Nerves overtook me as I prepared to spend a weekend in a remote, abandoned village

After a fun and somewhat chaotic year in Lisbon, I am spending a year living in different towns in Portugal. I want to get to know this beautiful country and its people better and to experience life in different areas. I am eager to see what the next chapter might look like…and where it will happen.
My next stop on the “Year Around Portugal Tour? was Talasnal, a remote village in the Serra da Lousã mountains, where only a handful of hardy residents or visitors came to stay due to the difficulty of life there.
As I drove closer to the village on the golf-cart mountain roads I was never going to get used to, I realized it would be dark soon, making driving too terrifying to head back down. Regardless of what my mountain cabin looked like, I was here for the night.
My Dream (Nightmare) of Staying in a Schist Village
My dear mentor and friend back in NYC had sent me information about the “schist villages” she’d read about in the mountains near Coimbra. Until recently, these former homes of farmers were abandoned absent some sturdy locals that one could count on two hands. These 27 villages consisted of houses made of schist rock, and were scattered in remote locations in the Lousã and Açor mountains. They had attracted the attention of preservationists and were now the beneficiaries of government money to save these historic homes.
Well I just had to stay in one of those! Sure, they were remote and only just starting to experience a comeback but I could be a trailblazer!!
After some research, I found my dream schist home among the online listings. However, something made me resist confirming the booking. Before I go bunk up in a remote village that until recently has been totally abandoned, I thought I should do a little more digging.
As I looked at the photos of the village in which my schist home was located, I thought back to 20 years ago when I first went to Cinque Terre, five rustic villages on Italy’s Ligurian coast. When I arrived, I found three of the villages not accessible by car.
Which got me thinking, how does one reach a schist village? Will I be parking far away and hiking in? What exactly is in these villages other than my casa? Thinking of potential injuries and my not so young self, how far am I from medical treatment should I need it? Can the ambulance reach me? Will there be cell service so I can even ring for an ambulance?
All of these concerns ran at lightspeed through my mind. I was starting to feel like this experience could be a nightmare as easily as a dream vacation.
How Remote is Too Remote?
All of these questions led to more research. I discovered there was only one café in the village where my schist home would be. I would be assigned a time to come and eat breakfast in the solitary café and then I was on my own. Apparently all of the homes in that village were run by the same company. After they pulled up stakes post breakfast, it would just be me and the other guests.
While I am perfectly capable of bunking up in a cabin for a long weekend and cooking my own meals, I don’t like the voices enough to spend that much time with only their company for entertainment. I would require at least one place for some social breaks in my days.
That enlightenment led me to Talasnal. Talasnal was the first of the schist villages to undergo renovation efforts and therefore, was the most developed. There were two restaurants and a café in the village so I would not be completely on my own with the voices. Since the dining options were limited, it was highly recommended to make reservations. If I was not able to secure a table, I imagined I could stand out back and beg for leftovers. At least I would have options.
And so I booked with Emidio at “Casa da Urze” in Talasnal. The place looked to have a beautiful balcony with amazing views of the mountains. While the pictures did not give me a great feel for the layout of the cabin, I wanted to have that balcony from which to enjoy the view. The listing said the place had a kitchen so along with a bed, that was all I really needed.
Arriving in Talasnal
As I exited the highway towards Talasnal, I was quickly winding my way through narrow villages. I could reach out my window and high five the locals as they sat having an afternoon cerveja at roadside cafés. On these narrow roads, once you start in a direction, it is hard to change your mind. I could barely keep the car on the mountain road without having a panic attack so I would certainly not be attempting a u-turn.
As I drove closer to Talasnal, the drive became more terrifying. As I climbed the mountain, the road was a straight shot down on either side. There was zero room for error. If I met someone head on and anything went wrong we would both be plunging down the side of the mountain.

