Celebration with Portuguese and old friends

We land at the Lima River because there is a truck repair shop nearby where we need to get our brakes checked the next morning. Our truck is braking heavily. Since it's Sunday, we want to spend the night by the river until the workshop opens. We are directly approached by a Portuguese family camping there with their two children. The mother has worked in Switzerland and speaks German. Two hours later, we are already sitting with the family and are directly invited to dinner. We spend a cozy evening together until late at night.

The next morning we drive to the workshop and are greeted with waves. Quickly explaining the problem, we are already inside, and the truck is being worked on. The brakes were just misaligned, and 20 minutes later, during the test drive, everything is back to normal. Pictures are taken, and the mechanics don't want any money from us! Everyone is super friendly, and we at least slip them a tip.

Back at the river, the family is already joyfully waiting for us. At the river, which is fed by the sea, the tide is out, revealing a beautiful sand beach with the water only 30 cm deep. The sand is full of shells, and before you know it, we have a bucket full. Dinner is secured, and more uncles and aunts are expected. The friendliness and openness here is indescribable. We spend a wonderful day together, and in the evening, cooking begins. There is traditional Portuguese food with plenty of grilled and boiled meat, a soup made from mashed potatoes and Brussels sprout leaves, and of course, mussels with scampi. Since I received a box full of spaetzle from our friends in Germany, I quickly whip up some cheese spaetzle. After all, we want to contribute something traditional too. Except for the mother, no one here knows this dish, and everyone enthusiastically dives into it. Here in Portugal, people don’t eat before 9 PM because it is far too hot beforehand. Once everyone has arrived and we’ve been introduced, the meal begins. The table bends under all the dishes, and we eat until almost midnight. It's loud and cheerful, and there’s a lot of laughter. Everyone is open, and Susana, the mother, can barely keep up with translating. We really enjoy experiencing a real Portuguese festivity and roll back to bed late at night from all the food. What a wonderful two days at the enchanting Lima River. Thank you so much, Susana, Sergio, Alex, and Martin, for your warm welcome into your family ❤.

We continue our journey and arrive in Braga. For hours, we look for a shaded spot by the river in the scorching heat, but it's vacation time, and all the Portuguese are, of course, out swimming. Finally, we end up at the monastery in Braga and are allowed to stay and sleep under the trees in the castle garden.

After a peaceful night with a beautiful full moon, we arrive in Rio Mau by the Douro River. We find a great parking spot right by the river, almost able to jump from the car into the water. Our friends from Lake Constance come by again, and we spend wonderful days together at the river. We enjoy the visit from home to the fullest, as we have known each other for almost 30 years, and it is so nice to see each other again. We grill, swim, play games with the children, and have a really great time together. Sadly, it's time to say goodbye, as the five of them must start their long journey back to Lake Constance. Take care, Cristian, Miri, Samuel, Veith, and Marley. We enjoyed our time with you so much and were very happy that you were here ❤.

We are now slowly making our way back south to Andalusia because in 7 weeks the next visit is coming, which we are very much looking forward to 🤩.