Day No. 108 - Winter is coming... - Market halls in Loulé

"When people are happy, they don't notice whether it's summer or winter."

- Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

Although it has already snowed in many areas of Germany, the astronomical start of winter is only tomorrow, December 22, coinciding with the 2019 winter solstice. - Confused? - Wasn't there already something? - Yes, the meteorological start of winter was already on December 1.

As winter is equated with hibernation for us this year, it is much more important that tomorrow is the shortest day and therefore the longest night of the year. On this day, the sun reaches its lowest midday altitude above the horizon in the northern hemisphere throughout the year.

Conclusion: From the day after tomorrow, the days will not only get longer again, but the sun will also get steeper again. - This means we are getting closer to our goal of self-sufficiency, at least statistically. - Or have I made a mistake in my calculations?

Addendum: Today is also International World Orgasm Day, because of the long night and all that!

After spending a wonderful time at Praia de Loulé, today we drive 12 km into the hinterland to the actual town of Loulé. In addition to the historic old town, which has retained its charm away from the tourist crowds, a castle and a beautiful chapel, Torgit is particularly interested in the market, which has been here since 1291.

We got up early this morning to experience the market as authentically as possible. It rained almost non-stop during the night. Due to a short circuit, the electricity on our pitch is not working. Cold showers are the order of the day. When you're "programmed" for a hot shower, this is doubly difficult. - But we set off as planned. The market in Loulé is just as we imagined it would be. There are a few stalls that are obviously aimed at tourists. But for the most part, Portuguese people shop here. The fruit and vegetables are sensationally fresh and the sausages and cheese are reasonably priced. - We stock up on groceries and then drive on quickly. The weather doesn't motivate us to take a long stroll through the city. - Instead, we head for the mountains. 

Our destination, the Beliche Dam, Barragem de Beliche in Portuguese. - Here we hope to meet Ilona and Geronimo and their children, our friends from the Netherlands, together with their van. They are said to be staying in the area. - At times, our route takes us along gravel roads, including small water crossings. The area looks barren. There are olive trees here and there, but mainly stones, stones and more stones - I'm always amazed at how well Hector does. - In the afternoon, we think we've found a good spot for the night. - Torgit is a little exhausted and goes to sleep for a short while. 

Suddenly Ilona is standing in front of our bus. She has found us using our GPS coordinates. - So we get Hector ready to drive again and let her show us where they have set up camp. - It turns out to be a wonderful evening, including a cooking event and lots of impressions.

As we fall asleep tonight, we are greeted by a starry sky that you would otherwise only see in the Caribbean or in the desert. I've never seen anything like it in Europe. We fall asleep deeply impressed.