Getting ready to go!

It's Tuesday, April 5th and I'm trying to get organized - these days that seems to be impossible but I'm trying. We leave for Europe on Thursday, April 7th. We're going with Suzie and Glenn and Marion is going to be meeting us in London. I know that we will have a wonderful time. We'll be posting blogs later.

Day 12

The A's decided to stay at home and relax at the Villa after their 11 hour journey to Gibraltor in southern Spain yesterday. The B's and the Z's went on tour again and started in Ferragudo, a small fishing village. We saw the marina and headed across the Bay to Portimao. It's another major tourist area with beautiful beaches so we spent a relaxing afternoon catching the sun and the sights. Naturally, that included a beer and a sandwich. We'll have to be retrained when we get home! On the beach there were people coming around selling ice cream, pop, massages, etc. and a great array of toys to rent which included these paddle boats with water slides. Looked like fun but we didn't try them. Came back to the Villa and the guys prepared a wonderful dinner for us. And then cleaned up while the ladies had their wine.

Today is our last day so this will be our last entry until we get home. We're relaxing and packing and getting mentally prepared for a 3 AM alarm that will allow us to catch our 6 AM flight. Wish us luck. See you in Edmonton.

Day 11

The A's decided to venture into Spain so the B's and the Z's continued to explore the Algarve. We ended up at Loule which is another typical town of narrow windy roads but has some incredibly neat shopping areas. We ran into their equivalent of the Strathcona Market which includes all sorts of local produce, fish vendors and meat markets. Within a few blocks was an outdoor shopping mall consisting of about two blocks of small shops on either side of a 10 ft. walkway. The guys seemed far too pleased that we arrived at a time the most stores were closed for lunch causing window shopping to be the order of the day. We then moved on to Vilamoura which is Europe's biggest private tourist complex. Many hotels, golf courses, restaurants, are complemented by a huge beach on the ocean where we spent a couple of enjoyable hours. Then we had a quiet evening at the Villa where we later caught up with the A's and heard all about their adventures in Gibraltor.

Day 10

Today we went inland and upwards by way of the usual small windy road to the town of Monchique. It's a small village with many arts and crafts shops. We wandered the streets and then stopped for our obligatory sandwich and beer. We then continued on up the mountain to Foia which is the highest point in the Algarve province. The view is incredible although the pictures don't necessarily show it in it's best light because it was slightly overcast and hazy. Apparently there are natural hot springs in the area but we were unable to find them. We had dinner at a wonderful restaurant within walking distance of our Villa featuring an amazing barbecue buffet. Had a wonderful time and stumbled back home to the Villa (wine is cheap).

Weather is back to being nothing short of awesome! Our major project was a visit to Sand City, a yearly festival of sand carvings by artists from all over the world. Unfortunately there was some damage from the storm the previous day but it was still amazing. The detail in the carvings is incredible as is the artistic detail of the characters. After this we found a highly recommended and huge restaurant which features a Portugeuese specialty -chicken piri piri. It's a spicy baked chicken which was excellent. It was the easiest restaurant that we have been to in terms of decision making. You get to choose your drinks but the only thing on the menu is chicken piri piri served with a tomato salad and french fries. In the afternoon we visited a local winery where we encountered a superb tour guide by the name of Laila. She gave us as much information on the local area as she did about the winery. We're pretty sure she overserved our samples and actually joined us for one at the end of our visit. We spent the evening at the Villa with a good supper and many laughs ABZ style.

Day 8

Sunday we were forced into a lazy day. We experienced a major thunder and lightening storm that lasted almost 24 hours. We had rain ranging from a drizzle to a downpour. After making big breakfast at the Villa we drove for a while and found this beach - Marinha - not far from the Villa. Fortunately the rain had stopped enough for us to wander through the puddles and take some amazing pictures. We then went into Carvoeiro for beer and pizza and then drove around scouting out future trips for the coming week. We went back to the hotel across the street for a wonderful dinner and they actually seemed to enjoy us coming back. We're writing this on Monday morning. The lightening, thunder and rain have all stopped and there is even some sunshine. Hopefuly there will be more stories tomorrow. Oh yes, we have hot - maybe warm - water!!

Day 7

Had a relatively quiet day on Saturday. We toured Carvoeiro which consists of small windy roads (surprise, surprise), small specialty shops and numerous bars and restaurants. At the end of the block is a lovely beach. We enjoyed lunch on a patio with numerous people watching socceer on outdoor TV's and then headed back to the Villa where we prepared supper ourselves and spent a quiet evening at home. Still no hot water but we do have a constant leak on the floor. Mr. Z, our best negotiator, has made arrangements with the hotel across the street for us to use the showers in their SPA. Way to go Mr. Z.

First rainy day today we will probably do some sightseeing but stay in the car. Have a great weeekend - we are.