After our brief visit to Taveira, we headed off back towards the central region of the Algarve. We decided to take the motorway incurring the tolls, but we had driven almost every other route imaginable while exploring and visiting, so for brevity’s sake the quickest and most direct route was best. We were very much looking forward to being at our next house sit, as we already felt we knew the owners and pets really well. Thanks to modern technology and social media, we had already met up and had chats through WhatsApp, and the owners were super nice. We also took the opportunity to meet with them in person while we were in Albufeira. So this time we knew exactly where to go, as its slightly off the beaten track and on our original visit we approached the house from the wrong direction which was challenging for a low slung Audi A5! This time however we came in from the correct side and it was much smoother and easier too.
We were also really glad that we were getting to spend a whole night and day with our new friends too. So often when house sitting you turn up just as the owners are leaving. Having previously met these two lovely people we were very pleased we were actually going to spend some quality time getting to know each other better. It was actually lovely getting to know the pets again as well. Our first encounter was proving useful; we kind of knew their characters and needs better this time round, but as it turned out they were absolutely no bother at all.
We were spoiled rotten and were treated to a wonderful dinner at a beautiful small family run restaurant in the hills just outside Loulé, which was fabulous. It also served us well as they chose a route which enabled our new friends to impart all their valuable local knowledge and showed us some good places to visit, where to park etc. Super helpful. We also had most of the following day to walk around the house and land and really get to know the routines and what was required to keep the place tip-top while they were away.
It was useful time spent, and also having a great time chatting etc. We offered to take them to the airport which they accepted. Once they had said their farewells to the pets and grabbed their bags, we dropped them at the terminal in no time at all. It was only a quick 20 minute drive and once again with useful directions, showing us the best way there.
This was the first sit we have done where there were no technical issues to speak of, unusual for portuguese houses. Not that the others were difficult, it’s just we expect to have to overcome slight quirks from time to time. We are getting used to Portuguese houses by now. Here, there were none. There was the usual sulking from pets for the first day or so, but we always expect that. However, knowing it was their first trip away since the start of the pandemic, it’s understandable the pets miss their owners. But they quickly settled and became comfortable with us.
So to the pets: Herbie was a stray that found the owners rather than the opposite. He has a delightful character, and just loves affection and petting. He does have a condition that effectively makes him sound like a old heavy smoker with a throat problem. It doesn’t seem to bother him for the most part and when he gets excited, we affectionately called him ’honking Herbie’. He loved joining you at the shallow part of the pool when swimming too.
Picolé, is a real trooper and a real character. He unfortunately lost a leg in an attack by a javali (wild boar). He is super nervous and will not allow anyone to handle him, but is chilled once you get to know him. He was our constant shadow when it was time for a walk, and even with just the three legs he really moved when he wanted too, and was definitely the main ’guard’ dog. He was always the first to the gates if anyone was approaching. Mostly though, he just chilled in the sun. He adores Herbie and they played well together.
Estalinha, or ’Strilly’ is an old girl, mostly blind and was injured in the past which occasionally causes her back legs to go a bit wobbly. But for an old bird she certainly moved when she wanted to. She was very much food orientated so was a constant companion when we were in the kitchen. She just stared those little eyes, never blinking. But our fondest memories of her will be the evening walks. She wore a bright green LED collar, and as she walked through the grass, her ears did this funny bouncing, and from a distance, she looked like a neon green bat hovering just above the grass.
There was also two cats: Fluffy, which was aptly named, just a big black fluffy cat who was very calm and loved petting all the time. Unfortunately, we hardly ever got fluffy on camera, but we did manage to capture Lulu outside once, which was rare as she mainly stayed indoors. they were both very laid back and easy to look after.
