Settling in... September.

Silves is our new home town. It has a castle, cobbled streets and a river, sounds familiar eh?!

Sunset from our terrace...

Finally we managed to find a good sized 2 bed apartment near to the centre and not far from the school. We have met up with the daughter of Elena from the Bulgarian cafe as her daughter Silvi has a Bulgarian food shop a few doors away from our block, which means Kisel Mlyako (Bulgarian natural yoghurt) for Ryan! Her friend Ricardo offered to help with residency, school registration and all that jazz, its been tricky mainly as he doesn’t speak much English so we have been communicating with the help of Max, he is a lovely young Bulgarian lad who´s parents are close friends with Ricardo. Overall, it´s been quite simple, hardly any form filling, just a few signatures here and there, very unlike Bulgaria. Mind you it was not all plain sailing, seems we could not get residency just yet as we have to have been living here for 3 months... one of those grey areas, do we apply once we have been living here three months or within 3 months? Who knows.

Excited; a kitchen!!

Love the chimney decor.

Still loving the beach, have to say its wonderful to just be on it for a short time...

Behind you!!!

School was the next big thing to tackle, we had been in during August but this period was the main holiday and not all of the admin team were at work, we submitted all of the documents that we had translated before leaving Bulgaria and birth certificates etc any way and needed to get to the health centre to see what, if any, vaccines the boys needed. This was the first stumbling block as the health centre would not register us because we did not have residency, however, after explaining what we needed they were very helpful and issued us with an ‘emergency’ document so we could get what we needed. All requirements fulfilled it was back to the school a few days later to see what the situation was, for me it was melt down time, we were told there was no room for them, simple as that, the hand gestures of the woman giving this news were all I needed to know what had happened, we left the building and Ricardo could see I was not doing well and asked ´you are not happy Sarah´ that was the trigger and the tears came… Poor Ricardo, he had done all he could and I was stood on the pavement in tears. The boys are the top priority, always have been and always will be and we felt it was crucial that they start with the other kids on day one, feeling low we went home. 
The next day we decided that if we did not get the result we needed we should take the bull by the horns and speak with the school director, fortunately this was not necessary, a little later Ricardo called us to meet him at the school, the bad news was they could not go to Silves school but the silver lining was they were in a school the other end of town not even 5 mins away in the car. Thank you universe!!!

First day at school.

School term started and we took them in and we were to get all of the info we needed, Neil was with Matty and me with Ryan, the teachers didn’t speak English but we could get the gist, it was very relaxed and had a good feel, and better still Ryan actually had an English classmate – wow wee!! They came out after their first full day full of excitement and could not wait to go back which was such a relief, especially as their Portuguese was very limited to say the least and its been that way ever since, we have been so very proud of the way they have settled in, totally unfazed, keen and with confidence. Homework takes a little time with Google translate but with that and the help of Molly´s mom Sarah and Marlain we have been managing. They especially like the butterflies, fish and flowers that decorate the school walls…

More lovely tiles, Silves Camara building.

Our search for land has led us to a good sized plot on the edge of Silves, it’s a little sloped but will have a view of the opposite hillside and possibly the Castle if we build up a little, its seems to be going slow but the deal should be done soon and we hope to take some extra land to add to it. We have met with the Camara (local council) and an architect Catarina who specialises in natural building so with her help we should be able to start designing and planning the build of our new home soon, it could take some time though before we can get everything approved but nevertheless we should be able start work on the land. 

Howdee!!

Lego is amazing and the brick show proved it, there is nothing you cant make from Lego and its very addictive once you get started, had a great time at the show and the boys spent some of their pocket money.

How much Lego?!

One thing that moved me was finding out the the Bombeiros (fire fighters) are pretty much all volunteers and very often poorly supplied and struggle to even get water and food when the going gets tough, so when I could see the forest fires burning for days across the hills I was truly moved, total respect for those lads and lasses that really did sleep on the tarmac as they fell out of their trucks once they had the flames under control and people were safe, their commitment is unwavering. Lots of fund raising and donating goes on here for them to get the food and water supplies they desperately need while out at work and by work I mean endless days and nights fighting the forest fires and also for clothing and boots, which is pretty terrible that these basics cant be supplied. I have found it hard to really describe how this made me feel, I wanted to go and help, to offer a bed for those made homeless, I guess it could be that I felt helpless, before I had a family of my own I would have done both of those things in an instant and don´t get me wrong I would if there was an official call for such things,  but, what came to me was something longer term and something directly for the Bombeiros, I thought that offering free treatments could be a way of giving to the givers, so thats another project and I feel a very worthy one... On the back of that if anyone who reads this has contact with anyone in the UK fire service do you know what happens to old issue boots clothing and equipment??? Just a thought... :) 

Forest fires in Monchique...

