Gardening, woodwork, some construction and cooking in beautiful remote nature in Alentejo, Portugal

Details

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  Description

  Welcome to our property in the rural countryside with sea view and only 20 minutes car drive to the next beach.
  
  We are still swamped with ongoing work in the aftermath of a devastating fire last August 2023. It destroyed much of our property. We appreciate any help such as gardening, cutting lots of burnt wood, rebuilding sheds destroyed in the fire, resorting tools, plastering, painting, and tiling, and supportive help replacing partly burnt solar panels (no knowledge needed).
  
  We still have a small guest room in a separate part of our house and a separate accessible bathroom.
  
  It would also be great if you could come with your own campervan. Our beautiful Guest Accommodation Container with kitchen, dry toilet, and shower was all burnt down, sad to say.
  
  We are a young-hearted couple in their 60ties from Switzerland and Germany with an adopted dog. The shy five-year-old female had been kept on a short chain and now appreciates freedom and a safe, loving home.
  
  Our home is an entirely off-grid house/property. We live in self-sustainability regarding energy and water. You are warmly welcome if you‘re honest-hearted, friendly, respectful, and love nature and all resources.
  
  Because our place is remote, we can give you a ride to and from the next town 2-3 times a week if you don't have your own means of transport. Would you like to share your possible skills or learn some and enjoy hard work in nature? Are you happy to do any jobs that need to be done as long as you know or are taught how to do them? Do you enjoy a variety of tasks and don’t mind getting dirty at work, even if you generally like to be clean?
  
  We enjoy the quiet and REMOTE COUNTRYSIDE and go for little walks with our dog. Our mountain bikes got burnt in the fire, so unfortunately, no more cycling for us at the moment. We like to go to the beach occasionally, do lots of work outside in the field and garden, love healthy and fresh food, and usually like quiet evenings.
  
  We also work part-time online (English Coach and Software Engineer).
  
  Are you also open-minded to new ideas and activities and appreciate cultural exchanges? There are many possible projects at our place. We can do teamwork, or you can work independently.
  
  We also much appreciate when you see jobs that need to be done and do them or offer to do them without being told.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Welcome to our home, where you can enjoy nature and a calm area in a remote place in Alentejo (just north of Algarve), Portugal. You will be surrounded by trees, bushes, and flowers that are growing happily after the fire (unfortunately, all orange and lemon trees were burnt). You can also learn about some herbs for cooking and tea, relax in the countryside, and enjoy the sea view (10km away). With warmer days ahead we can enjoy grilling.
  
  We have been lucky to have learned a lot from our workawayers, and we are also happy to share our experiences and knowledge with you.
  
  You may learn about:
  - Local trees and fruits and veggies.
  
  - The solar system and water tanks have filtering systems. (Ask if you are interested in learning about this! Almost nobody seems to be interested in this even though clean water and electricity are basic needs, and if there’s no possibility of public supply.)
  
  - Ecosystem with grey-water collection, compost, partly permaculture
  
  - Cooking together, baking Swiss cake, maybe making a Portuguese dish,
  lots of happy gardening
  
  - Depending on the season, you can enjoy different organic veggies and salads from our garden.
  
  - Meet local Portuguese farmers where we buy eggs and our fresh milk.
  
  - We have a piano and a game of table tennis.
  
  I have no experience cooking for vegans, so I’d need help in that if applicable, but I know how to cook for vegetarians. You should not mind that we occasionally eat meat or fish while you can get vegetarian food.
  
  We primarily eat healthy food. We grow food in our garden but also have to buy fresh food in the shops. We love veggies, salad, fruit, sometimes barbecue, etc., and occasionally wine. We like local meat and fish a couple of times a week; other days, we cook vegetarian meals. Vegetarians and vegans are welcome, too, but you would have to take over the cooking if you are vegan, as I have little experience cooking vegan.
  
  You get all the food from us, and during the week, we usually have our main meal, which is lunch, around 1-3 p.m. So, for the other meals, including breakfast, supper, and in-between snacks, plus your days off when you might be travelling, we provide fresh food for you. We usually check with you what you like and buy it for you.
  
  We generally enjoy quiet evenings and often early nights. We both partly work online, most evenings and a few times during the day. This meant it’s been a bit lonely for single workawayers when we could only spend 1-3 evenings a week with them. So, please keep this in mind if you want to join us.
  
  Mutual respect, tolerance and honesty are important keys to a pleasant and beneficial experience at our place.

