Winter Wings E-Book

Monika von Borthwick

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Seitenzahl: 314

Beschreibung

MoWuKnuffels? This is the lovingly assembled crew of a mobile home. It consists of two affectionate female dogs and a retired mistress. These three girls have taken up travelling together and have visited many countries in Europe and North America independently. A woman alone? In a camper van? With two lively dogs? Sometimes thousands of kilometres on their own? It's possible and it's... fun! Be brave! The first step is the most difficult one. In her diary, the author continuously and comprehensively describes her daily experiences and reflects on her host country. Campervan enthusiasts with a thirst for adventure will find this book just as appealing as dog lovers or independent women.

Leseprobe

MoWuKnuffels?

This is the lovingly assembled crew of a mobile home. It consists of two affectionate female dogs and a retired mistress. These three girls have taken up travelling together and have visited many countries in Europe and North America independently.

A woman alone? In a camper van? With two lively dogs? Sometimes thousands of kilometres on their own? It’s possible and it’s... fun! Be brave! The first step is the most difficult one!

In her diary, the author continuously and comprehensively describes her daily experiences and reflects on her host country. Campervan enthusiasts with a thirst for adventure will find this book just as appealing as dog lovers or independent women.

Monika von Borthwick belongs to the somewhat older generation and lives in culturally rich Upper Bavaria, on the border with Austria. In addition to her professional work, she was a tour guide for bus travellers in Europe for many years. Even then, she wrote down her experiences of the country and its people in detail.

After the death of her husband, she started travelling on her own and explored numerous areas in Europe with her newly purchased motorhome and her two female dogs. In the process, she discovered a love for storytelling and sent detailed reports home by email. These are now available in bound form for this long-term journey across Portugal

Synopsis:

1st section

Evora around Lagos

2nd section

The Algarve between Lagos and Tavira

3rd section

Westcoast Roundtrip Alentejo Lisbon

4th section

From Lisbon to Porto

5th section

Excursion to Beira

6th section

Porto Along the Duoro Farewell to Portugal

Introduction

MoWuKnuffels?

Who is behind this name? The secret can be quickly revealed: Monika is my name, Wuschel is my mixed-breed bitch with a Bernese Mountain dog as father and Knuffi is my youngest “family member” on four paws, an attentive and cheeky buddy. Her father is a dachshund, and she is therefore a bit headstrong. The three of us have been practically inseparable for years. Since the death of my husband several years ago, we have taken up travelling and have conquered many regions in Europe, but also in America, Canada, Alaska and Mexico with our motorhome.

Due to our extensive travels (as well as the advanced age of my big dog), our travel budget for the upcoming cold season had shrunk enormously. Therefore, we decided to spend the coming winter in Europe for a change. Despite everything, we wanted to escape the Bavarian cold and therefore decided to discover in more detail the southern European country of Portugal, which was unknown to us. We allowed half a year for this, to allow us to extensively experience the diversity of the country, its landscapes, cultures, traditions and people. The compact guidebook from WOMO-Verlag, Mittelsdorf and the ever-present internet were an indispensable guide and companion, as well as the basis for my explorations on this long journey. This diary does not replace an official travel guide though. It is rather meant as an encouragement to travel with open eyes and hearts and thus to add small and large adventures to your travelling experience. We wanted to follow the example of the storks, which often build their winter quarters in the Portuguese city of Faro. My friendly and alert dogs played a major role as a catalyst in interpersonal contacts.

Upper Bavaria, autumn 2013/2020 improved new edition

Monika von Borthwick

Winterwings

Wintering in Portugal like storks

1st section: Evora and Lagos

Journey through France and Spain about 2,500 kilometres

Évora and its Roman heritage

We have won! What? One hour of time! We have landed in a new time zone. Where are we staying tonight? We drove all the way to Évora. It was wonderfully easy although we had a lot of motorway kilometres ahead of us. No snail’s pace through small villages!

The day began with a cloudless sky in the direction of Portugal. Well, it was a bit chilly last night. The small fan heater had to be on all the time and the ground was frosty under the vehicle. But my two dogs were cosy and warm under their double blankets. Knuffi always nestled in the driver’s seat anyway. After all, this was her mistress’s regular place. She had to show that she was the real boss.

Brilliant weather for the next four hundred kilometres! Somehow unusual after the previous rainy period. In secret I was always on the lookout for clusters of clouds. These were in the direction of Spain! I could finally show off my sunglasses.

