Off to Portugal...

'The sly north wind was still not satisfied. The wind told Vianne about cities she did not yet know. About friends in need whom she had to help. About fights that still had to be fought.' (Chocolat/ Film)

The sly north wind also told us something about warm countries and great experiences, so we set off and left one of the most beautiful places in Spain. We continued south, past the mecca of pilgrims, to the warm springs that the Romans already appreciated. In Santiago de Compostela, Micha received the news of his ex-mother-in-law's death. The following days were... well... not quite easy. Micha was preoccupied with his thoughts of loss and organization, and I was preoccupied with my mundane thoughts about how to spend the days during his stay in Berlin: will I be able to open the heavy trunk of the car to get to the food? Will I be able to move the large gas bottle out of the car for cooking? Should I get a room and stay put or should I continue alone for a while? Bam! ... we were not prepared for that. It temporarily threw us off our relaxed vacation mode.

Well, we warmed up in one of the public hot springs of Ourense and then crossed the border into Portugal, where it was sunnier. In Soajo, the dogs, cats, cows, and horses strolled through the village just as relaxed as the tourists; everyone was content and considerate. In Soajo, there is even a monument for the dog. Soajo is part of Portugal's only government-protected national park. The villagers have learned to live with the 300-400 wolves, and respect for nature is practiced by young and old (so they say...). Many houses in the villages are abandoned, so it often looks like an open-air museum. The raised granaries with their stone plates on top to keep mice and other pests away also contribute to this. Just 2 months ago, the flames raged here and mainly destroyed the pine trees. The eucalyptus tree and the cork oak survive the flames and sprout delicately; the fern bursts out of the black ground with an incredible green color. Nature can handle the 'dark side' of nature - only humans cannot. We also found a nice campsite here and stayed.