It was a deeply dark rainy night, the town was deserted and all I could think of was: what have I done? We arrived the day before with two bewildered cats in tow and duffle bags stuffed with mostly warm weather clothing. We had at least 364 more days in this adventure.
The rainy weather (and my anxiety) cleared up and we explored a lot mostly on foot, sometimes by train. We walked to the local mall almost daily, and decided we should order some bikes to make our lives a bit easier.
As soon as we ordered our bikes, rainy weather returned. But by mid-December, the rain was gone and the weather shifted to be more cold than wet. We took a trip to London to get a EU entry stamp into our passport. Then took a trip to Spain visiting Seville and walking Caminito Del Rey. And of course, we enjoyed the cheery holiday lights in Tavira.
With the weather absolutely gorgeous in the Algarve, we explored the area. On a sunny Christmas Day, we enjoyed a bike ride then picnic at Praia do Barril. And we rang in the New Year watching fireworks erupt in the Tavira sky.
In the salinas, we joked that we found snow. That may have tempted fate.
The rain snuck back, and soon it seemed there were more rainy days than sunny ones. I’m no mathematical genius but with over 300 sunny days annually, we are probably hitting the rain cutoff. It must have reset in January because rain continued until May.
Highlights
Even with the most rain this region has seen in over a decade, we have had an amazing six months. We have a group of good friends, favorite places, and a long list of places to explore.
Algarvian Adaptations
We noticed a few things that we didn’t think we would get used to. One that remains a mystery is bananas in a produce bag. We see locals do this but had never done this in the US and of course were sure we would never start (yet here we are). We also store eggs outside the fridge, and only eat seasonal produce. Tom has taken to ordering a café cheio which is an espresso but a longer pull to fill up the espresso cup to the top of the cup. This has gotten nods of approval and pleasantly surprised looks from the locals.
What’s Next?
We are moving to a new apartment this week, and we head to Castelo Branco for AIMA attempt number two. More on this in the next blog.
More Portugal
Read more about daily life, the embarrassing moments, and the process for having a long stay in Portugal. If you are more of a picture person, follow me on Instagram.
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