Aftur í Portúgal

After spending two more days at a beautiful lake near Huelva, we arrived in beautiful Portugal again. As soon as we crossed the border, we could already see what brought us back. The Algarve is greener and more natural than Andalusia. Everywhere is blooming and you can pick oranges, mandarins and lemons on every second street, while in Spain everything is fenced and barred. The people are somehow more relaxed and open - at least that's our impression. Here it happens that a herd of sheep blocks the roads or a horse grazes in the ditch next to a park, which is simply charming. Even though the language is a puzzle for us, we feel more comfortable here. The nights have become colder. That's why we rented a small cottage between Algoz and Guia on Airbnb for almost a week. Our hosts were a French couple who lived on the same property. They were super sweet and accommodating and invited us to breakfast on the first morning because a craftsman had to repair the boiler in our cottage. Because of these circumstances, they gave us a free night because we wanted to extend our stay by one day and also gave me a bottle of Bordeaux for my birthday. In addition, my dear husband invited me to dinner on my special day. The restaurant in Silves is probably the best we have been to since we have been on the road. It was not only super delicious but also very cozy, which is quite exceptional for Spain and Portugal (from our experience). Unfortunately, coziness is hardly valued. The metal chairs are uncomfortable and there is no decoration at all, so we were hardly surprised that this restaurant is run by a German ;)

Now the nights are not so cold anymore (between 5 and 10°) and we have visited some beautiful villages and small towns - Salir, Loulé, Olhão... we particularly liked the region around Salir and we noticed many beautiful small houses with For Sale signs. Is it destiny? :)

We continue to train with the dogs every day and Sebastian has started jogging with Naomi. Most of the time we walk the dogs separately or train them individually, as little Alma can hardly concentrate in the presence of her big sister and prefers to play with her. But the best thing for us is watching them play - 100 times better than going to the movies. Here in Portugal, you just have to be extremely cautious of the processionary caterpillars (a type of caterpillar) that gather near pine trees. Their hairs, which they shoot off when they feel threatened, can be very painful for humans and even deadly for dogs. So far, I have only seen one of these caterpillars once, but it was right next to a dog park. You can only hope that all dog owners are vigilant...