Neil´s lifelong friend Darren has been over and he loved it here, he had a few nights with us and also in Lagos, we all had our first surf lesson together which I have to say was amazing and we all want to continue, thanks to Future Surf School for a great lesson with a great instructor full of positive energy. I was stiff as a board and ached like hell for three days after, and I am 100% sure that if I hadn’t done yoga I would never have managed to get on the board.

Keep up Daz!!

Daz hired a 50cc scooter which was a bit slow for him (but he does do track days in the UK). 

Looking good...

He had a few extra surf lessons on the West coast which he said were awesome, it was great having our first guest! 

Shattered after...

Dude!!

Looking the part.

Neil and Daz went to Lisbon to look as some Fiat Multipla’s, (none local) we had one in Bulgaria and loved it, mainly as it has six seats, three in the front and three in the back, they had a good night out but came back tired and empty handed despite trying very hard, they were all nails, so no ‘ugly bug’ for us just now. We have the Land Rover but with four seats means its not practical and its thirsty, we have however managed to get hold of a really good Astra estate, so far it´s been great. Just for info cars are extremely expensive here due to the high import taxes, for instance, for us to import the Land Rover would normally cost 14,000E which is not far off three times its value, however, lets hope this is still the case; if you are a resident you are entitled to one tax free import.

Ricardo who had been helping out is a singer, he was performing in Albufeira, we all went along to support him, we were extremely grateful for his efforts to say the very least. It was a long drive as we took the wrong road but it was well worth it, he is a classical singer and we were all extremely impressed, he had a friend sing too but she unfortunately sounded like she needed to quit the fags… Ricardo is a very talented chap and we look forward to hearing him sing again soon.

Matty bunking up with Nanna and Grandad.

Next mom and dad arrived, I picked them up in the Astra which is the lap of luxury compared to the Land Rover and much easier for them to get in and out of which was my main concern and the reason why Neil and Daz whizzed up to Lisbon to find something. Daz was still here and we had a lovely couple of evenings all together, very homely, mom and dad watched the boys one night too which was perfect for Neil and I, its been months since we had been out on an evening, the local bar had live music and it was good to chill with a great friend. On the way home we found a Grab n Go which is an all night vending machine with something in that could prove handy :)

Spot the unusual item in this vending machine...

Dad loved sitting in the window at Pottery road, nothing has changed :)

Ryans 7^th birthday was the next thing to focus on and without friends how can you have a party, so we suggested a surf school party which in its essence is limited to only a handful of people any way, Molly from school has an older brother Jack and we thought what a great way to get to know them and their family, Alex and Marlain and Tal, Yaniv and the boys could not make it which was a shame. We met on the beach with a Haribo cake from Iceland and a few cartons of juice, far from the usual scene. Sarah kept mom and dad’s beach brolly under control while the rest of us rode the waves, well tried to lol, saying that credit where its due, Molly’s dad John compared to us was an expert. The surf instructors were fab (again) they stayed for sandy cake and juice and sang the Portuguese version of Happy Birthday which was really very nice, too impromptu for a movie though. Ryan has since said it wasn’t a very good party as he didn’t have many friends BUT it was amazing as it was a surf party… Big thanks again to Future Surf School…

Molly, Jack, Matty and Ryan - Praia da Rocha.

Bottoms up birthday boy.

Birthday on the beach.

The beauty of not working is that you have free time, I have actually done a few treatments this month which has been great but I have to say I feel blessed to have been able to go out and about with mom and dad at our leisure, with the boys happy at school we had some very relaxing and special time together, they loved the beach and have fallen in love with Praia da Luz. There is a great park very close to our apartment and we spent a few evenings in the café with a beer while the boys and Neil played football (joy of joy´s for Neil as he hates it and Ryan shouts a lot at him). We all visited Molly’s house and while they kid´s enjoyed the pool and tree house we enjoyed Sarah lovely baking!!

Dont we all look well!!!

