My kingdom for a well-fitting pair of hikers
Finding stuff to buy #2 - Clothing
I desperately need to buy hiking boots.
I found out when I took a walk in the first rain of the rainy season here. It’s been well documented how slick Portugal’s beautiful cobblestone sidewalks are. When it rains, though, it’s a whole new ballgame; it’s like walking on a sheet of ice. So naturally I wore my hiking boots. Now, I’ve had these boots a while. Long enough ago that I’m not sure what decade it was. Was it 20 years ago? Or 30? I love them to pieces. They are New Balance - bought on a steep sale at the moment New Balance gave up it’s flirtation with making hiking boots. I bought them first for when I was a volunteer at High Hopes Therapeutic Riding Center. Then I discovered hiking - they’ve been a key part of our adventures across America’s amazing National Parks, and weekly Saturday hikes to boot.
So with the rain at the beginning of the month (was the rainy season maybe starting earlier this year?), I pulled them out. And then slid the whole way to my destination. When I got home I took a look at the bottoms - all the grip was gone. Sadly, it’s time for new ones. I have picky feet, so I know finding my next pair is not going to be the easiest. But these double as my rain shoes, so I have to get cracking.
Naturally I turned to The Google. *sigh* Finding Stuff To Buy is one of my bigger issues here. In St. Louis I had an REI, Duluth, Dick’s Sporting Goods, the Alpine Shop, Cabela’s - and that’s not to mention a slew of brand specific stores like Timberland, North Face, etc. If those failed me, Zappos with its easy return was always an option. When I popped “hiking boot stores Lisbon” into TG, my results were … not the same. There’s a chain store here called Decathlon, and an Outpro1. For brands, I have Merrell, Timberland, and an apparently very expensive Yupik.
That should be plenty, right? So I popped into Timberland when I was in the mall buying food. Yeah, here the anchors to the mall aren’t major department stores, but are the Big Grocery Stores. Timberland was… sad. In women’s hikers, they had three. Count ‘em, 3. Sadly, the one that would work for me didn’t fit well at all.
On to The Big Chain Store: Decathlon. Masses of cheap hiking boots. Literally two decent boots I would consider. Neither fit. This was not going in the direction I’d thought it would. Next up: the Mom & Pop store. Nothing. Nada. This left Merrell. Today I made my way there, with a lovely walk through Rossio Square. A friend had suggested trying their Moab 3, as its rumored to have the fit my picky foot might like. And SCORE! Phew! Yes, it was harder to find the hikers, and I was distinctly aware I have less choice here. That reduction in choice led me to pick a hiker that isn’t as perfect for me as I would wish - but it ought to work.
I want to make it clear: We don’t spend all of our time shopping. Arriving in a country with 6 bags and 2 carry-ons to your name will, however, necessitate getting stuff. Underwear if nothing else.
In the US, the main place I bought clothes was Goodwill. When we met with our real estate agent a month or so after we had semi-settled in, she let us in on the goods: the equivalent here is Humana Clothes. PHEW! Unfortunately, I found the same problem I had when I was desperately scouring the mall for something - anything - to wear while our luggage was lost. Not a single thing appealed. Which makes sense - all the clothes originally came from the mall. Not a single thing like LL Bean, Talbots, Lands End. The styles here were shockingly different. Flounces, frills, patterns, and every dress sweeping the floor. We’re not in Maine anymore.
If I have to buy new, I like to buy sustainable and something that will last. With the options available - for my taste, anyway - I’ve had to adjust that outlook. My new favorite store is coincidentally in my new favorite mall (who’da thunk I’d go to malls? And enough at that to have a favorite!), Colombo. Primark is a huge Irish/multi-national fast fashion giant store.
Needing everything, and not finding anything I liked, it was hard to avoid the ease and comfort of their clothes. It’s at the opposite end of pricey, so if you’re not sure it’s your style - and are hoping you will one day find a place that carries something simple for not too much - this was just the ticket. I hope in the future to find stores/brands here that work for me, but until then, Primark may be my main source.
Earlier this year, I was sick of not being able to find simple clothes that are well-made. I took a stroll through LL Bean’s website (it was, after all, their sale ;-) ). Lo and behold, they DO offer shipping to Portugal! I happily put many things in my cart, knowing there would be some charge for the VAT (a type of tax) and customs duty at the end. And then I went to check out. The VAT + customs almost doubled the cost. *sigh* Oh well.
On the other hand, I was wandering desperately through a store, in need of a light dress to wear in the summer, and stumbled on something that is lovely to wear. So perhaps finding clothes here is also about being open to adapting - changing what I’m normally comfortable wearing.
That’s all for now.
Love from Lisbon,
Amy
The other stores here that carry multiple brands of shoes don’t seem to carry hiking boots.
When you've done with your old hikers, plant them up with succulents and put them on your terrace. I did that with a couple of pairs that we bought in the late 80s, the succulents thrived and the boots got moss covered. They looked wonderful and got many comments from passers by. I was gutted to have to leave them when we came to Portugal because of regulations. I will definitely get another pair or two and do it again here!
Not necessarily for boots, but have you tried vinted for clothes? They're a secondhand website where I got most of my clothes in Scotland and I think they have a Portuguese one too