Our last full day in Portugal. Where has the time gone? We awake at Eric and Aurelie’s campsite with everything fully charged and set off for ‘home’. Wow, I didn’t think we would be saying that six weeks ago. Home then was TUT, and to be honest it will always be, but to have our own plot of land is AMAZING.
I negotiate the narrow entrance way onto CasaBo and we park up. The day is mostly taken up with cataloguing CasaBo as it is now. It will not be like this again and so merits taking an accurate record, so that, in the future, we can see just how far we have come.
With Kimberley off on a photo frolic, my role in all of this is mostly to fall asleep in one of our dream chairs and then do a little talk through on a video of Phase One and the building of Mission Control. That done, we pick up some provisions from the Intermarche supermarket (not as good as Continente) and then go and get a toastie from our favourite Idanha-a-Nova café.
To round off our first trip it would be wrong not to take in a game of football, and today it is a big local derby between Idanha-a-Nova and Castelo Branco. At this moment in time, I have not chosen my team in Portugal, but I know it is going to be one of these teams. We get to the ground and in trying to gain admission to the home supporters’ end, we get sent to the away supporters’ end. Not knowing the system yet, we go meekly where we are told. I have been in the wrong end at a football ground before and it can somewhat stifle one’s enjoyment.
There are about 300 people here which is lovely, and not bad for the third tier of competition in what is a small country. The strange thing is that there is absolutely no singing. Football without singing and chanting is going to take some getting used to. The game is good even though there were no goals, and the decision is made that Idanha are my team in Portugal now and forever more.
We head back to CasaBo. The mood is mellow. We want to stay and continue our work here but actually really need to spend time in the UK, not least because as the UK is now no longer ‘in Europe’, we are only allowed to spend 90 days in every 180 days on the continent. We also have lots of people in the UK we haven’t seen in a while who we are missing. That of course will be the biggest challenge to moving to a new country. Technology such as video calling is going to help, and the good thing is Portugal is just a three-hour flight from England.
So, with this chapter of the adventure coming to a close, it is time to take stock. Have we had the best holiday ever? Have we found our spiritual home? Are we going to build our dream home? Has this trip exceeded our wildest expectations? The answer to all of these questions is yes!
The adventure will continue, and we will keep writing and posting updates on this blog on a Monday and a Thursday just because we like doing it. It’s important to us to keep it as a diary because otherwise it’s easy for us to forget the many little miracles that occur on life’s way. We have enjoyed your company with us on this adventure so far, and we know there will be more twists and turns to come. Remember, set your destination, take baby steps, and have fun.
