Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 150

The hostel we stayed at has a rooftop terrace and this was the perfect place to have our breakfast,before heading out.

On our way to the car we encountered some lovely mural tile work.

Today we took a road trip to Lagos. Due to some technicality with the rental car we couldn’t take the toll road, so we got to take the scenic route and see all the towns along the way. I can completely understand why Lagos is such a popular destination in Portugal. It has everything you expect of a Portuguese city. Beautiful paving, charming coloured buildings, tile work, and a lovely walk by the harbour. Not to mention all kinds of incredible food. I was really impressed with myself that I could express myself well enough in Spanish that the Portuguese lady in the bakery understood what I wanted.

One of the beauty spots in Lagos is the Ponta da Piedade, a series of beaches with incredible rock formations and water so blue it looks like a tourist advertisement

In the afternoon we managed to work in another adventure, by taking a horse ride around the Algarve coast.

Our road trip continues through the country side to our next destination, the surf lodge where we will stay for the rest of the trip. The farm lands and villages is everything I expected!

Be kind. Stay safe.

Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 149

It is finally here! My first holiday since moving to Europe!

Getting up early for my 5 am flight had me doubting the choice of that early flight, but by the time we were having breakfast in Faro, Portugal it turned out to be just fine!

After finding free parking for the day (I am so proud of that achievement) we walked down to the jetty to get a boat tour of the estuary, starting with a ecological tour of the salt marshes and doing some bird watching. The tour goes on to visit some of the islands around and we stopped at one for a local lunch

After an adrenaline filled ride back to the city, we continued to explore the Old Town before checking in to the hostel

Dinner was a funny affair. Arriving at the restaurant the conversation went like this :

Me: Can we sit here?

Dude: Yes.

Dude: what do you want?

Me :what do you have?

Dude:what do you want?

Me:A light dinner, do you have that?

Dude: No

Me: Can you recommend a place?

Dude: No.

Me: Well where do we go?

Dude: For food, Cataplana’s Place (the name of his place)

Me: Can we have a menu?

Dude: Yes.

Anyway, dinner was delicious but not light at all! We managed to take a walk afterwards about the city and now it’s time to rest and get ready for tomorrow’s adventure.

Be kind. Stay safe.

Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 147

I have to make a difficult decision tonight: either I close the blackout curtains and sleep a bit later tomorrow morning, or leave it open so the fresh night air can come in, hopefully cool me down, and wake up a bit earlier. I guess I can always close them in the morning and have a second snooze.

Way back, when I had recently arrived in Lima, I posted a pic on Instagram and said its so hot the Cats are melting. Today felt melting cat hot.

I am lucky, because I have been forewarned. Last year during the heat wave in the Netherlands, my best friend told me that her house was designed to be warm, not cool, and I decided to bring along my fan from Peru, and another little one from South Africa. One of the newly discovered benefits of working from home is that you can point the fan exactly where you want it to go, which increases my comfort considerably.

It still amazes me that while I’m drinking liters it water to try and keep hydrated, my loved ones back home is cold.

I was even more surprised when I was on a call to a colleague in another European office, and he was sporting a hoodie!

Whatever the weather where you are…

Be kind. Stay safe

Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s Log: day 146

The road trip continues….

We planned ahead with this whole AirBnb shindig and packed our coffee percolator, milk frother and coffee to bring along. What an absolute treat to enjoy the fresh morning air with a coffee, especially after a warm summers night.

We also picked up some local baked goods for breakfast and it was nice to experience a bit of local flavour before taking on the day.

After packing up we took a last walk around Stavoren, and took pictures of the Lady, and had a last coffee at the only place that was open that time on a Sunday Morning.

Leaving Stavoren, I was enchanted by the sheep that graze on the dike. Also by the little beaches on the business end of the dike where people just hang out and enjoy the weather.

Next stop: Sloten. A little village that feels a bit like a museum, with buildings and cobbled streets in tact. Everything was picture worthy, from the stone bridge, the gabled buildings, to the windmill.

