We had a really enjoyable trip down to Albufeira. Deciding to take the toll-free route for the entire journey. It was really quite pleasant, and different from the coastal route we took to Lagos a few weeks earlier. We only had one stop along the way on the outskirts of Grândola for supplies and a bit of lunch in the supermarket.
We arrived and met with the apartment owner and were shown around and given all the information you would expect. The apartment was ideal for just the two of us, pretty basic but it had everything we needed and was situated not far from the beaches and all the amenities we could want. After all, the area is for people looking for the sun, the beaches and the beer! So it wasn’t too surprising to hear a karaoke bar not too far away with a clientele who could never hit a note as much as I could run the 4 minute mile!
The following day was a bit more relaxed, with a day exploring Albufeira town, trying some cider in an irish bar (there are loads to choose from), and having lunch looking out to sea from the old town of Albufeira.
Just to prove it is not all sunshine, the heavens opened on the third day, so it was a good day to read and relax. We also popped to the local chinese shop for some dominoes and cards, as we had forgot to pack ours.
As alluded to earlier, the apartment had everything we needed, however the inclusion of an old kettle was to lead to an amusing incident! It blew the electrics! Well, thats what it boiled down too. We had the toaster on too, so thought it was overloaded. Regardless, we had no idea where the fuse box was and it was getting dark, so we had to call the owner. She duly arrived and lifted off one of the pictures in the hall to reveal the hidden fuse panel. However, all the breakers seemed ok so the system was reset, and…all the lights came on. Hallelujah! She left, so we decided to have a cuppa. Yep, you guessed it, all went dark again! After calling her back we kept plugging in appliances and it was obvious the kettle was the issue, it even tripped the electrics when we plugged it in and not switched on. The owner was fantastic, and arrived next morning with a brand new kettle and some new power adapters and also arranged the electric company to check out the system.
That wasn’t the end of the adventures however as the following day the water supply was cut off for the entire complex for most of the day. We approached that challenge by finding a superb Indian restaurant near to the apartment. The waiter was so helpful and kept giving us free tasters and the food was delicious. Definitely intend to return there before leaving.
Our first proper excursion out of town was prompted by our friend Paula, from our village in Central Portgal. She suggested Silves. We had a lovely day there. It certainly has a more traditional Portuguese vibe when compared to the coastal resort towns. We found it really interesting and learned Silves was originally the ancient capital of the Algarve.
During the Moorish era (9-12th century), Silves was a major stronghold and important trading centre. From the castle, the Moors defended the entire region, while from the river, boats sailed to trade with North Africa. We spent a long while looking around the castle after enjoying a cool drink just outside the main portal. We spent the rest of the day exploring the many streets, shops and restaurants on our way down to the river.
Back at the apartment, it is just a short stroll down to a lovely quiet beach. Praia Santa Eulália. Of course a stop off along the way and when we arrived for a coffee or two.
Another day and another challenge. The England Roses were taking on Wales for the Womans’s Six Nations Rugby and as we were walking through Albufeira we couldn’t find a bar showing it. However, just after the kick-off time we saw a bar showing a football match with nobody using the bar. One of the staff was trying to entice us in, and Netty shouted we would only come in if they showed the Rugby. He duly tuned the TV to the match, and before long, the bar started to fill with others too. A couple of jugs of Sangria and some cider later the game ended. We were happy to watch an entertaining, if not one sided, match and see England come top of their table. Then it was a longish walk back to work off the calories and alcohol effects! The following couple of days were spent around the apartment and pool relaxing and it actually managed to rain a bit too.
The worst day for rain actually fell on the day Netty had organised to meet the owners of our next house-sit. That meant a trip to Vale de Ebros, a tiny village on the outskirts of Taveira. They were such a lovely couple and the reason for our sitting was to allow them to celebrate a rather special birthday. They were going away for a lovely cruise up the Douro Valley which they had been looking forward to do even before the pandemic had struck, so we were happy to be able to help them finally get their trip away. The two dogs and cats were all lovely and welcoming too, so we are looking forward to spending some time there. So, although it rained quite hard, we still managed a wonderful day. We were treated to a lovely lunch with such a lovely couple, and on our way back we stopped off in Forum Algarve to buy a new iPad for Netty to replace here dying laptop. Wayne moved to using an iPad exclusively just before covid hit and has found it quite liberating so Netty decided to drop the laptop too (metaphorically!).
So that’s the first week done. Lots more to do and see over the next few weeks, so stay tuned. And once again, thanks for dropping by and being part of our journey!
Our Portuguese Life 