Blog entry 20.3.2020
Now everything has changed and Corona is our constant companion. No, no, don’t worry. We’re healthy. Only the Corona ghost has been with us since the beginning of the week.
On Friday we did a portrait of Carolina without any Corona problems.
Klaus had brought her late, but at least she came when we were about to pack up. If not that would have been a disappointment. At 26 years of age, she is already an experienced and enthusiastic architect, who is very interested in architecture in interaction with nature.
It was already dark when we left for Aljezur. We had already made our way there several times in daylight and the drive to the parking lot of the soccer field we could glide along nice and slowly. There were also hardly any cars on the road.
The last time there we had celebrated New Year’s Eve with Paul. Since then Face Europe had really got going: 21 portraits in 2 months. 7 Portuguese and 14 other Europeans from Italy (2) Germany (3), Holland (3), Scotland (1), Ireland (1), England (2), Austria (1) and even Switzerland (1).
On Saturday morning we set off for the vegetable market, which was praised by everyone. We climbed up the path to the market hall on foot after we dared to go on with Big Fredi only to the parking lot at the river.
We had no idea where exactly the market hall was. We asked ourselves through and could also see the white delivery car with the oranges right at the entrance. Ulrich had asked us to get a crate of fresh oranges for him. We bought them right at the beginning and Wilfried guarded our achievement while I went into the market hall to be inspired by the super fresh fruit and vegetables. Loaded with cauliflower, broccoli, radishes, tangerines, oranges, leeks and strawberries we could at least make our way home to our car downhill.
When I went to Intermarche for bread and butter, I noticed a woman with a colorful mouthguard that looked as if it was self-made. All cashiers were wearing rubber gloves. A notice at each cashier asked not to come closer than 1m distance for protection of the employees and yourself.
We reached Barrão de São João and Ulrich could be portrayed as our last participant before the corona barrier on the open-air stage in front of the cultural centre.
The next day the first indisposition of this year kept me in bed for a day. My stomach rebelled. Thank God for only one day. Whether the cause was too much strawberry and radish the night before or a virus will not be found out. In any case, a day without eating really didn’t hurt.
We stayed in Barrao de São João until Thursday, mostly reading and inspecting the area.
During one hike I met Sofia, a Portuguese teacher. We talked at a distance of 10 meters, she explained to me that she is currently looking for a technique to offer her language course online, because from now on she is not allowed to meet with her students in the cultural center anymore.
She told me about her project she had done a few years ago. She was interviewing people in the Algarve to find out how they were doing, why they were here and what made them stay.
She confirmed our feeling that this triangle between Lagos, Sagres and Aljezur is a very special attraction – not just for us – but for a lot of people, and that once you’re there it’s almost magnetic.
It’s a pity that I can’t take a language course with her. Although, that might be somehow possible… We can make a phone call. We have exchanged our phone numbers and I will definitely contact her. She would also be interested in a portrait on her part. However, this will have to be postponed until after the Corona crisis.
We had to postpone the appointment with Soehl the filmmaker from Bangladesh, Romania an indefinite date for the same reason.
What we didn’t want to postpone any longer, however, was the laundry. And so we left the picturesque Barrao de São João on Thursday, 19.3.2020. For breakfast we had served coffee to walkers outside, paying close attention to the safety distance. But it was too much of a temptation to offer a chat to the Austrian Sasha and his companion, a Nigerian-Scottish beauty, who came from London and her German friend.
In Budens we could do our laundry and in Vila do Bispo we could fill up our water supply and shop at Lidl for at least a week.
From Klaus I wanted to find out how the Portuguese have adapted the legal situation to the coronavirus. He only knew about it second hand. Allegedly wild parked campers are asked to move to private properties and immediately he offered us to park and live on his farm at any time. What an offer!
When our food supplies run out, GNR is chasing us away and we need a nest, we know where to go. And as a side effect, I get to dig my hands in his vegetable garden, there’s always something to do, he promised!
But first, I’ll make good on my promise to do the gardening at Gianluca and Emanuela’s. I was allowed to help Gianluca last week when he started to redo his garden. Since they also had to cancel their trip to Tenerife, they now give their energy to their wonderful garden. Who knows how important self-sufficiency will be again in the future. An end of the Corona crisis is not foreseeable.
We will stay here for the time being!
Now the number is complete: We had already met Bernd and Marion again at the beach of Amado. Yes, the energy to meet nice people here in Carrapateira is very positive.
He emigrated 20 years ago and bought a big piece of land here. An organic farm with chickens, pigeons, a swan, cats and a dog, as well as 8 milk cows (they are standing on the pasture outside in a valley) are his animals.
He has had a fascinating childhood with absolutely unconventional parents. A one year long journey with planned wagons through India with a group of 20 people and the attendance of the Waldorf School with a subsequent study of technology have left an important impression on him for his current project. The atmosphere was absolutely relaxed but in no way sluggish as one often finds in a hippy community. Everything was orderly, creative and with a high potential for development among the helpers. We were allowed to take part in the lunch and felt quite comfortable with our neighbours: the family of Carolina from Milan. They are currently visiting their son, who has already been living for 5 months at the farm of Klaus and gave a quite satisfied and relaxed impression. Carolina is professor at the Politechnikum in Milan at the Institute of Urban Architecture and invited us to Milan.
His bitter oranges were processed by me into jam in the evening and passed on to Klaus for tasting in the morning. We were given vegetables from the garden, delicious freshly baked rye bread from the bread oven as well as a load of drinking water for our tank.
It was a very special experience, the best pizza, authentic Italian pizza with wafer-thin dough, little yeast, but a whole day program for making the dough. The first pizza of my life that didn’t lie in my stomach like a medicine ball. The motto is: all you can eat.
It was already noon when we could tear ourselves away from her beautiful garden and drove to Lagos to Paulinha (Monica’s mum). She invited us to her house, where we made ourselves comfortable in a very small space. It is always a very special honour for us when we are allowed to visit someone in private. This is not a matter of course and we are especially grateful for it.
Yesterday we cleared our place for other travellers and traveled to the lonely beach of Odeceixe (unpronounceable name, wonderful surroundings). 65 km, a short stop for supply and disposal in Odemira. Now in winter it is indescribably beautiful and quiet here. 
