Algarve Part 3 - with Video!

We've been in the Algarve for over 3 weeks now and somehow we're just going around in circles here. As Patrick, whom we met last week, said so nicely: The Algarve is like the Bermuda Triangle. You get lost in it and can't get out. Ditto. But everything is also nearby. The towns with such beautiful names like Lagos, Sagres, Salem, Aljezur or Albufeira - most of them are less than an hour's drive away. And weather-wise, it's very comfortable here in winter with temperatures between 15 and 20 degrees.

Last Friday we were on our way to this so-called "PizzaParty" that we had heard about but couldn't imagine. The only thing we knew was that for 10 euros you could eat as much pizza as you wanted. So of course, we had to go. When we arrived, there was a "camping area" and a "festival area". Similar to what you would find at music festivals. The camping area was a big field that kept filling up. By evening, there were easily around 100 campers and a handful of tents.

But what exactly is this PizzaParty? It all started a few years ago when someone invited a few friends over for a pizza get-together. And it was so much fun that they decided to do it every Friday. And somehow it grew and word got around. In the summer, more than 1,000 visitors come to the PizzaParty, and in the winter, like now, there are 300-400 people.

So we were very excited to go to this PizzaParty in the evening and we were overwhelmed. It was stylishly nestled in nature with different bars, a cake and coffee house, a creperie, various chill-out areas, and of course, the centerpiece, a huge outdoor pizza bakery. Several workaways (people who work there in exchange for food and accommodation, just like we did in Slovenia or Spain) were standing at a long table, kneading dough, handling tomato sauce and toppings, and sliding pizzas into the stone oven on an assembly line. For the 10 euros, you not only get as much pizza as you want, but also unlimited lasagna. And drinks cost 1 euro.

Soon we found ourselves standing around a table with plates full of pizza slices and ran into Patrick. We had met Patrick a few days earlier. We were driving somewhere on the west coast and passed a large parking lot by the beach. And what did we see there? A motorhome with a license plate from Aargau! We spontaneously drove over and knocked on the door. Over a cup of coffee between our vehicles, he told us about this PizzaParty, and one thing led to another. By the way, he has been traveling with his motorhome for quite some time and he's a very nice and funny guy 😊

At some point, we stumbled into the cake house with Patrick and our full bellies. And who do we meet there? A girl from Bern! We were all so excited to meet our fellow Swiss and chatted for a while until Sandra had to start her shift. She has been working as a workaway at the PizzaParty for 3 months now.

After devouring a piece of cake, we went to the main stage. There are a total of three stages here, but only one is operational in the winter. Today, a trio was performing - a guitarist singing beautiful South American songs, accompanied by a flutist and a drummer. It was a fantastic evening, we felt like we were in heaven.

At midnight, it was time for us to go to bed, even though the party would continue until the next afternoon. When you have eaten a certain amount of pizza, it's better to sleep than to dance.

The next day, we went grilling at a nearby lake with Patrick, Sandra, and a few others. The road there was on an unpaved street and quite bumpy at times. But it was worth it because we spent a wonderful day on a small plateau in the middle of nature, enjoyed good company, beautiful weather, and delicious food. We also spent the night there but left at nine in the morning as we had an important appointment near Aljezur. An interview with veterinarian Gabriela Clemens, who is also the president of the animal shelter Casa Animales and helped us adopt Filou two years ago. Originally, we just wanted to learn more about Filou's past and see where he came from. A few weeks ago, the idea of writing a report on "adopting pets from abroad" came up, and that's how this interview appointment came about.

We were warmly welcomed by Gabi, her partner Jo, and the six or seven dogs they owned, at her home. Her house was situated in the countryside, surrounded by nature and far away from any other houses. The interview lasted for a good two hours and was very interesting and inspiring! Afterwards, we were given a tour and got to see the other dogs that were in temporary foster care at her place until they found someone to adopt them. The next step for this report will be to visit the Bianca animal shelter next week. It is located further north near Lisbon and was Filou's home for 6 months. We are really looking forward to it and it will surely be very emotional. We will put together a nice video of this visit for you 😊

Speaking of video: Filming has become really enjoyable for us recently. We brought along the small Osmo Pocket gimbal camera from DJI during the past week - that's why we neglected taking photos, as you may have noticed. We have also edited a video as a supplement to this blog. You can watch our little film on Youtube using the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sCDe2vsbgs&feature=youtu.be

The day after the interview was Monday, January 13th. It was my birthday. The weather was great and the plan was to go surfing. But there was a little problem: the right back door had been broken for two days. A metal part responsible for the locking mechanism had snapped, so the door could only be closed with great effort. So we decided to drive to the garage in Lagos that Patrick recommended, just for a quick visit. When we arrived, they told us they didn't have space for us. But they said there was a Mercedes garage in Portimao. So we drove to Portimao, but couldn't find a Mercedes garage anywhere. We ended up going to a Bosch garage, where they told us that the whole part would have to be replaced. They promised to call us back later that day with the price for the replacement part. We never heard from them again. And it was too late to go surfing by then. Frustrated with that day, we parked at the harbor and treated ourselves to a few beers at a bar. Followed by a delicious dinner at an Indian restaurant. That made the day better again.