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  Help

  Depending on your skills, there are various possible projects. We are looking for help in any of those areas:
  
  - pruning, cutting burnt wood, etc.
  - gardening: weeding, digging, planting
  - resorting tools
  - cooking
  - maintenance
  
  - supportive help replacing partly damaged solar panels through the fire (in May)
  - construction jobs building sheds with wood
  - plastering and tiling
  - maybe building a lake ladder on our new lake (filled with rain water :-)
  - woodwork and building outside furniture that was burnt in the fire (partly with palettes)
  - plumbing jobs
  
  - sewing (curtains, cushions, etc.)
  - painting walls (got black from the fire)
  - maintenance in and outside the house
  - cleaning
  
  Important:
  You want to be protected in the rough countryside, so please bring good working clothes, good shoes for the countryside and garden, a hat, and necessary sun protection!
  
  Do you love dogs? That's great because we adopted an abandoned dog, a lovable female. Unfortunately, she is always scared of new people, but she’s friendly, and a few workawayers made close friends with her within less than two weeks, which was great progress for her :-).

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  French: Intermediate
  Portuguese: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  A remote place in the beautiful nature.
  
  Unfortunately, after the fire in August 2023, we only have a small guest room (space for a couple) left. It has a separate bathroom with access from the backyard. My dad is visiting us during June 2024, so the guest room is unavailable then. This means it's only suitable if you have your own campervan. You can use one of our bathrooms, of course.
  
  Our main house is partly traditional and modern. You can enjoy the beautiful sea view (within 10 km areal distance) from our property and our roof terrace.
  
  Important: We don't accept smoking, drug use, or excessive drinking at our property. Respect for nature, resources such as water and electricity, and food waste prevention are paramount. Enjoying moderate alcohol is fine, of course.
  
  Our place is most suitable for a single or a couple who loves being off-grid in the beautiful countryside. It's really tranquil out here! Many young ones who didn’t have their own transportation felt it was too remote and quiet after 10 days, even if we gave them a lift to the beach or town 2-3 times a week.☺️
  
  We only have a solar system for electricity and our well for water. This means you need to be open to appreciating electricity and water resources.
  
  
  Internet:
  You may use our hotspot. Current price is 15€/15 days 30 GB, if you don't have your sim card or hotspot (VODAFONE or MEO work fine here with our GMS repeater).
  We work part-time online (English Coach and Software Engineer), but our separate WIFI is unfortunately not stable enough for several people to work online simultaneously. This is why we recommend a separate hotspot for you.
  
  Transport:
  There is no public transport to or from here but don't worry, we, of course, will pick you up, it's a 20-minute car drive to the next town and a bus stop, a 25-minute drive by car to the beach. We can give you a lift to a nearby place or near the beach a couple of times a week. It's a great place if you have your own means of transportation.

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  What else ...

  We can pick you up from the next town, São Teotónio, by coaches, and commute either from Lisbon airport southwards within 3 hours to S Teotónio or else from Lagos to S Teotónio within about 1 hour.
  
  If you wish, we can take you to a place you may like nearby (beach, town, etc.) a couple of times a week or further south to the Algarve if we can combine it with our plans. If you want to see more of the country, you can work longer hours, take off three or four days at the weekends, and pack some food. We can give you a lift to the next bus stop in São Teotónio.
  
  Do you enjoy barbecues with meat, fish, or just veggies? Do you want to play our piano? Do you want to play table tennis?
  
  There’s lots of space outside with tables, deckchairs, a hammock, a roof terrace, etc. You can go on short or long walks or runs. In the evening, enjoy the sunset on the roof terrace with a view of the sea. Read a book, have a glass of Portuguese wine or a cup of tea with herbs from the garden.
  
  No smokers, please. It's also not suitable for loud party lovers. We are a quiet couple and, due to health issues, cannot entertain much in the evenings.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  You may use our hotspot, the price at Vodafone with our 4G reception is currently at 20€/15 days, 35€/30 days. You can also bring your sim card or hotspot (VODAFONE or MEO work here). We partly work online, but our WIFI is unfortunately not stable enough for several people to work online simultaneously. This is why we recommend a separate hotspot for you.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  Campervan or motorhome owners are VERY WELCOME, particularly since our accommodation container burnt down. There's enough space, with a sea view (10 km areal distance to the sea), gorgeous sunsets, and a connection to water and electricity (solar power). You can use our separate bathroom, which you can access from our house's backyard.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week (or more hours on less days)

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