We left Albufeira looking forward to seeing the owners and pets of our next house sit. We had been out there to find the property and meet up with them for lunch while we were in Albufeira, so had a good idea how long it would take. We wanted to arrive early enough to spend a decent amount of time going through the pets routines and to learn anything about the house needs and for emergencies etc.
So, having packed up the car and settled the final bills at the apartment it was time to head of to what we thought was an idillic retreat in the hills north of Vila Nova de Cacela. Arriving there was like entering a little lush hidden dale among the rolling hills of the eastern Algarve. The route through the hills makes you realize how severely the hills were affected by fires a few years ago, and is only just starting to regenerate. Even with that damage the area is quite stunning.
The place feels quite remote and secluded and is actually part of an abandoned village that must have been thriving in the past as there are evidence of much land use and buildings a plenty. However, there are quite a number of habited buildings near by. Some are lived in, and quite a few are owned by the expat community. The local cafe is testament to that with many languages being spoken we heard lots of German, Dutch, Swedish as well as English (American, Canadian and English varieties). So, we would say more secluded than remote. Cacela is only twenty minutes drive and had all the shops and amenities we needed.
Cacela was our first port of call actually, dropping off the owners at the station to start there journey. It also gave us an opportunity to explore it and work out where things were, before returning to see to the pets.
The two dogs were Davy and Lady. Both rescue dogs. Davy was an old boy around thirteen years old and has the most gentle temperament imaginable. He really craved human contact and was even known to get excited when a walk down the lane was on the cards. Lady on the other hand was much younger and although quiet and subdued during the day, which were all very hot during our stay, she came to life as the evenings drew in and became cooler. She had a traumatic early life and was slowly becoming much better, but was still very wary of anything that moved and seemed to bark at the slightest noises or movement until a quick ˋquiet Lady´. She has the most charming character and loved being brushed in the mornings and she was molting too! They were very easy going and no problem at all to look after. There was also a small dog who lived in the village who we fed each night. He didnt belong to our house owners, but they took on the responsibility to feed him when his owner died and he was left alone. The relatives did try to catch him, but he wont let you touch him, so he continues to live in the abandoned house but is never short of food or water, and has a bed and seems happy enough.
There was also three cats to look after. But they were no bother at all and like most cats, just did their own thing most of the time. ‘Mum Cat’ ruled the roost and was very affectionate and really took to Annette from day one. Figo was lovely and loved to be petted all the time and would loudly announce his arrival always. Smudge, was a bit more shy and reclusive, but always appeared when it was time for food. We also continued the responsibility which the owners had committed to, of feeding some feral cats every other day, which were a short drive, which we usually timed with a trip to Cacela.
The house, as mentioned earlier was a lovely spot to look after and it became affectionately known as ”Dingley Dell”. Unusual because its access to an almost endless supply of water which gave it a wonderful garden oasis feel.
We pretty much stayed at the property full time for a few days until the pets were fully used to us and settled, but we did manage some trips out for supplies and a look around the area.
We had one day where we went a bit further afield and headed to the border with Spain at Vila Real de Sant Antonio via Castro Marim and up the river a bit to Alcoutim. We had a lovely lunch in Vila Real. We sat in the main square being serenaded by guitar music. We did feel somewhat inadequate, as sat next to us were a german couple chatting to a dutch couple in english! It was a lovely road trip, and we earmarked some nice places that are worthy of further exploration if we come back down in the future.
After the road trip, we pretty much stayed around the house and just went for brief walks. We had a lovely time there and with only two minor issues. Firstly with the electrics tripping. (This happens quite a lot in these old portuguese houses if you are not used to them!). Secondly a slight problem with blocked plumbing! On both these occasions we didn’t want to disturb the owners who were on a cruise, but turned to the nearest neighbors, a lovely german couple. The electrics were easy and Wayne could have fixed it himself, but the fuse panel seemed to be covered by some furniture so just wanted confirmation that it was possible to move. The second warranted calling the plumber who didn’t speak a word of english. He eventually sent someone out, but couldn´t fix the issue, as he thought roots were getting in the way of the pipes. The following day we had planned to visit Taveira, but Annette and I discussed ways which we could possibly fix the plumbing as we thought the local lad didn’t really try hard enough. So we cancelled our planned trip and rolled up our sleeves and got to work. It paid off as eventually we found a solution and cleared the whole system of the blockage.
Time seemed to fly by, and before we knew it the time had arrived to go to the station to pick up the weary travelers. We got them back to a rapturous welcome from the pets. We stayed a bit longer with them exchanging stories and then packed the car up again ready for the next house sit. Once we were on our way, we knew we had plenty of time to reach the property so decided to have lunch in Taveira and spend a while exploring the town before continuing on.
From Taveira, it was only a short journey back towards Loulé and our next house sit…
Thanks for the visit to our blog. Stay tuned to see our journey unfold. There will also be a bit of an update on the progress of our house build so be sure not to miss the next one!
Our Portuguese Life 