Weihnachten an der Algarve

Merry Christmas from Portugal / Portimão!

For two weeks we have been driving through Portugal. Mostly with full stomachs, because since last week my parents have also joined us and cook for us as if we haven't eaten anything decent for the past months. We met them at Lisbon airport. This place is very special to us, because not even two years ago we met our little four-legged friend Filou at this airport for the first time. For those who don't know, Filou used to be at a Portuguese kill shelter, then he was rescued by the animal welfare organization Casa Animales and spent six months in a shelter. He was probably a stray dog at some point. At that time, we were considering whether we should get a dog or not - until we accidentally came across an advertisement for Filou on the Internet. It was love at first sight. As soon as we saw him, it was clear to us: we want this dog. Two months later, we flew to Lisbon one morning and flew back to Switzerland with Filou in our luggage the same afternoon. That was in March 2018. Since then, the little furball has been by our side and brings us a lot of joy, but sometimes also a lot of frustration - two weeks ago, for example, he vomited twice on the carpet in our van within half an hour. He had wandered somewhere through the bushes while Sarah and I were doing our morning yoga (which has been part of our morning routine for a few weeks now). He probably found a rotten burger and ate it, at least that's what the contents of his stomach on the carpet indicated. Unfortunately, Filou reacts quite sensitively to things that are not meant for dog stomachs. For example, a few months ago when we were visiting my relatives in France, my godfather (even though I had forbidden him) threw a few chunks of baguette bread to him. Not long after, the whole floor in our van was covered in vomit. Yuck.

Apart from that, we have another problem with little Filou; he seems to be very sexy in the dog world. Wherever we meet other dogs, in two out of three cases we have the following problem: Filou is persistently chased by uncastrated (and often castrated) male dogs, and they usually try to mount him or constantly lick him between his legs. Filou was probably castrated very early, before he had developed any male hormones, so for the majority of the male dogs he seems to smell like an incredibly attractive female dog - or he is simply so irresistible that they all change sides for him. Either way: it is very stressful for him and of course for us. Often, the male dogs are so fixated on him that they don't even respond to the calls of their own owners. And it's especially annoying when we come across strays. Once we were sitting on the terrace of a restaurant in Vienna when out of nowhere a big, drooling Golden Retriever with huge testicles and no owner appeared and desperately wanted to mount Filou, who had taken refuge under our table. Neither we nor the waiters could scare the dog away, so we had no choice but to leave. Filou has become much more mature in the last few months and often defends himself, which we appreciate.

Funny enough, he is very popular with the females. It often happens that females seek his company and put their behinds in front of his nose. Filou seems to not understand the signals. The only thing he occasionally humps is his sleeping cushion, and that only happens when he is stressed (e.g., in a stranger's apartment).

But most of the time, it's just nice to have a little four-legged companion. By the way, from February 2020 you can read an article by me on the TCS website about "Long-term travel in a camper van with a dog" - with lots of interesting information and tips for those who want to explore the world with their little stinkers.

We spent the first few days with my parents in an AirBnB in Aroeira, a small village 30 minutes' drive from Lisbon. We had rented a small house with a large garden. Everything was very clean and modern, but it quickly became clear that something was wrong with the humidity. Everything was always somehow damp - the floor, the towels, sometimes even the walls. Research revealed that most houses in Portugal are not winterproof. They are usually poorly or not insulated at all, the windows let in drafts like in a birdhouse, and they often do not have heating. In addition, the humidity in Portugal is generally quite high in the winter. Unfortunately, we also had the misfortune of having a lot of rain in the first few days. We didn't feel very comfortable in the damp four walls.

Therefore, our expectations for the second apartment, which we rented for the remaining days in Portimão on the Algarve, were even higher. At first sight, it looked amazing; a large apartment with a huge rooftop terrace. But as soon as the young guy who handed us the keys left, the big disillusionment came; the mattress in one of the beds was completely wet. The carpet in the bathroom was also dripping wet and there was a huge puddle under the dining table in the dining room. We immediately informed the landlords, and shortly afterwards it was clear that there was probably water damage here. The fortunate part about this misfortune: we got a different, even better apartment, which was directly by the sea and in Portimão's villa district, and we even got one night for free. The new apartment was located in a residential complex that made a quite expensive impression, and just like the apartment, it probably was. State-of-the-art kitchen appliances, a huge TV, super comfortable beds, and all just a five-minute walk from a beautiful beach and pine forest where you could take great walks.

In total, we spent 10 days with my parents. We celebrated Christmas together, visited the district of Belem and the LX Factory in Lisbon, went on various hikes - including to the highest mountain in the Algarve, the 900-meter-high Mount Foia - visited the coastal towns of Portimão and Lagos, and even went to the cinema.

Tomorrow, my parents will drive back to Lisbon with their rental car and fly back to Switzerland. For Sarah and me, it means going back to our van, no daily showers, and no unlimited internet. On the other hand, the weather is supposed to be very good in the next few days and we will probably rent surfboards again somewhere.

We find Portugal very beautiful. It is much greener than we expected and the people are very friendly. Plus point: almost everyone here speaks English. This was not at all a given in Spain, because unlike Portugal, Spaniards do not learn English in school. However, Portugal seems to be slightly more expensive than Spain; the fuel prices are higher and the toll fees are enormous. On our first day in Portugal, we drove for 1 hour and 20 minutes on a toll road and paid a whopping 26 euros for it. Since then, we have been avoiding toll roads - we are not in a hurry anyway. Our next "appointment" is at the beginning of February. We will then meet Sarah's mother in Porto and walk 100 kilometers on the Camino de Santiago with her. Until then, we have over 5 weeks to slowly drive up the coast of Portugal and make a stop at the animal shelter from which we adopted Filou. 5 weeks - we have never been 'alone' on the road for that long since we set off. Along the way, we have had visitors and have visited people ourselves. It has always been a great enrichment and brings a lot of variety to this vagabond life. And yet, we are now looking forward to 5 relaxed weeks, in which we don't have to drive much and we might finally have time to do the things we planned to do (there is a huge to-do list...). To conclude, here are a few phrases that are only used in our van everyday life

How much electricity do we have left?

How much water do we have left?

Can you be a bit more economical with the water?

You're standing on the edge of the carpet (don't create an ear on the carpet)

I'm going to cook now, go to bed

Is everything plugged in?

Filou, go to your bed (if he stands somewhere in the way)

Where is the phone?

Where is the gas?

Where is the mouse? (computer mouse)

Where is Filou?

Where are the keys?

Where is the internet?

Do you still have fresh underwear? (do I have one...?)

I think the toilet is full now

Do you want milk powder or soy milk in your coffee?

Is this vegan?

Has Filou eaten yet?

Where did you go to poop?

*sniff' sorry, but when was the last time you showered?

Author: Stephanie Köllinger