Struggling to Find My Casa
After another white-knuckle experience on the golf-cart roads of rural Portugal, I finally arrived at the parking lot for Talasnal. Now I had to find my schist home in the village. Usually, one receives an email, reminding them of their upcoming stay at a hotel or rented apartment. This email typically includes information critical to one's stay like what time check-in is, where to park, and how to reach the place. I had received no such email from Emidio; only a number to call when I arrived.
As I walked into the town, I passed a sign that listed the emergency number for Portugal and basically said to call and wait for help if needed. Fabulous. I feel better about this already.
I walked past the warning sign and stood on what must be the main square. Describing this area as a "main" square is using that word incredibly liberally. Hoping I had service, I tried calling the number I'd been given when I first made the reservation. A kind, friendly man answered, speaking Portuguese. I tried to speak Portuguese in response and he quickly picked up on my struggle.
"Are you speaking English?" he asked, inquiring if I wanted to switch to my native tongue.
I replied "Yes, thank you. I am looking for Emilia."
"You have the wrong number" he replied very calmly and hung up.
Which Right Is Right?
On the other end of the line, I was the very opposite of calm. Panic flooded through me as I considered the options if I did not have a place to stay in this postage-stamp sized village. After finding my original reservation details on my phone, I realized I had asked for "Emilia" instead of "Emidio". I had turned him into a woman by mistake.
I tried calling again, simply saying "Lisa for Casa da Urze?" when he answered.
"AH!!! Casa da Urze! Yes, of course. Where are you?" he said. My nerves completely shot, I explained that I was at the entrance to the village and resisted including "Just past the ominous warning sign".
"Just come right," he cheerfully instructed me.
I saw two rights ahead. I kept trying to confirm which one was correct and he kept replying with an incredibly happy and calm voice, "Just go right".
If I were being rational, I would have realized that either right in a place this small is going to take me to the same place.

Getting Lost in a Microscopic Village
Miraculously, in this village whose past population numbers have reached a maximum of 129, I still got lost and ended up, thankfully, at Bar O Curral. As I searched for Emidio, I peeked in a mini-door, suitable for a Smurf home, and saw three local men having a cerveja. They waved me in, motioning for me to mind my head. With my 4 foot 11 inches, I could have almost cleared it without bending.
The place looked like it belonged in medieval times with its few tables made out of wooden slabs with stone supports. A friendly woman who spoke fluent English, stood behind the bar which was stocked with glass bottles full of random liquors, some dusty with age.
She carefully explained to me where to find Emidio, in his little shop next to Casa da Urze. I kept asking for detailed clarification which was not necessary but somehow I still did not comprehend the impossibility of getting lost in this tiny village. She was incredibly patient and finally, I headed out on another attempt to find Emidio.
Following her directions, I quickly arrived at Emidio’s shop. I walked down little stone steps, following signs beckoning me to come inside. The door was open. There was a TV tray with a place setting just outside the door inviting you to eat with them. They had rooms, you could sleep here. They had “artesanatos” for all your souvenir needs.
As I stepped through the tiny doorway, also suitable for a Smurf home, Emidio was sitting to the right in his chair.
“Lisa?” He said?
“Emidio?” I replied.
He smiled and welcomed me in.
A Casa on the Edge…
It was well past any potential check-in time, so I was confused when Emidio told me to leave my bags here with him. He explained that someone was working on the water as currently there was none in my casa. He went on to explain that there had not been any since the tornado.
I am sorry, what? A TORNADO? That was not something I was going to ask follow up questions about. For my sanity, I was going to assume that tornado translated to some minor incident and not a major weather event that might hasten my casa down the mountain side.
As I waited for water to be restored, I explored my neighborhood for the next four nights. While the view from my place was sure to be breathtaking, the house was hanging off the edge of the mountain. If you look at pictures of Talasnal, my casa will be the closest one to the edge of the mountain.
While I am grateful for my spirit of adventure, at some point I need to accept that I have a terrible fear of heights. Perhaps wandering out on a viewpoint for a few moments to enjoy the view would be enough. Do I really need to spend four nights perched on the edge of the mountain?

It’s Going to Be An Interesting Weekend…
As I tried to control my fears, Emidio cheerfully came to collect me for a tour of the apartment as the water issue was resolved. The place had a terrace as well as the balcony I’d seen in pictures from which I could enjoy the magnificent view. The place had everything I needed except for nerve pills.
After quickly unpacking, I went straight to Bar O Curral and got a drink.
It was going to be an interesting long weekend.
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