The road was perfectly developed and after a hundred kilometres we were at the Portuguese border. The landscape changed abruptly, and it became hilly, downright mountainous. You don’t only find an area called “Jumbo Rock” in Arizona. Numerous huge boulders - jumbo rocks - lay around in the landscape, forming the most outlandish shapes.

The many small villages made a far more appealing impression than a lot of the Spanish settlements in the neighbourhood. Gleaming white houses with coloured edges: they are sometimes blue, sometimes orange, all small and dainty. I enjoyed driving through this area. Many olive trees, the siennabrown earth, here and there an old cart...Admittedly, the world is more beautiful in bright sunshine!

At around four o’clock local time we arrived at the chosen campsite. It was not very crowded at that time of day, and I was free to choose my own spot. Most of the guests were Dutch and British. I saw only a few Germans. The number of camper vans had suddenly decreased since we passed the French border. Here we were still loners!

I wanted to study a bit of literature, so I didn’t do much more that day. The bicycle was ready for tomorrow. I wanted to ride it to the old Roman town. The parking problem should therefore not bother me. Besides which, passing the waiting time in their spacious doghouse was more comfortable for my two companions. We were staying two nights in any case, because the city was worth seeing. With the camping card, I only paid ten euros per night and the dogs were free of charge this time. Nice owner! There was also a free hotspot, and I could check my mail in the morning in all comfort.

There was a lot to see in the surroundings of Évora. I saved that for later when I was warmed up again. Next focus would be the Algarve for three weeks and then in mid-December the area between Lisbon and Porto. Around that time, I intended to visit my former colleague in Aveiro. He had been preparing himself mentally for quite some time!

Évora in the sunshine

Suspicious of the weather, I peeped out of the window this morning. Cloudless with a red stripe in the east, announcing the sun. It couldn’t be true! I prepared myself for a leisurely walk around the city. Breakfast was frugal, as I only had stale bread in the house and didn’t know where the nearest bakery was. The Spartan leftover was roasted over a flame, trapperstyle. I cycled two and a half kilometres from the campsite to the Roman city wall - a circular route of about four and a half kilometres. I didn’t have to cycle around it though, as there were a few convenient shortcuts into the old town.

I still had my jacket on over my jumper. Soon I tied it around my waist. Évora in the bright sunshine! First, I mistook the church in the main square for the cathedral, as I only had a simple map of the city. Then I found God’s fortress on the hill. A mighty building with an atmospheric cloister (... as well as a hidden and much needed toilet!). A small museum with several treasures from the past was to be visited too. I was even more fascinated by the attempts of some workers to manoeuvre a huge painting down narrow passages, steep stairs, and tight curves. Upright, across, at an angle, twisted, no variation was left out. Somehow, they must have succeeded, because I saw them later fixing the monumental painting in the church. Congratulations!

Afterwards, I strolled leisurely through streets that were so narrow that you had to squeeze your car to their size, photographed some hidden little things, was on the lookout for two churches with beautiful azulejos and finally ended up at the main sight of the city: the impressive Roman temple remains.

It was almost one o’clock and I didn’t want to leave my dogs cooped up for too long. Besides, the supermarket I had spotted on the way in was urgently needed. On the return journey by bike, I realised why I had struggled so much in the opposite direction. Gently and slowly, almost unnoticeably, it went downhill to the campsite.

Unbelievable! Lunch outside, in a short-sleeved T-shirt, barefoot, in bright sunshine. I guessed it was easily 20°C to 22°C at lunchtime. My girls sought shade under the bushes and I immersed myself in Portugal’s sights. I was still at odds with myself about which campsite we should head for tomorrow. After all, there were four to choose from.

I had a somewhat heated discussion with my elderly Dutch neighbours who wanted to ban me from the campsite because of my dogs. Stupid people! As if they had leased the whole campsite! Just because my two ladies had barked twice in a row! I wasn’t quite right in my head, apparently! Should I now agree with them, get angry, or pity them for their intolerance? I had the silent agreement of the owner of the campsite in Ondres/France, who had claimed that she had mostly had bad experiences with the Dutch. According to her they were very unfriendly, but I didn’t want to believe it! Now I had proof. I put them off in an exaggeratedly friendly manner until my departure tomorrow and grinned broadly at them whenever they watched me intrusively. Everyone can imagine what I was thinking!

