It seems impossible to say that we have now been on our “Escape” adventure for over two months! A busy two months indeed, we have visited England, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, Portugal & Andorra! A grand total of 11 countries, (Gibraltar is not technically a different country). We have also gone from wet, cold soggy days to temperatures in the mid 40’s, blistering sunshine and gentle ocean breezes………. All in all we are having a blast!
We have looked after 3 different properties with their furred, feathered friends, have been invited back to 2 of them, met a lot of wonderful people, ate a lot and yes drunk a lot! It has been wine country!
It seems impossible that only a few months ago we were in the throes of downsizing, throwing out, cleaning out and the emotional turmoil that went with it! I can honestly say that our preparation work has paid off. Apart from a slight hiccup with our first automatic credit card payment, our banking is running smooth and steady. Having a real person in branch who responds to emails is priceless!
We went paperless for as much as we could and our snail mail is slowing down to a trickle, having someone to handle that is a BIG help! Our property manager sends us a email every month with our statement, the rent is deposited monthly, bills are on automatic payment, the renters are taking good care of the property. As long as we have secure internet access we can access whatever is needed. It is a constant surprise as to how easy access and communication is compared to our first extended trip back in 1995…………. pre internet! Yikes!
Before we left and while getting ready to leave my biggest concern was having someone else live in our home, contrary to my imaginings I have not been plagued with fears of what is happening there; I have hardly given it a thought! This is probably a combination of being comfortable with the manager, the tenants and the fact that we left it empty, bare and clean. That crazy last few weeks was a very purging experience, both physically & emotionally!
We are still downsizing, our stuffed suitcases are slowly getting pared down…… by the time we get back to Canada at the end of our first leg we will be much better prepared for our next part of the world. This time we are going to travel light!
Michael & Yvonne Chilling in the Algarve
We have learnt a lot about ourselves & our relationship in the last two months. Away from the pressures of work and other commitments we are spending all our time together, which has its upside and downside, for instance both of us get a little cranky when hungry!!! This can lead to some interesting reactions and interactions, beauty of it is we have the time to stop what we are doing, discuss what is going on and then move on. The upside is that we have the time to enjoy the sunsets, stroll through cicada singing woods, stroll miles of beach, wander alpine meadows, enjoy people watching in these beautiful little towns and cook together. In case you haven’t noticed we are really enjoying the cooking and the eating.
We are now getting enough sleep, exercise and sunshine! Weather reports back home are not so sunny!
Life is definitely sunny, we have not lost a moments sleep worrying or regretting what we have done! The Ticos in Costa Rica say “Pura Vida” “The Good Life” which is exactly how we feel! Pura Vida!
