28.12.-31.12.2023 Figueira-Budens, Algarve/Portugal

Here at the caravan park in Figueira, Budens, Portugal, there are not only day guests or vacationers who stay for one or two weeks, but mainly “long-stayers”.
This is the name given to guests who stay for longer than a month. Some spend the winter and then return home, others live completely in their camper but move on at some point and others have been living here on this caravan park for several years.
It is firmly in German hands, only a handful of Langturners are not of German origin.
The variety of different personalities is one of the reasons why we feel so at home here. We would like to tell you about these people today.
One of them is Mrs. H., “the dog mom”, who has traveled a lot in her motorhome. She now lives here in the park with two small dogs and a tomcat and recently moved from her motorhome into a caravan. She often has a little problem and asks around to see who can help her. In the meantime, she has realized that Alex can be very useful to her in many ways. Even though Mrs. H. doesn’t only have friends here on the site, we get on well with her. To thank Alex for her help, she has already provided us with beer and her knowledge of Portugal. She was once with a Portuguese man for almost 2 years and therefore knows a lot about the country, its people and culture.

Then there is a couple who have only recently arrived. We got to know them when they actually just wanted to fill up their fresh water and Mr. W. asked us if we had a suitable adapter for them. In the meantime, they have made themselves at home with their two cats and would like to stay here for many years. He has also recognized Alex’s gift for craftsmanship and the two of them can exchange ideas. He also does everything himself. He was self-employed in a trade and is therefore anything but clumsy.
The couple are very nice and we have a very good relationship with them.
Just yesterday, Mr. A. and his wife decided not to travel on after a week, but to stay until March. A very nice couple.
The “beauty”, as we call Mr. N., lives directly behind us. We gave him this name because of his behavior. He has a few friends on the site. Together they take some getting used to but individually they are all fine. He was alone here for about two months until his wife flew in a few days ago. For us, he is simply a neighbor and nothing more.
The “widower” has been traveling the world for years. He used to travel alone, then with his wife and, unfortunately, has been alone again for some time now. He can tell us wonderful stories of his travels from the 70s and also of many other countries, all of which he has traveled to without a motorhome. He likes to drink a glass of wine too much and also belongs in the group of “male friendships” with Mr. N. the Beautiful. However, he is one of those people on the campsite with whom you like to have a chat or a drink.
Mr. P., also one of the male friendships. He is sometimes quiet, sometimes talkative, always friendly, can also do a lot of manual work, knows his way around all kinds of vehicles and has a great interest in motorcycles, a small hobby of his. We have a hard time judging him. He will be moving on to Morocco in mid-January.
The “strange one” was also from the male friendship group.
While his friends, whom he apparently met here last year, were already here, he only arrived here recently. He is very different from all the other people. Not everyone is happy to have him here. We are also not happy with his tidiness in front of the camper, as it attracts some animals.
The Belgian on our pitch is an absolute “sunny boy”, no matter where he is, you can always hear him somewhere. He doesn’t talk like a book, but like a library. He builds his sentences from Belgian, German and English words. He tinkers a lot with the interior of his Sprinter. He has mainly made it really nice and cozy inside here on the site to suit his needs. “Sunnyboy” Mr. P. goes jogging every day (before the morning starts :-O) Sport is very important to him. He is always in an infectiously good mood and always has a tip or piece of advice and one or two tools for the work on our WENNE. He actually wanted to travel on at the beginning of January, but he also likes it here so much that he has extended his stay again. We are very happy about that. An incredibly great person.
Our first impression of Mr. U. has changed for the better. We urgently need to work intensively and quickly on getting rid of our prejudices against others. We didn’t like him very much at first. But he is also a very nice person who is always happy to have a chat.
The widow, Mrs. R., is traveling alone for the first time. Her husband died this year after a long illness and she has promised him that she will spend the winter here again on the site where they have spent the winter together for several years. A very, very dear woman.
Then there is a Portuguese woman who has lived on the site for many years. We have very little contact with her due to the language barrier. She plays a handpan.
The basic shape of a handpan consists of two metal half-shells glued together, a central tone field surrounded on the top by a circle of at least seven tone fields, and an opening on the underside. You can drum on it with the palms of your hands or use sticks.
She often plays it and it is wonderful to listen to her music. Unfortunately, there are always people who don’t like it when she plays this great instrument for just 15-20 minutes in the afternoon. What a pity.
The Dutchman on the square is one of those people here who we don’t necessarily seek contact with. He’s fine and always friendly. He has also been here for many months.
Mr. A. is very conspicuous with his huge Concord.
For weeks we didn’t know which person belonged to this vehicle. On the barbecue afternoon, Christmas Day, we got to know him. You can get along with him, even have a glass of wine or a chat, but he’s still a very stubborn person. Just like Mr. S., the former timpanist on the pitch. He is on the other side of the caravan park, where the small campers are accommodated. He has a tent as his living room, as he says, and sleeps in his car.
Then there’s a couple you can really feel sorry for. They actually wanted to stay here until May. However, their dog has now fallen ill and needs a lot of rest and actually very little sun. Now, of course, they are thinking about what they can do to ensure that all three of them are well. A very likeable couple. While he, the only one on the site, actually works from home every day, she is always out and about and up for a chat.
An Englishman, a very quiet man who you hardly notice is even there. He has also lived here for some time. But if you do bump into him, he is always very friendly.
The “Swabian”, like many other campers here, is also out and about with his dog. He calls his wife at home every day, always walks barefoot (except for shopping) and takes his dog to the beach every morning for a swim. He also fits in very well here on the square.
Most of the people are between 45 and 80 years old.
Our chicks on the campsite are a young couple from Romania. Always friendly, very unobtrusive. You don’t really notice that they are there. And yet they have also been on the site for a very long time.
The Swiss woman is a completely different type of person.
We talk to each other sometimes, but we don’t really get to know each other. But we respect each other. She is also going on to Morocco with Mr. P. in mid-January.
I don’t need to say much about our East Frisian friends. You can see from the previous posts how good friends we have become. We’ve really taken them to our hearts and they’ve probably taken us to theirs too. We spend a lot of time with them and have a lot of fun together.
Of course, there are other campers with whom we don’t necessarily see eye to eye. We respect each other. But the nice thing is that you can always get help from these people too, and vice versa.
And then there’s Ulla. This lady, who is over 70 years old, is currently in Germany and will return on January 8. She has lived on this site for 3 years and flew to Germany this year just to supplement her pension at the Christmas market.She will be pleased to see us again, because when she said goodbye we were actually sure that we would be moving on at the beginning of January.
The staff at the campsite are generally okay. Angela is great, always friendly, always helpful, always up for a chat. A real sweetheart at reception. Her colleague is also very nice. We’ve only seen her rarely so far, so we haven’t had much contact with her yet. The boss himself is…let’s say…takes some getting used to. You get the feeling that employees and campers are happy when he’s not on site. He will soon be on vacation and will not be present for a longer period of time. Everyone finds that very relaxing.
Last but not least, there is our groundsman. He and his sick wife live on the caravan park and are there for us all 24/7. Sometimes he is very strict, e.g. when it comes to rest periods. Sometimes he’s in a very good mood and always up for a laugh. But sometimes he’s also in a bad mood, which you can tell by the fact that he greets us very curtly, doesn’t talk much and seems somehow absent.
All in all, we feel totally at home here.