I was curious to see whether we would manage without heating tomorrow night. After all, we would be driving another two hundred and forty kilometres south, to Lagos. It was still chilly at night, even in Évora!

Winter stay at Turiscampo

What is the intensification of “warm”? Warmer? Worms? Or something like that? I was happy about the sunshine and proud of the tan lines of my watch! We did the morning routines in a leisurely fashion, bought essentials at the supermarket, and filled up with petrol. (This would probably be the last tank of petrol for this month and the next - I thought naively).

The country road via Beja was very well built, later it became a bit bumpier. The subsidies from the EU had probably not been enough here! The landscape was extremely varied: cork oaks, eucalyptus trees, olives, orange trees, flocks of sheep, small white villages perched on hills, several fortresses, plateaus, mountain landscapes, few settlements, … the whole palette of a southern region. Almost at the end we took the toll motorway because the many bends between the deserted hills simply took too much time! I could turn off the heating and open the window! A driving experience I had had to do without for a long time! I quickly found our campsite near Lagos, eighty kilometres west of Faro. Unfortunately, it was two kilometres away from the sea. That was the case with many campsites here! On the other hand, it offered everything a camper’s heart could desire: spacious shady and sunny pitches, a swimming pool that could be used free of charge (depending on the weather), internet access for fifteen euros a week (not the most expensive I have paid!), several washing machines, a supermarket and so on. All for twelve euros a night, so you couldn’t complain. I wasn’t charged for my dogs! A noble gesture! (www.turiscampo.com -for whoever may be interested). For several months, of course, this enclave would not be suitable for me. However, as I planned to visit many other places, it was quite possible to feel comfortable there for a fortnight -especially after the long journey from Germany. The audience was mainly made up of Dutch and British “migrants”. I saw a few Germans from time to time as well.

Now I unpacked for the time being: my patio mat, my deck chair, the stools, the table, … you could leave everything outside, because there was no rain forecast!

For the dogs, there was sufficient walking space in the green outside the site. To get to the beach with them, I had to drive, because the only way there was through a road. Utopia! They were not allowed on this beach anyway. So, I had to ask around: a few kilometres further on, four-legged friends would be allowed to run and romp along the water - that’s why I postponed that until later. Other more urgent errands had to be done first. The coast would not go anywhere! Besides, my two ladies felt comfortable under the trees. Tomorrow I would turn the camper towards the sun so that I would benefit more from it. I first had to test the compass direction today.

It can rain here too!

Third day in Lagos and fate had caught up with us. In good German fashion: cold weather front! It rained again! Only advantage, it was not so cold. According to the weather forecast, the temperatures would drop even further.

It was good that I had been washing clothes like a madwoman for the last few days. Six machines were needed after more than three weeks, dog blankets and bed linen as well. It was all allowed to dry in the (still out) sun, because there was no tumble dryer (as advertised) here. In the breaks in between, I basked in the sun, walked my dogs around the field behind the campsite several times and finished reading two short books. I didn’t feel the need to visit the city yet. First, I wanted to get used to everything.

Then today we had this grey sky when I got up. It looked rather gloomy like there would be a thunderstorm. But the clouds cleared after a while and modestly let the sunshine through. Well, today would have been city weather. But after the necessary e-mails, I was gripped by the urge to learn and tried my computer skills for the first time with the Movie Maker programme. A friend had taught me the basics during my last visit and now it was time to experiment on my own. I got pictures of the many mechanical dolls in the Automatons Museum in La Rochelle and arranged them on a slideshow. That meant cutting, sorting, adding commentary, enlivening with music... I forgot about food and quickly heated up some leftovers during the saving process. At four o’clock in the afternoon, I had completed a respectable sixteen-minute first work of 137 MB! I was proud of myself. Saving it to the PC took almost half an hour. I had succeeded in taking another step towards optimising travel reports!

I used the evening to relax and left the programme open for tomorrow. Maybe we can visit Lagos too?

First Lagos tour

Big white cloud towers from the west! Bright sunshine in the southeast! Who would win? It was icy cold. The wind whistled around my ears.

On the obligatory morning walk we were accompanied by two big dogs that pulled a nice English woman. She lived with her family in the country of Wales and would be staying over Christmas. I showed her our “pee loop” and we had a great chat. I told you: The Algarve, a British colony!

