Casa da Nuvea part II: the exterior

OK, so before I post photos of the interior of the cottage and scare everyone off from ever wanting to stay there, I thought I'd show some more of the exterior that lets you see the place a little better.



The collapsing building on the left is the front part of the barn which is just big enough for a cozy sleeping nook. Someday. Not right now. Right now something would fall on your head.



A view of the back of the house…the little windows are for the sitting room and bathroom.



This is the side wall of what will one day be the kitchen. Right now, there's a bread oven. And the sky. I guess it's a start. I can serve bread and water if you come over.



Stepping back a little from the house is the current gate. If you look closely, you can see the state of the art security system - ahem - piece of twine, holding it together. Soon to be replaced by mounted lions and wrought iron. Just kidding.



The backside of someday kitchen...

 

The first photo is of view of the barn from the back, which will hopefully be turned into a separate living and sleeping area for guests. I'm thinking skylights and windows in there somewhere…and a fireplace.

Casa da Nuvea part I: first look

About five years ago I decided I was ready to go after my lifelong dream of having a little stone cottage in Portugal. Since I was (and still am) living full-time here in the U.S., I assigned my lovely Tia A. with the daunting task of finding just the right little dwelling for me. It had to be within close enough driving distance of Lisbon (should I want to go into the city for the weekend) and close enough for a day trip to the coast. It had to be in a pretty, quiet, off-the-beaten path spot, where I could keep a few sheep, goats, rabbits and a couple burros. I also wanted an olive grove, so I could press my own olive oil. It had to be dilapidated enough to be affordable, but still intact enough to be somewhat livable without too much of an initial investment. We looked all over the central part of Portugal the north being too damp and cold for me and the south too expensive) but in a perfect example of life coming full circle, she found the idyllic little spot in my family's village. The same place I had been coming to for years and had spent most of childhood. I bought it sigh unseen, from a local farmer who had known my grandfather.
Here are the first photos she sent me, my first look at Casa da Nuvea.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting some more photos of the house and the surrounding lands, and some of the improvements which are finally underway, after much saving of pennies.