Winter was coming and I wanted to go to the south, where I hoped it would be not too cold. So Portugal was my next destination. I first visited my best friend and his girlfriend (now his wife) who live in Portugal near Fatima. I visited them over a year before when I was preparing for this journey. They helped me to let go of the fear of starting this endeavor. I know him since the early 1980's, so it's safe to say that he knows me very well.It's always great to meet them. I spend a few days there just before Christmas.

The winter in Portugal was indeed not too cold. It was a period (a little over two months) where I was really on my own. I did not have a lot of contact with other guests on the camping site where I stayed (there also weren't that many around). A lot of time I spend on working (software development) and contemplating on how my future would look like. Where would I go after this journey? What would I do then? How do I make a living? As I was slowly running out of money, I felt I needed to change the way I organized things. It was good to have the time to think about these issues.

There's more to tell about these 2 months, but I feel that this is something for the inner journey. So I will write a bit more detailed about this there.