Back in 2016 Rob and I visited Madeira, a Portuguese island off the coast of Morocco. We liked the climate and nature, and when we couldn’t find a house in France, we decided to look for one on Madeira.

 

Madeira is a beautiful island: the flowers bloom all year round, there are picturesque Portuguese towns, and the nature is overwhelming. But it is also a very densely populated island – especially the south side – and it is very steep.

 

I have vertigo, and I really have a hard time with many of the walks on Madeira. Many paths run along so-called levadas; these are narrow irrigation channels that supply water from the mountains inland. The paths are not steep, but the abysses next to them certainly are. In many places, the path is at most a meter wide and then a drop of 100 meters or so… Not my thing. But Madeira is really beautiful, no doubt about it.

 

We looked at quite a few houses, and we almost bought a really nice old house in Arco de Calheta on the south side of the island. The house was close to the village, in beautiful original condition, and there was quite a large piece of land. And of course a sea view. Our offer was accepted, but due to uncertainty about the land, it eventually fell through. In retrospect, it was a house to buy when you retire: perfect for sitting on the veranda in the sun all day, reading a good book. Not bad of course! But Rob and I had other plans.

 

Because we liked Madeira so much, we thought we should also have a look on the Azores. The Azores are an archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. On our honeymoon in 2018 we went to Sao Miguel, the largest of the 9 islands. The Azores are much less densely populated than Madeira, very green, and the climate is subtropical with regularly all seasons in 1 day. It rarely gets colder than 12 degrees. But the weather is quite changeable, and a bit cooler than Madeira.

 

We found Sao Miguel very beautiful, and returned not much later to visit a number of other islands. We were also on the Azores on March 15, 2020, when the Corona epidemic started to take on serious forms. That day, all kinds of travel restrictions were announced, and we had the choice: either try to get back to the Netherlands, and maybe get stranded somewhere halfway. Or rent a house on Pico – the island where we were at the time – and we stay there until it is possible to travel home safely..

 

We decided to stay! We rented a house and a car, and we spent 3 months on Pico Island. That turned out to be a good choice: there were very few infections on the island, there was enough food and other supplies, and no one was allowed to enter or leave the island – so the virus was pretty much contained in an early stage. I could work in the morning, and in the afternoon we went for a walk in the beautiful nature. 

 

We looked at quite a few houses on the Azores, and there were some serious contenders. The people were generally very helpful and friendly, even though we hardly spoke Portuguese. But the biggest issue with the Azores was that Rob found island life too limited. After 3 months on the island, we had indeed walked most of Pico’s hiking trails. After 2 months Rob needed new hiking boots, but good quality hiking boots were nowhere to be found. It is indeed not a large island and there are not many facilities. Modern life had not really penetrated everywhere either; not so strange considering that the east side of the island was only connected to the grid 20 years ago. But hey, that quaintness also had its charm for me.

 

I do like a view of the ocean, jumping dolphins, beautiful dramatic skies and lush green mountains, and would not have minded living on the Azores. But I also understand Rob’s point.

 

It was clear: we had to look further. But where? Where is it beautiful green, a pleasant climate, quiet and nice to live?

Our search eventually brought us to Spain.

 

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