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).