My Place in Tavira

Sometimes words tumble around in your head, eager to evade the paper.  I’ve been following Cathy’s latest venture over at Wanderessence with interest, as she evokes a stream of memories.  Some of you may already know that I plan to move to the Algarve, in Portugal, this year.  Estate agents are almost at my door, the spur I need to start sorting through almost 30 years of squirreling stuff away.  What can I not bear to part with?

Sifting through a pile of photos, mostly of Dad and my Polish family, I pull out a couple of battered exercise books.  Evidence that I had tried to learn both Polish and Portuguese, unsuccessfully, I might add.  Several of the pages were loose, and came away in my hand.  I began to read…. not grammar at all, but the story of my early days in the Algarve.  It all came flooding back.

What is it that draws you to a place, asks Cathy?  She suggests that you keep a detailed diary to help you reminisce.  The pages I had stumbled upon took me back to 2004.  Our immaculate navy blue and white, new bathroom had plumbing problems and had to be bashed about to resolve them.  The whole street seemed to shudder and shake as our bathroom was ‘mended’.  It was an agony to listen, so we escaped while sanity was restored.

The previous October we had taken a one week holiday in Vilamoura and done a little scouting around.  I’d never been to Portugal before, but had liked the sound of Tavira.  A ruined castle overlooking the river, and a ferry to take you out to the beach.  Could it be as nice as it sounded?  Autumn that year was a little mischievous, but the patches of blue in the sky made up for the puddles of rain in the streets.  I lost my heart, right there and then.

February 2004 saw us return for a couple of days, to finalise a sale and rush around buying a few basics.  A bed and some yellow canvas deck chairs came first, I recall.  The plates, we brought with us from England, that April, our first proper visit to our home.  The excitement of  first outings and purchases!  A trip to Faro to buy an acoustic guitar, regarded as an ‘essential’ by our son.  The soft magic of the ilha.  And later, in July, a blow-up dinghy which gave such pleasure, as he and a mate paddled across there.  My heart was often in my mouth as a ferry chugged a little close, but they would emerge spluttering and teasing each other.  A repair kit seldom fixed the leaks for long.

The memories crowd in, one tripping over the next.  The joy of Summer fairs, paper flowers bedecking the bandstand.  Our first drive into the Algarve countryside, enthralled by the greenery and the rolling hills.  Balmy evenings by the riverside.  Azulejos, of course!  The pride in showing visitors all of our wonderful discoveries.  That never ending blue sky and sea.  Sunsets on the roof.

Fourteen years later, many things have changed, but our love for Tavira remains undiminished.  Neighbours have come and gone.  Our favourite cafe, Anazu, is now just a memory.  The garden we started so optimistically has fallen victim to the weather.  It’s time to move out there and give it the nurturing it deserves.  I hope I’ve given you a sense of the place, and what draws me back.  Many thanks to Cathy and her legion of ideas on how to enhance the travel experience.  Please pay her a visit.

128 comments

  1. Hello, I am so proud of you for making your home in Tavira. You might not remember, but Portugal is my Country of birth. I just spend three months there. Took the opportunity of visiting family in both Luxembourg and Germany.
    I was born in the north have a place in Setubal. For people that don’t know Portugal, I wish they would visit at least once. The Country has gone through somewhat of a transformation. More needs to be done still. It will take time Best wishes to you and your travels.
    Lena

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    1. Yes, I remember you, Lena. 🙂 🙂 Your country has always been very welcoming to us and we have mostly liked the changes we have seen. It’s a place I’ll be proud to call home. Thank you for visiting today and Happy Easter to you.

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  2. Wow Jo – how very exciting. Portugal is one of the few places on my bucket list that we’ve not yet visited. Our daughter-in-law grew up there and still has family that we need to visit along the way. My husband is a wine freak and is dying to visit their wine country so we will do it, maybe next year. Best of luck to you in your adventure!!

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  3. Hello my lovely, what a delightful read, I can feel you bubbling over with excitement and totally understand why. Tavira is a perfect place to spend the next thirty years 🙂 I love it too and am almost scared to go back there in case it catches me in it’s web. I confess I’ve been looking at the Algarve for September x:-)x Happy Easter honey!

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    1. Why not? You’ve got the holidays still and it will be lovely and warm. 🙂 🙂 Not sure exactly when we’re going to be there. I’m still all over the place about what we’re doing when. DIY today to tidy the house up for the estate agents next week. Well, it’s raining so nothing spoiling. 🙂 🙂 Happy Easter, darlin!

