January forced us to spend a lot of time in our motorhome due to the constant rain and strong gusts of wind, some of which reached speeds of up to 100 km/h.
We used the breaks in the rain to empty the toilet, dispose of waste water and take out the rubbish. As we always use our motorbike to go shopping, we have to plan carefully and make the most of dry spells to go shopping spontaneously.
But we were still lucky. In many parts of the country, including regions near us, the various low-pressure systems caused significant damage. Many regions are experiencing flooding, storm damage, and snow.
The parking space must be relatively sheltered, because the preparations we had all made here were sufficient to prevent major damage.
One or two tents were a little leaky or were slightly out of shape due to the storm. Where the site offered the possibility of washing up, the roof was covered. But otherwise, as far as we know, there was no further major damage.
The nights were mostly very short due to the storm and rain, and sometimes it felt more like being at sea than on land, so much were the motorhomes shaken.
Due to the lack of sun, it is difficult to estimate how long our photovoltaic system will provide sufficient power. There is shore power available here, but we only want to use it in extreme emergencies. We use the most electricity when we heat our water for showering. We could also heat the water using the heating system, but most of the time it is very mild. So we decided to heat the shower water using the heating system and use the showers at the camper park. We don’t think it’s very cheap to only have 3 minutes to shower for one euro.
Regardless of whether you use water or not, the time is up after 3 minutes. I am always surprised that I have enough time to take a leisurely shower.
Although we have plenty of space in our WENNE, can stand up and do a few exercises to keep our bodies mobile after sitting and lying down so much, we are happy when we can go for a short run to get some proper exercise.
On a mixed day, we ventured out for a walk to the beach. It was only a short trip and we just managed to get back with dry feet. But the sight of the raging Atlantic was worth it.
It’s always a nice change, both when the weather is nice and when it’s miserable, when friends come to visit us or we go to visit someone. We have a drink together, talk, and simply enjoy spending time together.
I use the time to bake, read, and devote myself to my macramé work.
Together we played games, sorted photos and videos on the computer, talked about our plans for the future, made ourselves as comfortable as possible, and looked forward to when the sun would finally shine again.
When we realized that it wasn’t going to rain all day, Alex unfortunately had to spend his time working on the skylight in the “bedroom.” The heavy rain had revealed a leak there. Alex did a great job, because now everything is watertight again.
This month, eight of us went to eat at LaVaranda, a typical Portuguese restaurant where you almost exclusively meet locals.
For 14 euros per person (it has gone up by one euro every year since 2023), you get a starter, salad, main course, dessert, coffee, and drinks, whether wine, beer, water, or soda. The food is really delicious and the value for money is excellent.
We got to know another lovely couple and had a wonderful lunch together in this small, friendly group.
If you look closely at the picture, you may be surprised to see that we are all still wearing our jackets. This is because many houses, including restaurants, do not have heating or stoves. Sometimes it actually feels warmer outside than inside.
Since it had been raining again, we were allowed to ride along with friends in their motorhome. That was great, because I could finally dress up “properly” to go out again. Otherwise, we always travel in our motorcycle gear.
It’s little things like that that always make me happy. I could dress appropriately during the day, too, but at a campsite like this and with the current weather, I spend a lot of time in the motorhome, so I prefer to wear comfortable clothes. Unlike Alex, I don’t feel like walking around in jeans or similar clothes all day. Even when we still had a permanent residence, I would immediately change into my comfy clothes as soon as I got home. The difference here is that I also dare to go out in public in my comfy outfit when I walk around the campsite for whatever reason. Do you know what I mean, or are you always dressed up?
On the penultimate Saturday of the month, the sun finally came out again. The idea was to go for a long walk right after breakfast.
But when we got up in the morning, we received a text message from a friend here at the campsite who is traveling alone. He urgently needed medication from the pharmacy because his cold had developed into bronchitis. It goes without saying that we would help him.
So after breakfast, we put our daily work on hold and gave our friend the medication he needed, some vitamins, and thyme tea.
Then we took care of the housework, the water tank, and the toilet. As luck would have it, we weren’t quite finished when we had a visit from friends from Bochum. We had met here at the campsite in the winter of 23/24 and have stayed in touch ever since. This winter, however, the two of them are traveling by plane instead of by motorhome. We were delighted to see them and spent the afternoon together.