After breakfast I shredded some stale bread! Later it would become bacon dumplings! They were not kneaded and needed until the evening. Wuschel and Knuffi got the hard pieces, which I couldn’t even manage with the knife. After all, fourlegged friends also bite bones, right? Then I got up and took the public bus to Lagos. I didn’t want to stay long. It was just supposed to be a first orientation walk and a reconnaissance of the road conditions. Supermarkets? At some point I would need to get dog food again!

It took two hours to explore the compact old town. It was quickly walked through. A cosy and almost deserted place was my first impression. I looked at the property prices: everything was advertised in English currency and European euros. Pretty high prices! They were all new building projects. I guess they were counting on the wealthy foreign customers!

The motor yachts in the marina were nice to see! Nevertheless, everything did not make such an ostentatious impression as the ones on the French Riviera. The beach promenade was clean and well-kept, the small hidden alleys tidy. An almost unusual impression when you compare it with other southern countries. Very pleasant!

I managed to find the bus station, and the right bus home as well, easily enough. I discovered a supermarket on the direct route, with nice wide driveways and parking spaces. If I wanted to take the dogs to the long beach in Lagos, I only needed to park at the harbour. That would be easy at this time of year.

I don’t have any definite plans for tomorrow yet. I’ll let the weather decide as there is so much to see. The hinterland also seems interesting. I prefer fresh water to seawater, otherwise I have problems at night with Wuschel’s digestion. She’ll probably never learn and keep drinking the salty water!

LAGOS - Harbour old and new

A stretch of coast to fall in love with

Wow! What a coastline! It could compete with the most exquisite stretches of land in the world … and almost touristfree at this time of year!

Slow down now! One after the other! On our first walk this morning at half past seven it was four degrees Celsius outside. I wasn’t taken by surprise as my heater kept turning on diligently during the night. Bravely we set off. The sun came over the horizon and bathed everything in pleasant light. At the same time, its rays on our skin gave us a subjective feeling of warmth. Objectively, the temperature had certainly not changed much in the last ten minutes. A bright, cloudless day! You couldn’t just let it go by.

So, later I ventured into the open sanitary facilities for a shower at ten degrees. I would never do that at home! Just imagine: only ten degrees in the bathroom! Thank goodness the water was pleasantly hot. Nevertheless, afterwards I had to shower quickly before I ran out of hot water. That got the circulation going and awakened the spirits! Without a hot stream of water, the day would start off badly!

I anchored everything in the camper van as usual and headed for the southern tip of Lagos: Ponta da Piedade. Before that, I stopped at the supermarket because it was practically on the way. I invested a few euros in an electric hot plate. That way I could save my precious gas (I was very stingy because I didn’t know where to get gas in Portugal). In two months, this purchase had paid for itself, because now I didn’t need gas at all in the campsite - except for maybe occasionally for my oven. After all, electricity was included in the fees. I still had a bottle of gas in reserve. Let’s see if my calculation works out!

It was three kilometres to the top of the most photographed point in Portugal. When I saw the rock formations, I could utterly understand it. With the girls, well-behaved on a short leash, we walked the eastern side of the lighthouse. We de scended deep to where the boats dock in summer (grotto rides), puffed our way back up the many stairs, ran along the steep slopes, couldn’t get enough of the blue sea and the orange red to yellowish rocks in the sea wall and the glistening sunlight on the water. “We” was probably an exaggeration, because my dogs were more interested in the smell of the maquis! Instinctively, they always lie down when I reach for the camera. Slowly they are getting used to these constant stops!

The western side of the bay was certainly just as interesting. I kept this visit in mind to come back one of the next days. Tomorrow perhaps?

We had reached and seen enough for today. One should not overstress. We would be here for a few more days! On the way back, I looked for a LIDL discount store that a neighbour had described to me. After sixteen hopeless kilometres I stopped. I probably hadn’t been paying attention to his explanations. Rather than aimlessly driving through the area, I preferred to pay a few pennies more in the other shop. There I also got my alcohol-free beer. Here in Portugal, there were a lot of different kinds. Even dark beer without “fuel” could be bought too. It was called “Super Bock” and tasted great. In the cool of the evening, hot tea was usually more welcome though.

Now I’m looking forward to tomorrow. It’s supposed to be as nice as today again - said the weather forecast.

PONTA DA PIEDADE – East side

PONTA DA PIEDADE West Side and Lighthouse

Exploring the nearest surroundings

A few clouds from Africa, a pale morning sun and a strong wind from the west. What did the weather have in store for us? The general trend was towards rainy, but warmer! Of course, if the clouds kept out the incoming cold!

