The 3rd of December, 2014
Arriving in the morning at Faro airport, on a beautiful sunny day, early December. The owner of the house collected me from the airport and we first didn’t recognize each other, as we only saw one another over Skype. Of course I was terrified for a moment that nobody would be there, but after everybody was gone, we were the only two left over! It was a short half an hour drive up in the hills to Gorgoes, close to St. Barbara de Nexe, Loule and Sau Bras de Aportal. A nice house with a typical Mediterrenean garden around and a view over the hills. I felt immediately at home, after having lived for ten years in Greece! The dog and I were friends in no time and she turned out to be a real companion in the weeks to follow.
This first day I was overloaded with information regarding the house, the dog, shopping and sightseeing and the next day I drove the owners of the house to Faro airport for their trip to England. I followed their suggestion to visit the beach side, about 10 min. drive from the airport. It was a gorgous morning with a clear and sunny sky and I decided to have a stroll and enjoy the view from the “Praia de Faro” over the city, the hills at the far end and the coming and going of the planes. I also enjoyed my first espresso on Portuguese grounds, outside on one of the many terraces. Later, I drove back to Gorgoes and although this was my first time driving in Portugal, I found the house back without any problems. Pasha, the dog, was happy to see me and we went for our first walk together in the hills and I admired the beautiful views from higher up.
In the evening I studied the map and made plans for my first shopping to the local markets and supermarket, banks and all the interesting places I have to visit for sightseeing. There are a lot!!! I am grateful the owners left me their car, so I don’t have to rent one. You need a car here, as there is no public transportation. I am happy to be here for a month, as there is a lot to explore and I will need my time to get to know a bit about Portugal.