It just goes to show how wonderful a day that turns out completely differently than planned can be, because if we hadn’t gone to the pharmacy, we probably wouldn’t have been at the site and would have missed the two of them.
The day our friends from Büsum, whom we also met here at the campsite in 2023/24 and whom we visited at home last May, arrived here at the end of the month was just as unexpectedly different.
They often invited us over to spoil us and others with treats. Once, Robert unexpectedly cooked soup for everyone. What a surprise.
We have rarely met such wonderful people. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts for the great evenings and the wonderful time we had together.
It is always really nice to hear the different stories of old acquaintances and new friends.
A few days later, Renate also managed to arrive here. We were delighted to be able to hug her again. We also met them at this place and visited them at home last spring. We are looking forward to spending the next few weeks with her.
Our dear friend Wusel had asked us some time ago if we could take him to Faro airport at the end of the month and then pick him up again. He and his wife have become very good friends of ours, and each of us would do almost anything for the other if asked for help. So we didn’t even have to think about it. Since the two of them now live here in Portugal on the parking space, they also have a normal car, which we used to drive them to the airport on the day of their departure, leaving punctually at 4:00 a.m.
Regardless of this, another friend asked us the same thing. We didn’t have to think twice about this either. He converted a normal car so that he could use it for camping. We find this absolutely admirable, because we couldn’t imagine traveling so minimalistically, even with the best will in the world. This meant we could also drive him to the airport in his own car. He even offered to let us use his car while he was away.
This trust he has in us means a lot to us.
However, we only took advantage of the opportunity to do some shopping on the way back from the airport. Otherwise, we didn’t need this kind offer. We can do everything we need and want to do with the motorcycle.
To get him to the airport on time, we left at 5:15 a.m. Unfortunately, it was raining quite heavily and stormy that morning, so the trip was quite adventurous.
A bit of a “depressing mood” has crept in here at the campsite, because everyone came here to spend the winter dry and not cold and wet. Personally, I don’t think the weather is particularly great at the moment either. The heavy rain and the very cold days and even colder nights at the beginning of the month were really not nice. At least the temperatures are more pleasant now. Some long-term campers who wanted to stay until March, April, or May have now had enough at the end of January and are leaving. When you look at the weather situation in Germany with the icy cold and snow, or the masses of water in Spain, we can actually be happy here in this place, because we are quite protected. No flooding and no major storm damage. And if we’re honest, where else can we go? There are storms in many regions in southern Europe, even in Morocco and Greece. The crazy weather is supposed to continue throughout February. We are definitely staying until the beginning of March and just enjoying the time with our friends. We should all make the best of it and enjoy every day anew and be grateful that we have not suffered any storm damage.
Not every day was rainy. Every now and then, at least until mid-January, there was a sunny day, and we made good use of them.
Once, we went on a motorcycle trip with our friend Pit. We rode past Albufeira da Barragem de Odiáxere, which wasn’t full after all the rain but still had a lot of water for its size. We continued towards Monchique to Monte da Fóia and its 902-meter-high summit. From up there, you normally have a magnificent view of the entire Algarve and the Atlantic Ocean. But today, the summit was shrouded in clouds. Nevertheless, we couldn’t resist a café and the delicious cake that is always available here. As we drove back down the mountain, we caught a beautiful view of the stunning landscape of the Algarve and the Monchique Mountains.
Here are a few impressions from the last four weeks of our adventures when the weather was dry. And when the sun comes out, it’s definitely T-shirt weather and perfect for a quick dip in the Atlantic.
Once again, we had this gorgeous beach all to ourselves. These are priceless, beautiful moments for us.
A short walk to the mini beach at Praia Santa, Budens, Portugal. Once again, we have the beach all to ourselves. The temperatures are just right, but the rough Atlantic Ocean is not inviting for swimming.
After all the rain and violent storms, we had a little breather on the last day of January before the next low pressure system arrived. So we made the most of the time and had fun on our tour of the surrounding area. We headed towards Portimao to the mountains of Monchique and back again via Aljezur and Carrapateira.
It was wonderful! The regions were lucky. The rivers finally have water again and we came across a beautiful little waterfall in the mountains.
Some of the fields and meadows are under water. The natural reservoirs have filled with water. A few trees were knocked down by the storm and there were small landslides here and there. Nothing compared to other regions in Portugal and Spain.