After the daring shower bath, the sun was shining! So, we headed straight for the west side of Ponta da Piedade! Otherwise, we might regret it later. At half past ten we were at the lighthouse.

It took a little while until mistress was ready for the tour, but finally the long leashes were used. Today I could let my two ladies run more freely, because the paths along the cliffs were not as narrow and steep as yesterday. We walked along beautiful paths by the sea and had fantastic views. The trail was not as spectacular as yesterday, but much more passable. We hiked until a villa area put a stop to us. No thanks, we didn’t want to continue on the asphalt, so we started the way back.

All in all, we had been walking for two hours in the warmth and sunshine. The simple pullover and a cap to protect myself from the sun were sufficient.

I had positioned our camper so that we could enjoy a wonderful view while having a snack and the ladies had enough shade. During our picnic I had conversations with German tourists. A few of this kind here!

I was in the mood to explore and wanted to go to the beach of Mos, just around the corner. I got lost as the area was being developed but a friendly motorcyclist took me to the right road. On this stretch of coast, there had been a lot of bold investment in sun-seeker tourism and the purchasing power of foreigners. For this to happen, however, the economy would have to stay on top. Otherwise, the investors were making a huge miscalculation. It seemed to me that there were still enough rich people who could afford a small villa with a pool in the Algarve.

No dogs on the beach at Mos! We disappeared again. Now I wanted to go to Luz while I was still behind the wheel! The village was only two and a half kilometres from our accommodation.

I swung into a larger parking space just in time before it got crowded. Luz was the best example of what tourism had done to a fishing village.

An English couple with a dog explained to me on request that dogs were tolerated on the beach in winter - despite prohibition signs. My two companions were finally allowed to dig their sand holes and roll around on the beach! It was so beautiful! We looked for a quiet spot away from the few visitors and had a wonderful hour by the water.

Luz has an “Orbitur” campsite. I wanted to have a look at it. It was fifty euros a month cheaper. I found out that it was not as nice as ours and it was dirty! In addition, there was no exercise area for my dogs like the one we had in the field in front of my house. This realisation encouraged me to extend my stay at the Turiscampo until New Year. Here I was centrally located and could move in all directions without having to travel too far. The hinterland was also within easy reach. So why change when we had already made friends here?

I want to have a look at the place in Sagres in the next few days, because Lagos is too big for me! Sagres, on the other hand, should be much smaller and cosier, according to the description. Let’s see!

We’ve already been here for a week!

The first week has passed, and boy did it go fast! Where did all the clouds come from overnight? The weather forecast seemed accurate but yesterday I couldn’t take it seriously, what with the bright day!

It was cool at half past seven on our pee lap! This time I preferred to do my morning ablutions in the camper. We wanted to take it easy today. I tried to find my previous English neighbours in row nine: they had moved. Yesterday I was not lucky enough to find them, but today we were successful. They were sitting closely in the middle of a German “colony”. I would never pay that price for a little more sun!

What a cosy place we had here on 209! Free pitches all around! As much space as we wanted! We could use every corner for sun without stepping on anyone’s toes. It was not far to the necessary supply points! The dogs had a whole pitch to themselves! We would stay here! Even the neighbours from Wales (flag was already up) with the two big dogs agreed with me!

We wouldn’t lose sight of each other though, because on Sunday, for the first Advent I had “teatime” with Christmas biscuits! I had brought the goodies from Bavaria for that!

Internet check, reading time in the intermittent sun, lunch and siesta! It was soon three o’clock and a bigger hole opened up in the sky letting the sunshine. I had the stupid idea of marching to Luz with my two ladies. Not the direct way, though, but the long way via the other campsite.

We only took this route once! Along the road to Lagos, heading east, it was still entertaining, as the road parallel to the main one was hardly frequented, and we could walk well and without too many disturbances. When we turned off towards Luz, the stress began. I didn’t remember the road being that busy, but today, cars were following each other in both directions, and I had to put my dogs on a leash for a short while because there wasn’t even a hard shoulder.

I had overlooked the fact that it usually started to get chilly again from four o’clock onwards and had carelessly set off with only a jumper and rain cape. There was an extremely chilly breeze. Thank God it stayed dry! The cape saved me from the cold and protected me from the unpleasant wind!

