Well it was a long journey, but we made it without having to overnight somewhere along the way. We set off from Calgary and stopped in Toronto. There was snow in Toronto so although we boarded on time, we had to wait in line for about an hour for the plane to be de-iced. In Frankfurt all went according to plan, and we were soon on our way to Faro, Portugal. In Faro we were met by our taxi driver who took us to Albufeira in about 40 minutes. The roads are good with motorways with two lanes each way and very little traffic. We even stopped en route for a coffee.
At the place where we are staying, Jane, a Brit from Manchester, met us and showed us round the apartment. She lives here permanently so she has compiled a great file with lots of hints and suggestions.
The apartment is very nice with one bedroom and everything else you would expect. There is even an iron and ironing board, but that is unlikely to be used. I am on holiday and don’t mind the wrinkled look. The apartment overlooks the sea and marina, but it is quite a steep walk down to them. This should be great to get us in training for our walks in Tavira later in March.
We had a sleep for a couple of hours and later in the afternoon, we went off in search of a supermarket to buy a few things for tomorrow’s breakfast. This was very easy, but we are quite surprised by how few people are around at this time of the year. Streets were deserted and lots of villas and apartments are still closed for the winter. The beginning of March will be the time when more places will be open.
From the supermarket, we walked into the old part of town and found a nice little restaurant. It was larger inside than it appeared to be from the outside, and there were quite a few people eating there. The menu is extensive with lots of fish dishes. Brian had an octopus salad which he enjoyed very much, and I opted for sardines. Fresh sardines aren’t in season at the moment but the frozen ones were superb and Brian had to eat the fourth one for me. At the end of the meal, we were given a complimentary glass of port. The meal included two main dishes, one soup, two very large glasses of wine, two small bottles of sparkling water, and two cups of coffee. The bill came to approximately $50. What a bargain! While we were there, we saw a couple eating one of the local dishes. It was rabbit and clam stew, and Brian is anxious to try that.
We didn’t fancy the steep walk back to the apartment so the server at the restaurant called a taxi for us and we were driven home for four Euros. Another bargain.
Tomorrow we will explore more of the town and go down to the beach. There is a long walk that runs parallel to the sea so we will endeavour to walk part of that. So far the weather has been 20C but the forecast is for more clouds. Everyone has to learn English at school so communication with the locals is not a problem at all.
hubertsineuropespring2020 