That photograph, eh, taken by me in 2018 from the former Tapas bar at the Ocean Club in Praia Da Luz? You see the bottom apartment on the right? Yes, it is THAT apartment from where Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007. When we booked to stay there, obviously we knew a little of the history of the place from all the press coverage. We didn’t think for one moment our apartment would be barely 40 yards away, or that the swimming pool would be the very same one used by the family.
The story is back in the news again, with the revelation that the German police is conducting a murder inquiry into Madeleine’s death, as opposed to the missing person’s investigation being followed by both the Portuguese and the British police. We don’t know whether Christian Brückner will turn out to be in any way involved in the girl’s disappearance and subsequent murder, if that’s what has happened. I hope for everyone’s sake the investigation gives the family some closure.
I’ve seen enough virtue signalling by the righteous on social networks about Kate and Gerry McCann. Thirteen years on, I rather suspect they have known for, oh, at least thirteen years, that they made a reckless error of judgement in leaving their children unattended in their apartment as they went to the Tapas bar for their evening meal. The view of the apartment I took in broad daylight shows just how hard it is to see the apartment in which the children slept from what was the Tapas bar. Imagine it in darkness. Let’s leave it at this: what were they thinking about? And then add, as I think we should, that as soon as they realised their daughter had disappeared, they must have realised in an instant the catastrophic error of their ways.
Also, put to one side impressions we have gained from watching them on television. Kate always looks a broken woman to me. Gerry, some say, was emotionless and semi-detached. More likely, I feel, is he is putting on a show of strength to protect his wife, to stop her melting down altogether. I suspect our feelings have been affected, too, by their relative wealth. In 2007, the Ocean Club was part of the John Warner chain, as upmarket as you can get. But their wealth shouldn’t come into it, unless we suffer from petty jealousies. No, they didn’t take advantage of on site baby sitting and made what turned out to be a terrible decision that has ruined their lives. No one deserves to lose a child.
I never believed Madeleine would ever be found alive. I’d imagine that’s all desperate parents have left, hope; hope that a miracle will happen and life will go back to how it was before. But miracles don’t happen, certainly not as described in scripture. There were only ever going to be two likely outcomes: that Madeleine would never be found and/or someone would be prosecuted for killing her.
We liked Praia. Sadly, it was quieter than we hoped, with only a handful of bars and restaurants and, it appeared, many houses and apartments were ‘second homes’, given the lack of people. We enjoyed our walks around, we enjoyed the pool area and the knowledge that such a massive event had occurred within yards of where were staying did not detract from our enjoyment. That said, when we went to the pool or when we walked along the road, that apartment was always in view.
You would never have guessed that anything like this had happened in Praia. There were no references anywhere, except one road sign which said ‘Stop’, to which a Banksy type stencil had been added ‘McCann circus.’
I wouldn’t mind going back, although it is a little dull. Perhaps Praia prefers dull to what happened back in 2007.
