Thursday 19 December 2013

Carrazedo - Final week

Well that's two weeks of workaway done and dusted (literally), and all in all it's been pretty fantastic. The second week started with a bit of DIY, fixing the garden gate, installing a new light fitting, and general garden jobs (pruning etc.). All the calm and tranquility suddenly turned to a few moments of mild panic, when we discovered that the fire from the end of last week had spread into the undergrowth of the wood opposite the house and directly next to the van. Apparently it had been burning all night when we discovered it.
At this point we started to think about moving the van further away but in the end decided to leave it where it was due to the fire already passing by, and go for a drink in the local bar instead!
Another burning issue this week, was disposing of the garden waste in the furnace I fashioned last week from the oil barrel. This took up most of my time as every time I got through it all Cath turned up with another wheel barrow full. Was all fun anyway.
Aside from this we appear to have become regulars at the local cafe and have begun to get offered free food for our custom. This was thanks to our host introducing us to the owner and explaining that we don't speak much Portuguese.
On Monday we were taken out on a trip to Cabaceiras de Basto, which has a market every week. This market was a lot bigger than the the one last week so was even better for soaking up the culture. After a couple of hours of wandering around (you need it due to the size), we were treated to a meal out with our host as a lovely thank you for the work we have done for her.
The final day in Carrazedo largely involved loading the van back up, and an evening of interesting chat about places to visit on our route and a taster of local liquors and spirits. The next morning we had breakfast, made a packed lunch, said our goodbyes and restarted our journey towards beyond!
First point of call was what we thought was a campsite in a place called Barcelos. Now a big thing to note here is the fact that despite a website saying there is a campsite in Barcelos, there actually is not, and apparently never has been. There is however a campsite shop! Discovering this we decided to just park the van up down a quiet street and stay there for the night. We then went out for a few drinks and to see what Barcelos had to offer. Upon our return we discovered that the wing mirror on the van had been knocked while we were away and subsequently broken off. This was a little gutting to say the least. The next morning after a few hours of thinking and planning, followed by about 20 minutes of international sign language in a bicycle repair shop, we managed to fix the mirror using cable ties, suspended ceiling wire, and two holes drilled into the mirror casing by the bike shop owner (for free, and possibly just to get rid of me!)
Porto is the next stop...

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