Netflix and chill

- "We'll take it!", I said, before we even had seen the terrace. 

The apartment we were looking at was spaceous, beautiful and, under normal circumstances, way beyond our budget. However, the circumstances were not normal. As we didn't know for how long we would be quarantined we wanted to have a large terrace, a place outdoors even in isolation. Also, the prices for rental apartments had plummeted.

Before we got to see the terrace though, our landlord said the magic words; "There is Netflix". I hadn't watched a movie in years! I excitedly made mental notes of all the new TV-series I had heard of and now would get the opportunity to binge-watch. We figured it would take a month or two for this pandemic to blow over and we had filled our rental car with groceries enough for weeks. And beer. A nice little break from our adventure! Little did I know that months from now, I would detest everything about Netflix.

Our well packed bikes!

Moving into our new home!

The kitchen!

Beer storage.

Our roof terrace.

Our roof terrace on our roof terrace.

We began our isolation in mid March 2020. The days, and the bottles of beer, went by surprisingly fast. Every day was the same as the next. Wake up, make coffee and watch an episode of Friends in bed. Eat breakfast and have another cup of coffee on the terrace. Watch a movie. Is it afternoon already? Have a beer while preparing dinner.

Eating was the highlight of the day and I started to appreciate cooking and quality food, something I had never bothered with before. I still crave a hamburger now and then but a rare and tender steak has grown on me. Unfortunately I also started to grow. Apparently you put on weight if you suddenly stop cycling thousands of kilometres and instead sit down and drink beer and eat good food without cutting down on the size of the portions. Who could have known?

Sofia spent time planting vegetables in whatever container she could find and going for short walks along the Salinas do Grelha, salt pans on the outskirt of town.

Sofias garden!

Beer and BBQ.

Walking among the Salinas.

Olhão is a fantastic little city. With 45,000 inhabitants, it's big enough to have a full selection of bars, restaurants and all the major supermarkets, but small enough to keep traffic at bay. The town is cozy and the islands a boat ride away have magnificent beaches. We were longing for this pandemic to be over so that we could enjoy the place. After a few months with a TV-remote in hand, it felt like I had seen everything on Netflix.

Can't enjoy yourself here!

Even Floripes, a seducer of fishermen, has been forced to wear a mask.

The beach on Culatra, one of the islands outside of Olhão.

Finally in May the restrictions eased, the bars and restaurants opened and the city was brought back to life! After a full two months of isolation the pandemic was finally over! I hope it doesn't come back!

Sofia and Tineke are happy the bars are open!