While mom and dad did enjoy visiting us in Bulgaria and we have some wonderful memories, they totally loved it here, we had covered quite a few Algarvian miles and seen but a handful of all the possible places we can along this stretch, can’t wait to get them on the beach again.

Neil took a flight back to Bulgaria to close bank accounts, despatch the container and collect Pee Pee, mom and dad were with me so that was a great help, however the tricky part was organising the trip to the airport for mom and dad’s flight home and collecting Neil and Pee Pee from Lisbon airport at 10pm, it’s easily a three hour drive and the boys would have just fought and moaned for most of the journey, thanks to Sarah the pressure was off, she took them both to school while I drove mom and dad to Faro and would have them for a sleep over the next night allowing me a peaceful drive to meet and greet Neil and Pee Pee

And Portugal... August.

August (and the last few days of July).

We were very happy to be on the final leg of our journey and driving the bridge into Portugal felt good, we headed to the coast and west towards Fuseta for our next camp site, Matty was impressed by the islands that he said looked very nice and I loved the old traditionally tiled buildings.

We arrived at Fuseta camp site just after lunch time and were told the last pitch had just been taken, this was not great as we had already contacted a few and they were all fully booked (this one was not contactable), my heart sank to be honest as we didn't have a plan b but thankfully as we were turning around to leave the guy ran over and said that his colleague told him someone had just left and we had a pitch if we needed it, which we did, it was probably the sunniest spot on the site but we were in it like a shot - brill!! Lunch of fish then to the beach it was great. We were surrounded by smiley happy people which was a comforting start. 

Fuseta beach and cheapo surf boards, have to start somewhere!!

It was not long before we had been advised to speak to an Irish woman, a mother of two boys who worked on the site, the next morning I had an hour with the lovely Anita but to my dismay the main reason she was leaving was the schooling; lack of support, little discipline and bullying to mention a few issues!! Well, I passed this info on to Neil and we were a little shell shocked to say the least, we had only been in Portugal a couple of days at this point and were now wondering about our decision to be here, we slept on it and the next day we felt we had been given information that would ensure we find out as much as possible about schools and anything at all come to that before making decisions as we moved forward on this journey.

The Fuseta and Tavira (east) area had appealed to us and we booked an appointment with an estate agent, we arrived at the office, leaving the boys with Anita and her boys, only to find the office closed, it turned out they had tried and failed to contact us, we didn't get to meet the agent at all we kept missing each others calls. In the meantime my research told me that for more 'european' schools we needed to be looking at Lagoa, Portimao and Lagos, which were places we had not really considered, so that was that, we decided not to follow up with the agent and to make the next week or so a full on holiday and then move further west. Best to just sit on this for a while...

Every year Fuseta has a festival and the week we where there was that week, live music and festivities for five nights, it was noisy but very enjoyable and for once the late night loud music did not bother me at all and I found I could drift off to sleep with ease listening to the Latino rhythms - bliss!!

Boat to Fuseta.

Yes!!!

Action...

A short boat trip takes you to Fuseta Island, the free Zumba class on the beach (that Anita is addicted to) was fab to watch, the four boys enjoyed the surf and another stunning sunset before heading back to camp. What a lovely day!!

Boys lunch.

Fuseta Sunset.

August 1st, my birthday, beautiful gifts and cards and a cake at breakfast then off to the town of Alte with cool fresh water pools, the drive there was longer than we imagined and a hard one along the twist and turns of the hillside. Twisting through the pine forests the cooler air was filled with the sweet yet refreshing fragrance of the pine trees, and for the first time we came across the cork trees with the bark recently stripped – quite something. All this followed by Fish and Chips in Albufeira and the evening was spent with Anita, Bruno and the boys at the festival, a few dances and a few beers to finish off another lovely birthday, it was quiet compared to previous years to say the least but filled with love as always!!

Gifts.

The beautiful Alte.

Cannonball!!

Anita and Bruno.

Fiesta!!

Time to find a more permanent spot further west, we found a site called Chicken Run, it was not far from Alvor in a small tradition village called Mexilhoeira Grande, lot of tiles here which I liked very much.

Tiles in Mexilhoeira Grande.

Sunrise at Chicken Run.

We thought great time for us to get cracking and sort a few things out, with excellent internet we were off to a good start. It was not long before I found out about summer school, thanks to my no fear approach and chatting to anyone on the street I came across Marlain who’s son Alex (a little older than our two) was attending summer school in Portimao, not long and it was all organised, they were dropped off on the beach for what was their first day of many with Eureka school. Happy happy happy!!! 

