We’re Rene and Gaby. We are both Dutch, and moved to the UK in 2011. After 11 wonderful years there, and meeting the most wonderful people, both the country and we ourselves had changed so much that in 2022 we decided that it was time to start another part of our journey.  

In February of 2023 we set off to Portugal to start something new. The first two years we lived in Espinho, just south of Porto. From here we started our house hunting journey. 

After a lengthy process of almost 16 months, we are now ready to get moving into our new home situated on a plot of land of 17 hectares at the edge of the Serra da Estrela national park. We received the keys on the 22nd of November and are moving everything across before Christmas!

On this page we share our plans, DIY progress, successes and failures, our journey of learning how to grow stuff, and, of course, our beer brewing adventures! For friends and family, and anyone else who wants to come along. All fuelled by some home-brewed Dutch Courage… 😉