The house itself was a fantastic place, a very peaceful and tranquil environment , the owners had worked wonders with it. It seemed quite remote, but was not too far away from two main towns of Loulé and Saõ Bras, it was just isolated enough from any busy roads. It was down a very narrow track, but our low slung car managed it ok. We did get out for a few trips during our stay and took advantage of some great recommendations the owners had given us. We even managed a morning out visiting Mar Shopping Centre, which is Huge! It has an IKEA at one end, a shopping mall in the middle, an outlet village at the end and a huge Leroy Merlin tacked on too. (For UK veiwers thats like a mega B&Q on steroids). A great morning out getting inspiration for our house when it is finished.
When we weren’t exploring the area we spent a lot of time looking after the house, keeping things clean and watering the garden. Annette also busied herself in the well appointed kitchen, making use of the abundant lemons falling from the trees, making lemon slices and lemon ice-cream, all very delicious and plenty left to leave for the returning owners. It has to be said that the pink grapefruits were on another level, and the apricots were so nice. Once our chores were done for the day, and we we not out for the trips, we were making use of the very lovely and warm swimming pool, as the time we spent there was extremely warm!
We did take the advice of the owners and visited the market in Loulé, but forgot to take our phones or a camera! It was lovely though, and we chilled out at a nice pastelaria before exploring the market both outside and inside. It was a fabulous morning out.
We also went to Olhão to walk the esplanade and try out the ice cream at Gelvi Gelato, another of the recommendations. We then had a pleasant walk through the old town which has a real moorish influence and feel. Overall a very nice trip out and the drive there was amazing through the rolling hills, I don’t think we passed a car until we were approaching Olhão.
Another quick jaunt out was to Estoi and in particular the remains of a roman villa. The actual villa was quite interesting and would have been spectacular when it was built and in use. The ground works could have been better, and the area surrounding the ruins really needs a bit of a tidy and a damn good strim to knock the weeds back. After that we had a quick walk around the town which had a typical Portuguese look and feel to it, and was pleasant enough. What sets it slightly apart, was the palace on the outskirts. It is now a pousada (hotel), but you can still walk around the gardens and get a feel for what it was like. We enjoyed that very much and it was another stunning sunny day too. That always helps and is one of the attractions of the whole of the Algarve, it is mostly sunny every single day.
At the end of the house sit, we picked up our hosts from the airport and spent the evening catching up, before going to bed. It was quite sad leaving next morning, but we were so happy to have met this lovely couple and there pets. True friends!
However we had a new commitment at our next house sit. This was actually the second time we have looked after this lovely quinta and the six lovely dogs. We were really looking forward to seeing them again, and were anxious to get there, as the owners had already left! We would love to have seen them before they went, but the timing was just off, as they had an event booked. However, they were more than happy for us to pitch up a bit later that morning as we were already familiar with everything.
It was such a great reunion! The dogs recognized us almost immediately, and it soon felt like we had never been away. One thing that had changed was that they had all had a summer haircut, all apart from Tom, but he was pleased to see us too.
So, that about brings us up to date. We will be heading back to central Portugal soon, so are excited about our upcoming adventures.
However, We did promise in the last blog to give a brief update on our house build. We have great friends who are managing to drop by the land, and send some pics along with some videos too. We also had a chat and update with the architects. The bottom line is that all seems to be going really well, and the foundations are very close to being finished.
We hope by the time we get back the next phase of the project will be underway and the decking should be going down ready for layout and detail work before starting the framing. There are still a few details to work out and finishes to choose, but things are most definitely moving steadily forward thanks to some lovely weather. We still need to choose a wood burner, the floor and tile finishes and although the windows were ordered, we still need to get the exterior colours and styles to match doors etc. We also need to finalise the hybrid solar system that will give us the efficient and sustainable energy to minimise costs we have envisioned. It is one of the down sides to being away that we need to start concentrating on detail, so are looking forward to getting back. We hope to bring a more detailed update once we return and have a further meeting with the architect.
Any way, until then, thanks for dropping by our blog. We hope to see you in the next one.
Our Portuguese Life 