We hardly had time for the deserted beach this time, as the sun began its descent and thick clouds appeared from the west. I wanted to take the quickest way home! Who knew how long the weather would hold?

At home I prevented a possible cold: three lemons in half a litre of boiling water and two Paracetamol tablets! Let’s see if it does any good. The sky was completely overcast, and it was blowing and raining. We had really been lucky with our timing. A joker in the weather poker.

Four weeks until Christmas

Well, we should delete yesterday from our calendar. Icy cold, downpours (that wasn’t just rain anymore!) and a storm from the west. We hid in the camper and only went out to pee. I dug my warm anorak out of the luggage compartment!

Today there was at least a small hole in the sky for the morning round and a bit of the first sun’s rays. We were compen sated with a natural spectacle of a special kind during this round. Who has ever seen a double rainbow? The sun was apparently so favourably positioned that it showed the sky bridge twice in front of the dark clouds. Noticeably clear and distinct. The rainbows started at the campsite and stretched right over our field next door.

The weather today was more April-like: sun, rain, thunderstorms, small hailstone...Let’s see if anything comes of our Advent meeting. As a precaution, I had extended the awning to protect us from the rain. In an emergency we could always hide in the camper! Five people were the absolute maximum, I had realised.

We campers were a little crazy! Everyone had settled down outside. The British, especially the Welsh, were extremely tough. If you saw anyone running around in shorts in this weather, it was an islander! We had an entertaining afternoon and were not afraid at all of interaction.

When we got to talking about the weather, someone told us that it was already snowing in northern Portugal. I could just imagine, with the cold here in the Algarve! I could kiss my sinfully expensive sock slippers from Lafayette twice every day, I was so happy about my warm feet! How glad I was I got over the mountains sooner than I had planned! Now I would be in the middle of the white splendour!

Tonight’s heavy rain reminded me a little of my adventure in Gran Canaria in the winter of 04/05, when it rained for such a long time in February and the temperature dropped so much that the water penetrated the walls of my flat and the almond blossom festival was celebrated in snow.

Thank God, at the moment my camper was sealed, and the heating worked. However, I had to watch the amps, as my fuse had already blown twice. This was especially true for my small two-plate cooker. I always had to juggle switching it on and off and use residual heat so as not to overload the amperage. But it went quite well if you took that into account. Wi-Fi was not possible now, as the storm had apparently damaged something in the antenna. So, no internet for a few days. I could live with that. Would the others too?

The countdown to Christmas begins!

Of course, it was rainy and cold, how could it be otherwise? Nevertheless, after breakfast I was gripped by the spirit of adventure and curiosity. I wanted to see something again after two days of forced rest. I set off for Sagres, half an hour’s drive from here. After all, I wanted to find the “Lidl”, which Leslie had given me directions for again. Before that, sightseeing was the order of the day although the clouds were approaching threateningly from the west: there was a lot going on in the weather kitchen. Well, we didn’t necessarily have to go out.

I was standing at the southwestern point in Europe and had to endure several gusts of wind and rain showers. Nevertheless, I climbed out of my shelter zone because the place was unique to me with its sixty-metre-high cliff and its lighthouse, which was supposed to emit the most powerful beacon in Europe: it is visible for over fifty kilometres. Surely, I would return in dry weather. Cabo de São Vicente was - even in Roman times - a stormy plateau where the gods used to rest at night. At first, I wondered about the countless Portuguese cars parked in the mud and in the maquis. At first, I had sinful thoughts because I couldn’t explain it any other way. But suddenly I saw many two-legged climbing goats with fishing rods in the rocky slopes. Each one seemed to have his favourite spot. Equipped with all kinds of utensils, including an umbrella, the fishermen changed baits under it. No rain shower could stop them from catching their prey. At first, I didn’t notice there were many of them, but if you scanned the rocks more closely with your eye…

The weather forced me back to the camper and we drove to the fortress. The huge car park looked desolate and deserted. A few camper vans were standing around, they had probably spent the night here. You were allowed to stay there freely. I saved this sightseeing point for later: the weather would get better sometime!

I found “Lidl” in Vila do Bispo after two attempts! Before I could get stuck in the old town centre, I skilfully took the bend over the uneven cobblestones! After shopping (I was amazed at the numerous well-known German products!) the weather seemed to have improved a bit. Therefore, despite budding hunger pangs, my two ladies could dig in the sand of Luz. While I sat on the stones in a winter anorak and headband, a couple of English-speaking “penguins” in wetsuits frolicked on surfboards in the water. Can you imagine a greater contrast?