From there we started to gradually make our way back, with a couple of stops along the way.

We visited the Orchid farm, a lovely paradise of tropical plants (orchids and others) in a climate controlled environment. As we walked through the beautiful pathways we were enchanted with all shapes and colours of the incredible flowers.

The next exhibit lets you walk through a garden filled with Lori’s, a parrot like bird from Australia (there is a bird free path for those that prefer it) and a garden where butterflies roam free. The way to the exit is filled with lush hanging baskets that make you think of another world!

After enjoying the orchid farm, we visited and old friend of Marinus’s that live on that side of the world. I hope I am that sprightly when I am 80 years old!

What a lovely weekend away!

Be kind. Stay safe.

Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 145

Roadtrip!!

After getting my Dutch drivers licence I’ve been itching to take a road trip and the opportunity finally arrived!

We planned this trip a few weeks back and it worked out perfectly. I booked a spot on Airbnb (the only one available in our area of interest) and a car through a car sharing app and we pinned a couple of locations on a map.

After collecting the car in the morning we headed off to Bloemendal for a quick stop at KuierKos. We filled up on some delicious home baked lamb pies for lunch, and a piece of cake before loading up on some supplies for the road (and after) from their South African selection.

The road took us due North through farmland and a bit of woodlands to get to the Afsluitdijk, the incredible construction that separated the Zuiderzee into the Waddenzee and IJsselmeer.

After arriving in Friesland I had my eyes peeled for the famous cows (of the black and white persuasion) but have yet to encounter one. I did see a herd of what looked like Jerseys however.

Our next stop was at Hindeloopen, to visit the museum and walk about the city. The museum told the story of tut old trading ships and the people who sailed them, as well as the families who awaited their return at home. I was particularly impressed by the beautiful textiles and the painted furniture, especially the fold up tables.

A walk through the charming town broke my image of the place as a piece of flat farmland, and replaced it with charm and wonder.

From there we made our way to Stavoren, where we will stay for the night. After meeting with our hosts, we got some lovely kibbeling and settled in to watch thd sunset from the deck of our accommodation for the night, a sail boat!

Be kind. Stay safe.

Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 144

The weather of the last few said have been described as a heatwave. I am not one to argue, but it did remind me that it’s all relative, since the temperatures of 30°C that we experienced is similar to the spring temperatures I experienced in South Africa last October.

As with all weather related things, however, it has become clear that the buildings around here is to keep the cold away and not so much the heat.

Luckily the Dutch have found a different solution to it – water. Where there’s a body of water, there’s a flock of people. Swimming, boating, sitting on the banks next to it or floating on giant flamingos. But they will be near water.

We borrowed the boat is some friends, packed some refreshments and went sailing around the canals in and around The Hague. There was some swimming too, but I was worried about being able to hoist myself back into the boat, and I didn’t fancy dragging behind the boat until we got back.

It was however a big treat and hopefully there will be a few more this summer.

Be kind. Stay safe.

Life in the time of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 143

I went to the office today. And it was great. Yes, of course there were only a fraction of my colleagues and stickers everywhere showing one way walkways and reminding is to keep our distance.

But it was good to ask a question if a colleague and it wasn’t on a phone call. It was good to eat lunch under the trees and even jump up in case the bugs we saw were ticks. It was good to have a “watercooler” conversation again. And it was good to cycle to and from work. There is a satisfaction in going somewhere. While I kind of like working from home now, I hope to find a balance between that and the fellowship of the office.

Be kind. Stay safe.

Life in the times of Corona – Captain’s log: Day 143

From today on it is mandatory to wear a face mask in certain parts of Amsterdam this is popular with tourists. I wonder if this is the new normal that everyone has been talking about.

Only a few months ago I would have considered this impossible to happen in a European country where people with voluntary cover up their faces and there are still people who protest against this, but they are even more people who agree that this is the best way forward the safest way to go about.

I always knew the world would be different after this. I just didn’t think it would be normal to buy a face mask as a must have accessory.

So many things will never be the same.

Be kind. Stay safe.