Dear Editor,
I read with interest your ‘Road to Hell Part II’ article (by David Lewis – Algarve Resident edition of April 16 2010) and given that we are acquiring our Algarvian home next week, thought it might be appropriate to offer a short response.
The Road to Heaven – Part I
Our heaven is ….The Farriers Well (Poço dos Ferreiros) close to São Brás and close enough to Loulé. This weekend I sit end of year exams at St Marys University College London and, on Monday, we travel from Portsmouth to Bilbao, travelling onwards to the Algarve with the expectation of completing the purchase of our rural idyll on May 27 at 5.30pm.
Now, as prosaic as I would love this experience to be, I have to admit to a high degree of practicality.
Nearly 20 years ago, we lived in an expat community near Lisbon and, among many positive experiences, also had the misfortune to endure a property entry while alone in the house, by two males with malevolent intent. Luckily my fight or flight response was to grab the nearest possible implement and wield it with ferocity, which, at the time, frightened the living daylights out of them (and me!) as they melted into the woods behind the house.
A country girl at heart, I determined then to keep my heart in the country and my feet firmly planted in the village. There was a reason. I figured people banded together in times gone by because they were sensible – there is safety in numbers.
Remote villas so often appear to represent escape, yet, on our property search, I recognised that escape was the last thing on my mind. I enjoy belonging, being part of community, and living in community seems a sensible way to achieve that, so we put to one side the villas with magnificent sea views and high altitude, we bypassed the seasonal golfing and tourist communities and made sure that in the midst of a very wet and cool Algarvian winter we found community: people living and breathing, people to pass the time of day with, people to learn from and laugh with. Sunshine is great but people can warm you on a dark day.
We are acquiring a home in the Algarve during these times of turbulence and change not for salvation but with the warmth of positive expectation that we might grow a beautiful garden, enjoy good company, apply ourselves somewhat to being fit and healthy, exchange views and create longstanding relationships with warm and fascinating people. We are not expecting all to be well at all times and that’s ok, that’s what resilience is about, and the telephone, and family, and a good book and a decent broadband connection…
We haven’t bought the best, the biggest anything really, in fact until Wednesday we haven’t bought anything. We have just made a commitment to give it a go. We look forward to becoming part of the Algarvian community, your community.
Caroline Anderson
By email
Editor’s note: Dear Caroline, thank you for your email. I wish you the best of luck in the Algarve and hope you will find what you are looking for here, i.e. community spirit.