Between three and four in the afternoon, we had lunch and dinner in one. My stomach was down to my knees because I hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast. Then I took a short siesta, which was ended by a rain drum on my roof, and from half past five it got dark, therefore the only options left for entertainment were my library and my PC. The Wuffis were tired after dinner and there was wonderful peace and quiet in the castle! In honour of the beginning of December, the camper got a kitschy, Christmassy paint job with two window paintings and several scented candles. I hate excess!

Nothing going on! - Or was there anything in store?

The weather showed itself from its best side, but with a cold profile! First, I wanted to retake yesterday’s excursion, but then the dirt in my car overwhelmed me and I devoted myself to my favourite activity, because I could stack the dogs outside!

After quite a bit of effort, we were mainly “clean” and hoped for a second chance tomorrow. My ladies were rewarded for their patience with a long tour of one and a half hours. I tried another route around the village of Espiche through the hinterland and found what I was looking for. It’s always a bit risky when you don’t know the area, but it remained exciting the whole way, as I could only orientate myself by the compass direction and didn’t know where the path would really lead. We passed nice little houses, saw mighty cork oaks: some of them were peeled by yapping mutts which had chewed its bark off and now those trees braved a new world in the sunshine.

Oh yes, I remembered another stupid thing: I had lost the crank of my awning somewhere yesterday. It was not to be found at the campsite. I had hung it on the bicycle rack after the rain shower the day before yesterday and forgot to stow it away before leaving. Now it was probably lying somewhere in the direction of Sagres and would be of no use to anyone. I needed a specialist shop that had such things for sale. A rather strange Christmas present, but I would often need it for sure. So, the programme for tomorrow was set: Peter from Wales had been to a camping dealer today. Now he could give me directions for tomorrow! As always, perfect timing in everything!

Who has the right gas for me?

The weather didn’t give us a second chance! It bucketed down outside. At around noon we set off east towards Portimão and Albufeira. After all, it was forty-five kilometres of easy riding. Along the way, I passed some extremely ugly towns that were blighted by tourism. One concrete block after the next! And construction went on and on. Shortly before Albufeira I discovered the two camping dealers described above, on the right and left of the road. Yes, where to now? I chose right! Yes, they would look for that crank in the “archive chamber”. All right! The one they had in storage was no longer new, but it worked and was certainly not expensive. The boss of the company immediately took care of my jammed suspension. We got to talking and I learned that he was originally from California and had gone to Europe for the sake of his wife. The Algarve reminded him a little of his homeland. You could imagine that the conversation carried on. Whoever met someone in Portugal who went to the States twice a year and had seen and experienced more than the average tourist?

I had to almost tear myself away rudely, because my dogs wanted to get out into the fresh air today. It was a good opportunity to ask for a place to fill my gas bottles and the dealer roughly described a facility in Portimão. Would I find it? I stayed optimistic … and ended up in the slum area of the city! They had one! They didn’t live like tourists there! I quickly retreated, because I didn’t feel safe with my camper. No petrol station could give me satisfactory information so (willy-nilly) I had to resign myself to the situation and manage the next few weeks very sparingly with my still full bottle. How I hate such uncertainties!

On the way to Portimao I saw a gas cylinder depot behind the village of Odiáxere and I decided to stop there as a last chance. First, a friendly young man spoke only Portuguese. With my hands and feet, I explained my problem and he examined the two bottles. Nothing could be done! Fortunately, a young lady joined me and from then on, we continued in English. I was given an adapter and a Portuguese gas bottle. From that moment on everything was fine! The friendly worker connected the cables properly and I was happy! Now I could get as much gas as I wanted and needed in this country. I saved my still full bottle as a nest egg for the journey back! Ok! The empty one now rode along as a stowaway in the big boot (now it is under the tree at the parking place, hidden behind the bike!). The EU comes up with all kinds of standards for cucumber curvatures and banana sizes, but every European country has a different gas system. Bureaucracy would be more useful here, wouldn’t it? That would benefit us tourists most of all. The other advantage was also obvious: I could camp freely again from time to time in the weeks from January onwards, because now I was more than supplied with gas heating and hot water! End of the shortage! I think we’ll be staying at one beach or another from time to time!