First day of summer school.

The boys weekly schedule consisted of three mornings on the beach and three afternoons with classroom activities, one day at the natural water pools in Estombar and a day out at a water park, climbing or some other exciting fun place, what a start to their new lives in Portugal, oh and a splatting of Portuguese of course in with that lot.  

Chicken Run was a lovely space but it was too difficult for us to manage there for a few reasons; running water was not freely available it was pumped, although not huge problem in itself but coupled with other things made it hard work, no showers or loo’s for us to use so we had to use the caravan this again not a problem if its only now and again but not every day, it was like standing under a trickling tap which meant showers took ages and more water than ever had to be collected, and not a lot of shade, when its 38 degrees its hot. The boys daily shower was taken stood in a container at the side of the 90 with the solar shower on top, it slid of from time to time… This I have to say the boys loved and didn’t complain about showering once.  Overall the internet was the best thing but unfortunately this was not enough to keep us there. 

Solar showering.

Haven't used one of these for ages...

Just a random experience when filling up...

Cool!!

Where dreams could start...

Camping Alvor had a pool and bathroom block so definitely better but still no shade, the site was so jam packed the only places left were out in the sun, the main summer season is clearly busy. The big hiccup was that after agreeing with the receptionist the monthly (long term) price when we arrived back with the caravan she said she had made a mistake and for August the long term prices do not apply and it could only be the regular August daily rate, hmmmmm, not happening in my world, it was not my mistake at all and the receptionist apologised but this did not help, a solution was needed. After a long ‘chat’ in front of many hot and bothered potential guests they agreed a rate for us and we were, for the second time, happy to have a more permanent place. 

Summer school was closer and the beach only 5 mins away, the down side was the internet which was awful we purchased a router which helped but it was still too intermittent for our needs. We purchased a few camping type storage units to make things a little less cramped in the caravan, we had more stuff than you usually take but things we needed had to come with us, Matty had actually began to teach himself Portuguese. 

Neil set up the hammock which was not a secure as he thought, oops.  Ouch!!!!

Alvor.

Alvor

Alvor beach was wonderful a really good tonic, the sea was divine, the waves powerful; a really good way to cool off and clear any confusion which in our position was priceless, with so many what if’s and maybe’s the brain was getting a little foggy and it was difficult to think clearly – thanks again to Mother Nature and her healing power we would come away without a care in the world. Aljezur was a little further away but this place I loved, we spent some time playing in the delicious sea, we had a picnic and watched the sunset… This place makes we want to surf…

West coast surf...

Relaxing... :) 

Stunning beach.

Aljezur wall art.

  

Atlantic sunset fun.

A tasty breakfast treat, well anytime of the day in fact!!

Wasnt me...

Monchique is a stunning part of The Algarve; cork trees, pine trees and that divine fragrance again, it was an area we thought we could settle in, but when we took a drive up although its not far from the coast the final section of the road to the town was really windy and Ryan was sick. We did look at a few places for sale up there but the access was too difficult and the plots were too steep for us to visualise life there, this combined with the possibility of Ryan having travel sickness coming to and from we ruled it out.

Medieval show.

Market stalls full of wonders.

The lovely Medieval town of Silves has a festival every year, the show was great fun jesters, horses, jousting and cheering, then a wonder through the cobbled street leading to the castle lined with stalls selling the most beautifully crafted furniture, lamps, mirrors and all kinds of shiny things I have seen for a long time, not a good time to buy with only the caravan to furnish but I shall get my chance!!

Food fit for Kings. 

Good times!!

After almost a week we actually spoke to our neighbours, it turns out they too had relocated here and couldn't find a place to rent either. The beautiful Israeli family of four Tal, Yaniv and their two lovely boys Tohar and Ilia were great company, we all went through quite a low spell together in our hot crowded caravans but knowing we shared similar frustrations and feelings helped us all refill with positivity and propel forwards. We shared interests, concerns, ideas, meals and dreams, this was only the beginning of our friendship. Their boys picked up a few English words and us a few Hebrew. It turned out we were all moving somewhere new for September, I was glad this was the case I would have missed them if we had stayed behind when they moved on. We all left camping Alvor the same day.

To new friendships & Angels along the way...