial and actually like a horror movie. 🤷‍♀️😂 That being said, thank you for the amazing channel, you're helping me plan my move to Madeira so much ❤️