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  4. What fantastic memories Jo, and I can feel your excitement about the move. So many things to drag you out there, and plenty of friends to come back to when you need to escape the heat. Mind you, sun and heat are hard things to imagine at the moment! What a grey day!

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    1. Damp and dreary here too, after a lovely one yesterday, Debs. One step forward, two back 😦 Mick’s got a bit of DIY to keep him out of mischief. You? 🙂 🙂

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  5. How very exciting, Jo. I didn’t realize that you had this fantastic aim, but I shouldn’t be at all surprised! Whenever you share photos from the Algarve your love for all you see and experience is evident. I’m truly very happy for you. What an adventure!

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    1. Burning our bridges, some would say, Debbie, but we feel a bit ‘cake and eat it’ having both homes. We know that the life there suits us (except in the heat of Summer, when I shall have to do the reverse of what we now do and seek somewhere cooler 🙂 ). We have walking friends, lovely neighbours, a yoga class and a whole new country to explore. I hit 70 in November and there’s no time like the present. Thank you for your good wishes, and happy Easter to you! 🙂

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  6. What an incredible place to soon call home, Jo. Your photos do it justice! That sunset in the last photo resembles a fire on the horizon. Wow! I can see why you are drawn to Tavira. It will be exciting this move; a new life! How do you feel about putting your UK home on the market? Is it bittersweet or all joy? Time to seriously downsize, I presume…

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    1. We’ve been working towards it for a long time, Liesbet. We have 2 homes, neither of which is particularly grand, by many standards. We love them both but realistically and morally it’s time to choose. The heart tugs both ways but we can have a better life in the Algarve, and one that suits both of us. We’re lucky people, aren’t we? Let’s hope that holds. 🙂 🙂

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      1. Choices like these are never easy, I think. As far as being lucky people… Not sure if you know, or not, but I hate the word “lucky”, whether that has been used to describe me and the life I chose, or you. I’m sure you both put a lot of energy, thought, work, and money into both houses, which you managed to attain by making certain choices and giving up on other things! 🙂

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  7. What a big move. So exciting! And you’re going to someplace WARM and full of FLOWERS and WATER. I look forward to learning more about your new environs as you write about them in your blog. Best of luck! xo

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  8. Oh this is so beautiful Jo. I’m still in awe of what you and Mick did back in 2004. Wishing you every success, happiness and beautiful sunset as you now commence stage two 😚

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    1. Thanks, darlin. 🙂 🙂 Quite excited now we’ve got this far. And you are definitely in the right place at the minute. Cold/damp over the weekend and possible snow on Monday. Poor Tish and her onion sets! 😦 I envy you the processions. The one over at Ayamonte might be interesting. I note you still haven’t been across on the ferry. 🙂

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  9. Lovely memories and great photos Jo, good luck with the house sale and the big move and I’ll look forward to many more of your wonderful posts and pics 🙂

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      1. And to you too Jo. I’m off first thing in the morning for four days camping in North Wales so hoping to get some good material for a couple of Monday Walks 🙂

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  11. I wish you well in this new adventure Jo and look forward to updates (if you write them there’s no remote chance of them being boring!). Onwards and upwards!

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  12. Cathy is inspiring wonderful things, not that you need inspiring my dear. This is a lovely and opportune post giving a history of your love affair and a glimpse of your new home. No wonder it’s drawn to live there. What made you decide to move now? Did Brexit have anything to do with the decision? You must be excited. Good luck deciding what to keep. Warm hugs after an autumnal morning.

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    1. Dad dying was the end of an era, Meg. I’m through the adjustment period now and the chief consideration is James. We are still helping him problem solve, but he seems very happy in his new life. Time to stop clinging and let him live it (though I’m not sure if I’m capable of that 🙂 ). Brexit will impact things, of course, and tax deals for expats does make this a good time. And finally, I hit 70 this November. It’s now or never… 🙂 🙂 I’m singinging to you….

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  15. Every time you post photos Jo, I think again it’s no wonder you love Tavira so much. How exciting to think your dreams are finally coming to fruition. Good luck with the house sale and the big move. I’m sure we’ll hear more.

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  17. This brought such a smile to my face, Jo. I am happy to hear you are moving to a place that has been tugging at you for years. A new chapter awaits you and I hope for a smoothe transition. Blue skies ahead. We are spending a month in Italy right now and enjoying life…as you are. 😎

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  19. What a lovely post Joanne. May your move go smoothly and hopefully you’ll enjoy the Algarve full time. I love Vilamoura, but of course there are other areas in the Algarve that are fantastic. I’m off to Europe tomorrow (Lisbon next week), but it’s just a short trip. Maybe next year we might have time to go to the Algarve for a few days and we can meet up.

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