The next day. Our back door was still broken. By the way, the side door has been broken for two months as well, but that's not a big deal because we can easily open it from the driver's cabin. And we can probably fix it ourselves when we can find a workshop somewhere - maybe in March when we are at Sarah's grandparents' place in Holland. But back to the back door. We decided to give it a try at Roady. Roady is a car garage chain and belongs to Intermarche, which is like Migros or Coop. So we drove to the Roady garage, had the problem assessed, and were told that it could be welded (so no replacement necessary after all). But apparently, they don't do that kind of work themselves. Well. It would have been too good to be true! An automotive workshop that repairs cars seems to be quite exotic here. But it seemed that one of the guys felt sorry for us because shortly after, he came over and said that they could do the work tomorrow after all. Woooow!

We spent the rest of the day at the nearby shopping center, doing some retail therapy and comfort eating. In the evening, we parked again at Intermarche in front of the Roady garage. Our appointment was scheduled for 9 am the next morning, so it made sense to sleep there. Fine. Until just after midnight. That's when the alarm system of Intermarche went off and kept blaring for minutes. Of course, we thought of burglars, but it seemed strange that the police didn't show up. Half an hour later, and then an hour later, the same thing happened again. It dawned on us: this alarm is probably designed for campers so they don't get the idea to sleep here. Great. So we drove in our pajamas to the parking lot of another shopping center and spent the night there.

The next day. We woke up early. At 9 am sharp, we were in front of the garage. It was finally 11 am when someone took our car keys. It felt strange to leave our home on wheels with a stranger. I never thought before that I could have an emotional attachment to a car, but I was mistaken! We anxiously waited for an hour until one of the mechanics came over with a smile and said that everything had worked out. Büssli (our camper) was still alive and well. What a relief. A little later at the checkout, we were prepared for a hefty bill. We have no idea how much welding work costs in Switzerland, we only know that car + workshop = high bill. When they said it would cost 27 euros, I thought there was a missing zero. But no. 27 euros, that was all.

We chatted with the mechanic, Gustav, who had helped us out the day before. Gustav. In recent months, our Büssli has developed a few small rust spots. Nothing serious, but somehow we always had it in the back of our minds that it should be fixed someday. Gustav mentioned that he had a friend who is a painter and he would come here after work tonight to do it. It wouldn't cost much either. We were quite skeptical but agreed anyway. The rest of the day, we were pretty productive: we did two loads of laundry, took Büssli to the car wash, bought a new doormat, and I finished transcribing the two-hour interview with the veterinarian. In the evening, Gustav's friend arrived. We had a strange feeling all day long. Would this guy just show up, who, by the way, doesn't speak English, and paint our car under the dim light of the street lamps? Well, it definitely sounded exciting. Gustav stayed the whole time and translated for us. And now we have a freshly washed, almost rust-free Büssli. There are a few tiny spots on the roof and above the windows, but Kumpel couldn't reach them because he's quite small 😊 We will do that ourselves in the next few days because he explained everything to us and even left the materials. We paid him 40 euros.

The next day. We spent the night at a lonely beach, and in the morning, we had planned to do some exercise but the strong wind ruined that plan (at least that's what our inner couch potato claims). So we drove to Figueira. There's a great little parking space there for 8 euros per night, including electricity, toilets, etc. I counted: this was the fifth time we've been there now. This Bermuda Triangle! But we haven't always stayed overnight, sometimes we just came by for a shower, like this time too. Showering, refilling fresh water, emptying the toilet, browsing the internet for a bit. Afterwards, we drove a few kilometers further to Salem. Salem is a small fishing village with an incredible number of stray cats. But apparently, they are well taken care of by the residents, as there are filled water and food bowls everywhere. We are currently sitting in a café. This morning, I went surfing again with my bodyboard, and Sarah had a creative idea and was working on something in the meantime. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to reveal what exactly.

Until next time!

Author: Stephanie Köllinger