Season 2 keeps rolling as Fernando (Lisbon) and Jason (Athens) dig into the surprising gifts of life abroad. Jason’s mom comes to visit and gets a full tour of his very decorated apartment. Then the two head to Italy, where a pilgrimage to the Vatican turns into a moment Jason didn’t see coming. Back in Rome, a stranger’s “piggy piggy” comment at a famous gelato shop gets one of the best comebacks we’ve ever heard.

Fernando corrects the record from last episode on cholesterol numbers and shares a GLP-1 progress update. The guys also swap horror stories about Europe’s tiny elevators and its “we’re all adults here” approach to cliffs and guardrails.

Fernando owns a well-meaning misstep while trying to help clients of color moving to Portugal, and Jason has thoughts. They wrap with Troye Sivan’s star-studded new video, the forgotten story of Jobriath (the first openly gay rock star) and a big question: why do gay men worship so many divas but so few gay male idols?

Moving to Europe from the US in mid-life plus lots of gay stuff...this is Bear Fur & Sparkles.

Jason has gone full nudist on the beaches of Athens and gets the best pickup line of his life from an Italian in Torremolinos, Spain.

Fernando tells the full story of starting a GLP-1: what "food noise" is, how his sweet tooth switched off, and the cholesterol numbers that shocked his doctor.

Plus!

• DIY Pride in Athens and Lisbon

• Madonna's Confessions on a Dance Floor 2

• Where were we when Dolly died?

• And one very underwhelming solar eclipse

(Couple corrections for this episode: Total cholesterol is considered high when the number reaches 240mg/dl or more.

Lisbon hosted Euro Pride in 2025, not World Pride.

Apologies, we promise to be better in the future.)

Fernando and Jason close out Season 1 with their most personal episode yet. The three-year itch is real — and Fernando admits he and Jeremy nearly didn't make it through. Together they unpack the four phases every immigrant/expat cycles through (honeymoon, culture shock, the breaking point, and acceptance), why it looks less like a straight line and more like a spiral staircase, and what it actually takes to decide you're staying.

They also get into the new Portuguese citizenship law, the difference between patience and resignation, and why hustle culture hits different when you're living somewhere that truly does not care about your timeline.

Plus: a nude beach in Dubrovnik that went sideways, Greek grandmas who play by their own rules, and an oversized porcelain art piece that absolutely had to fly carry-on from San Francisco to Athens. It is truly XL...just like this episode.

See you after summer!

Fernando and Jason have freshly returned from the US! For Jason, it was his first time back since moving abroad. Both of them are in their feelings. Fernando headed to Seattle's Vashon Island for his godson's 18th birthday (strangers, ferries, teen drama — it had everything). Jason flew to San Francisco to complete filming on his feature documentary.

In between the laughs — Jason's belly dancer 18th birthday story, a debate about storage units and butt plug sculptures, $86 pizzas, and an empty Virgin Atlantic flight that said everything about the moment — they get real about identity, belonging, and what it means to stop trying to become someone else.

Also: Portugal just doubled the path to citizenship from 5 years to 10. Fernando breaks it down, keeps it calm, and finds the silver lining. Plus: listener Jules gets her answer about The Thing in the Closet. You'll know when you get there.

In this episode of Bear Fur & Sparkles, Fernando (Lisbon) and Jason (Athens) get refreshingly honest about two topics people rarely discuss together: food and sex. (Unless you freaky like that then go on girl, do you!)

Fernando confesses he's gained 10 pounds since moving to Portugal — but here's the twist: he's never felt better about his body, he's off every fad diet he was cycling through in California, and the chains are officially off!

Jason gets even more personal, sharing how PrEP's limited availability in Greece has been a wake-up call — one that connects to a lifetime of shame, fear, and the very real trauma that gay men of their generation carry from growing up during the AIDS crisis. They talk about the life-changing harm reduction models at San Francisco's Magnet and Strut clinics, what it means to reclaim your body for pleasure, and why access to sexual health care is a quality-of-life issue — not a moral one.

They also answer a listener question from Tara, who wants to know: where do I even begin if I want to move abroad? Fernando and Jason break it down with practical, honest advice — including the most important question you need to ask yourself before you book that one-way ticket.

Plus! Fernando reveals to Jason how he saved Fernando's move to Portugal.

Oh, and we debut our brand new theme song. 🎶

Enjoy episode 3 of Bear Fur & Sparkles!

What is "disidentification?" You could be doing it right now! Jason spills the tea on that and his struggles to come to terms with new cultural norms in Greece.

With budget airlines and aggressive competition, air travel in Europe is thought to be inexpensive and easy. Fernando draws back the curtain on what travel is really like within the European continent.

Episode one of Bear Fur and Sparkles starts with Jason's brush with a god on the Athens subway and Fernando's hot takes on the "Heated Rivalry" phenomenon.

Then hear the full story of why they chose to leave the US and begin again with new lives in Europe. If you've ever thought about living in a foreign country, you'll love the first episode of Bear Fur and Sparkles!