A little report about my week in PdL.

Perfect weather greeted me, the Luz Bay Hotel was much more agreeable than the OC apartment we stayed in the last time. And one month further into the summer makes a world of difference. While it was cold and wet last year in the middle of April, it was lovely temperature now in the end of May. While last year there were hardly any guests and you couldn't sit outside at night, the town was now pretty frequented by British and German visitors.

On two mornings it was cloudy and cool and I took the opportunity to do two walks, one to the top of the hill to the monument and one in the direction of Buragau along the coastline.

The first one left me puzzled. If that was the monument they made their jogging to, I am very impressed. It took me over an hour and you could never reach it by jogging. It is a climb and you have to be careful where you tread. It is so steep that there is no jogging possible.

After having reached the first plateau, I was a bit disappointed. It is just a rocky plain with a couple of bushes, definitely not an area where you could hide anything. Top of the hill at the monument was similarly uneventful. The huge areas around the two new buildings are fenced off.

My second walk lead me along the coastal line towards Burgau. I encountered plenty of joggers and the way is nice and mostly even and the much better alternative when you want to go jogging.

So why did they attract attention only to the eastern part of the town? The jogging and Krugel's investigation that was ordered and most probably financed by the McCanns drew the attention to this area shortly before the British dogs arrived. Kate's tearful phone call to Paiva did the same. IMO the search should be concentrated to the eastern part. The western part of town and the road to Burgau was to be avoided at all costs.

Together with the Smith sighting and the theory that the body (and I firmly believe it was a body) was shortly (for about 4 hours) deposited somewhere in the vicinity of the Smith meeting place, it seems logical, that it was then hidden later towards the east end of town or even further along the coast. The crossing between the east part and the western part up the hill would have just been too dangerous. Btw I timed the walk from the apartment to the Smith encounter with 4 minutes downhill. A man as trained as Gerry would make it in about the same time back, which leaves another 7-13 minutes to hide her if you take a possible absence from the table for 15-20 minutes.

The reason I believe it was a body that was transported and contrary to Textusa's theory, is that if it was a staged act with a drugged or sleeping living child, there is no reason why this sighting was hidden so long from the press. Mr. Smith only recognised Gerry in September, so no reason to keep this important evidence for an abduction secret.

Possibilities to hide a body on the Burgau Walk are plenty. A lot of broken down walls with stones that could have covered a body well, huge patches of reed and loads of manholes.

50467aff

c2f0a852

Now I have a series of pictures I call the shortcut. This is the route most probably taken by Gerry when he brought Madeleine to the creche. Or it was the route he said he took to explain the Portuguese sniffer dog findings to the carpark opposite of the OC reception.

SHORTCUT 1

Jeannie comment
The base apartment closest to the Tapas reception is Number 5. Number 6 is the one on the first floor farthest away from the reception 

Harmony commentSo the balcony of building 6 apartment 6 would be the one I marked with green arrow - this is where people were dining IIUC on balcony throughout all the comings and goings that evening - and as you can see they would just (barely) have a line of sight to the tapas/pool entrance

SHORTCUT 1x

SHORTCUT 2

SHORTCUT 3

SHORTCUT 4

SHORTCUT 5

SHORTCUT 6

SHORTCUT 7

SHORTCUT 8

SHORTCUT 9

SHORTCUT 10

SHORTCUT 11

BELOW

This would be the view of the window when crossing the carpark to their flats. The last window to the left and it would have been dark

They would get away with not noticing the "jemmied" shutters on their way to their flats (Matt, Russ and Jane). There is the carpark, the wall, the bushes...

Ok here we go: First the staircase photos:

STAIRCASE 1

BELOW

This is the way they would have walked to their front doors wherein (Matt, Russ and Jane)

1 = little path separating apartments from Tapas pool area

2 = little garden gate of 5A

3 = where Jane saw the abductor

4 = entrance to carpark

5 = entrance to blocks (where my pic was made)

6 = window of Madeleine's room

there is no connection from the McCann's entrance directly to the road, it is a dead end, walled in

STAIRCASE 2

STAIRCASE 3

STAIRCASE 4

STAIRCASE 5

STAIRCASE 6

STAIRCASE 7

STAIRCASE 8

STAIRCASE 9

The stack of sunbeds is still at the same spot

MISC 1

The Anglican part of the notice board still displays the search appeal. Nothing inside the church anymore. The chaplaincy seems to be solely living on donations, no money from the Church of England.

MISC 2

No small sandy beach, just smooth sand coloured rocks

MISC 3

A night shot from the Smith encounter. It was even darker than you see it in the picture. I had to wait for a couple of seconds for the picture to be taken because it was so dark. That is why it is blurred unfortunately

MISC 4

Interesting one: to the left is the back end of Murat's garden to the right the back of the apartments where Mr. Carpenter resided in.

MISC 5

Father Hubbards house where the chaplaincy resides, with a car with a Madeleine sticker.

MISC 6

An empty building just opposite of the church entrance

harmony0

The building opposite the Luz Doc at the crossing after the Smith sighting

Keesh Comment

Aoife Smith: She did not see if the referenced individual with the child descended the street via the stairs or if he continued via the 25 of Abril street
Just a reminder..the last sighting of SmithMan is Rua 25 April , direction easterly. He could have gone anywhere after that...doubling back, or down the stairs..or towards church...

Harmony Comment

Yes she saw the man roughly where the oneway sign (white arrow on blue circle) is in this photo by Jeanne, and the man was walking in the direction of the arrow, the stepped lane is the right turn just after that  

Jeannie comment

She did not see what way he went, he could have gone in either of the 3 directions, no direction whatsoever was mentioned. Easterly would have lead him to the town center at the church, westerly is a bar right behind the clinic.

harmony1

It is for sale

harmony2

Another for Sale sign in the little garden to the right of the building

harmony3

a shot of the garden

harmony4

backside shot of the building

harmony5

with another piece of overgrown garden

harmony6

The little lane just before the Dolphin Restaurant at night

harmony7

An empty piece of land off the little lane

harmony8

The backside of the Building at the crossroads seen from the little lane

harmony9

The little lane during daytime

harmony0

The roman bath excavation site which can be accessed from an entrance at the promenade up some steps. It is confined in the waterside village but separate.

The other notice on the window

IMG_0585

The front door of the apartment was locked at all times imo. The lock is very easily opened when not locked. The door would be closed and could not be opened by turning a knob even if you did not lock it with the key. BUT, the locks are old and could be opened with a credit card if not locked via a key. It would just feel too unsafe to leave them unlocked. Our door once opened because of the wind, it might not have been closed properly but we always locked it by key after that even if inside the apartment.

Handle from the inside

Regarding the window in the children's bedroom, when slid open, the opening measures roughly 50x100 cm and starts about 90-100cm from the floor. It would have been impossible imo to exit the room while carrying a child without help from a second person.

The sliding window to the balcony had no outsite handle in our apartment. I believe 5A was already refurbished, so might have had one, but we had to be careful not to slide it closed
while being on the balcony. It was very difficult to get it open otherwise.

IMG_0770

 Silves is beautiful, I especially liked the cemetery