Paradise: We travelled to the Mountains of Portugal with a boy, a dog and three horses and we found...

by Sandra Cross

After several years dreaming of a different lifestyle, we finally hit the road. We set out on our journey from Brighton, England, with our boy, a dog and three horses... fate led us to Paradise...a derelict, dirt floored ruin on the banks of a crystal clear river in the mountains of Portugal. Steve, my husband, and myself, were both enchanted at first sight by the stunning location of the ruin. It was surrounded by trees, and so quiet, just birdsong and the burble of the river. But the ruin had no electricity, running water, or telephone connection. There were no services at all. It would be the biggest challenge of our lives. We were stepping back at least fifty years in time. It's been an amazing experience to breathe life back into the crumbling walls of the ruin. Steve and I are both proud to have done it, in fact we are still doing it to this day! Another big part of my story is horses, they have always been my passion. We brought our three horses from England with us, and started offering horse riding holidays. This added a whole different adventure to our lives. Within a year we had seven horses, three dogs and 3 cats, most of them were rescued. Over the next few years, two beautiful foals were born at our little farm. All of these animals have etched their own character into our story. Our son Craig was only nine years old at the time, we were amazed at the way he overcame some huge obstacles; like starting at a Portuguese school. We have had some great adventures, and some tough times, but I have loved every minute of it, and I hope you enjoy sharing our ongoing story.

183 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 21, 2021

Reviews

[Tammy Horvath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sandra Cross and her family’s journey to the mountains of Portugal in a caravan tests their budget while they remain determined to find their ideal home and establish a horse-riding holiday business. The local wine maker’s warning, “If one dies, we all die!” surely echoed in his mind while Steve skeptically finished drinking the homemade wine offered to him, even though he did not like it. Kudos to him for making a positive impression before the Cross’s were kindly welcomed to the town. In this wildly entertaining page-turner, they had to use a hole in the ground for a toilet. I’m not sure I could’ve survived that or the lack of shower facilities. If you have a passion for interacting with animals or revitalizing dilapidated houses, this book will undoubtedly bring you joy, just as it did for me, a dreamer who longs to sell everything and travel the world. The Portuguese were friendly and invited Sandra, Steve, and their son Craig to lively parties, meals, and much more. I long to visit this fabulous country with cobbled streets and fresh country air that Sandra Cross brought to life. But not before diving into Book 2 of this Paradise Trilogy, anticipating it to be just as impressive as the first.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much I immediately bought the sequel, so I now have two books to review!
Sandra, her husband, nine year old son, horses and a dog, moved from England to Portugal with a dream of running horse riding vacations. They had no home to move to.... Brave or foolhardy? You decide. Finding and restoring a ruin and building up a business is not easy, and they were also learning a new language. I was impressed by the way they integrated into the community, their willingness to live without the mod cons we all take for granted - electricity and running water and their love for their animals. A very enjoyable read.

[Patricia L .Jex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love real stories about real people taking a chance on life. It takes a lot to leave the normal life behind, but what a beautiful experience on the other side. Not easy certainly, but sounds like it was worth it. I feel like I got to sample a taste of Portugal, and a simpler life.

[Sandy McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brave move.

I have always enjoyed memoirs about people moving abroad, and this one did not disappoint.
Sandra, along with her husband, son, plus three horses and a dog, travel to Portugal in search of a new life. There are many adventures to face, lots of challenges, new people to meet, a language to conquer and a new business to set up.
A well written memoir with a touch of humour, make this a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Anne Roscoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learning from the Portuguese.

I would recommend this book to all animal lovers, especially horses. This story proves that if you want something badly enough then you can achieve it even though it is very hard. But the rewards outweigh the difficulties. A thoroughly interesting read.

[jan henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book very much. However one incident traumatised me and I was very shocked that it occurred. This was when their much loved dog needed to be euthanised but on the feeble and ridiculous pretext of saying the dog was too weak to go to the vet (couldn’t you carry him???) Steve bludgeoned it to death with a CLAW HAMMER 😱😱😱
When is it acceptable to do this? She even wrote that the dog yelped after the first blow so it was not a good death by any means. It beggars belief it really does.

[LL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living in paradise

This book is well written and interesting. Enjoyed the home search, horses, cats dogs, and other critters. The description of village life, people met, and family life all makes for a good book. There were some typos that are funny.

[Dru Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

I started reading and stayed up late to finish. The story of Sandra, her family including her animals was fascinating. The country sounds so beautiful, although life wasn’t easy- no running water or electricity. I’m hopeful for the sequel!

[Mary Burkard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable Story

I enjoyed every page of this book and hope there will be a sequel. Learning about Portugal and horses was fascinating as I little about either. The writing was so descriptive I could picture myself there.

[Pat Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

Glad I brought this memoir up my ‘to read List’ - enjoyed it very much.
Nicely written, easy read - I’d like to read more by Sandra Cross.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

great true story

A great read of a true life story with all the hardships of starting from scratch in a new country

[mrs m sutcliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring read

What a fantastic read,I almost felt I was there, living the dream with this lovely family. The idea of living such a simple but hard working life, seems a wonderful idealism.
Looking forward to the next book!

[Linda Hawkswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horses and Portugal
A delightful read by Sandra about their journey to find Paradise in Portugal. A very brave move to do with 3 horses, a dog, and their young son.

We follow them through their dream of owning a riding school in Portugal, their struggles in finding their ideal home and the author shares the families ups and downs, joys and heartaches, along with humour and drama. They throw themselves into learning the language and integrating themselves into the local community and upholding local traditions. The beautiful unspoilt landscape is well described, also many fascinating characters.

It is a delightful read and I look forward to reading more from Sandra.