How often do you see your face on a picture and you realize that you look pretty damn happy there! This was me, this afternoon, about to call with my Bollywood buddy - I mean Indian friend @inuke
I sent him this picture after he had sent me a happy face of himself. Apparently, he had (finally) seen a celebrity today in Mumbai, after spending three weeks there. This made him hyper, excited and all smiley face.
Then he saw my face. Only now, hours later, I see the above picture on my laptop screen and I like my expression so much that I decided to use it as the picture above today's post. Even though I have way prettier pictures of Portugal.
So... this is what my happy face looks like.
I am writing this post while listening - on repeat - to a track by the amazing @vachemorte In case you aren't familiar with his work, you are missing out on something. You should definitely check out his profile. He and his partner @juliakponsford - make sure to give her a visit too - do some amazing stuff for the Steemit community and are two of my favorite (creative) people on here. Oh and they made a movie - the JuJu Gum conspiracy - which was the first (and only) feature length film that premiered on Steemit. Pretty cool!
And now back to me...
Yesterday, I took a bus from Sevilla (Spain) to Faro (Portugal). It was a 3 hour 45 minute bus drive and I traveled back in time a bit. It was like back to the future. Or, in other words, I'm finally back in the country where I picture my future. And, besides that, it's one hour earlier here than in Spain.
I might have spent two weeks in Sevilla and many things happened, but I didn't know what to share about it and felt like writing about filmmaking instead.
Now I feel like sharing about Portugal.
Since the start of my trip, mid February, Portugal had been my point of focus. When I was in Germany and Spain, even though I tried hard - and I have fond memories of Spain and speak the language - I couldn't get Portugal out of my mind. I felt I wasn't were I wanted to be.
If you are reading my posts for a while know, you will know that I plan to buy myself a little house and a plot of land in Portugal. And now, after a month and a half, I finally made it to this beautiful country.
It feels like coming home
As I told my twin sister yesterday over the phone - Portugal really feels like coming home. Don't ask me why exactly, I have only spent four weeks in this country, in the Summer of 2011. It's just how it is. How it feels. When I stepped out of the bus in Faro and smelt the salty sea, I felt great. Everything was alright.
To reach this place, I went on a 3 hour 45 minute bus drive from Sevilla to Faro. In Faro I spent my last 6 euros of bank money - I am waiting for some crypto sales - on a train ticket to 'Poco Barreto' train station - and an espresso. I asked for a cafe cortado (Spanish) and got myself a cafe curto (I learnt it's also called a bica). People are so friendly here.
At the train station, I was picked up by Pat, a lovely British lady who decided to start living on the Portuguese countryside, 16 years ago and now runs an airbnb/ mini camping here.
She made me a nice cup of ginger tea and fed me two biscuits. After learning that I was temporarily out of money, she decided to feed me four sandwiches with scrambled eggs (she has chickens and thus fresh eggs daily), to make sure that I wouldn't sleep on an empty stomach. My stomach wasn't empty but I have to admit that I was hungry. She even borrowed me 10 euros so I could buy a bus ticket the next day to buy myself some groceries. Lovely!
Today was a good day. I did very little and it was all fine. Everybody seems to be willing to help you out here. I had a lift to Silves, the nearest village and drank some coffees with a Dutch woman who is staying here too for a bit. She also plans to buy a house in Portugal as she will retire from her job very soon. I helped her with some computer issues and - after not having talked Dutch with anyone face to face for 7 weeks - it was nice to converse in my first language once again.
I bought some groceries, had the earlier mentioned talk with Inuke, prepped myself an improv dinner (a one pan meal of chicken, peas, carrots and apple in a soup of water, pepper and salt), enjoyed my dinner and then started spending some time on Steemit and finally write my first blog post in 3 days.
Doing Less, enjoying it more.
I'm getting better and better in doing less and focusing on the things that are actually important (to me) and that I like to do. If you aren't doing that yourself already, I advice you to give it a try. I can assure you that it's one of the keys to happiness ;>)
Alright, I will end today's post with some pictures of the terrain.
Much love,
Vincent
My Caravan with a butler in front of it
A fish pond with what appears to be a hammock above it. I believe the hammock wasn't there yesterday.
