Here comes the sun

 

The rumour on the weather forecast was that there might be a yellow ball in the sky today and sure enough as I sat eating breakfast, there it was. Outside, Faro had taken on a new look and people were smiling as they went about there business, was it the sun or because it was  the start of the weekend.

I headed off on a walk towards the marina and found out that there is a tourist train that takes you on an hours trip around the city, I had just missed it so decided to have a coffee in the sunshine and just relax.

Watching the world go by at the marina, seeing large groups of tourists  on walking tours, seeing families just out enjoying some winter sunshine.

Before I knew it, the 'train' had arrived and off I went.

I have to say that the 'train' driving over the cobbled walkways was an experience that I will not forget in a hurry, but it was the perfect way to do a city circuit.

We drove through the archway from the marina to the old town, trundling through the narrow streets.

making our way to the centre square and the cathedral, this square was edged with heavily laden orange trees and white washed houses. The Bishops Palace on one side of the square

A stunning building with amazing things to see.

Parks and open spaces are plentiful in Faro, a cool oasis to take a minute to sit and reflect.

And then as we came around a corner, there it was, a water tower. Anyone who knows me will remember well my pursuit of water towers when staying with my sister in France.

this one was a a beauty  in my eyes at least

we continued through the city with more parks 

Until sadly, we arrived back at the marina and the hour had flown by. for 6 euro it was worth every bone shaking, teeth rattling minute.

By this time, I decided that I should head off for some lunch and headed back to another square and garden close to my hotel, this was the one that I had found on Thursday.

The restaurant was called 'L'Osteria' and I took a seat outside and ordered a rose wine.

I then ordered the much anticipated 'duck breast' lasagne.

And when it arrived it was bubbling hot. Now as you may  or may not know in Mijas last October I expanded my tastes of lasagne with one that had roquefort cheese on top, this was outstanding, so this one had a lot to live up to.

And it did, it was absolutely amazing, the flavour was subtle but noticeably different, the sauce was wonderful and just the right amount of pasta. In my opinion if this had roquefort  cheese on top it could well have been the best lasagne in the world, as I said, my opinion only, but don't knock it until you try it.

I headed back to the hotel, to have a nap, but not before I decided to have an espresso martini and take it to the roof. there is a roof top bar, but due to it being winter and the grim weather the last couple of days they had closed it, A little bit of asking nicely and they opened it for me to have my cocktail over looking the rooftops of Faro. Apparently I was the only guest in the last three months to ask about it.

The sun was beautiful, I sat for an hour, soaking up some vitamin D and making the most of warmth, something that I will be craving once I get back home.

Back to my room and a nap ensued. I've slept a lot whilst I've been here, real sleep, not disturbed sleep like at home, I look exhausted in all photos, but I guess my body has forgotten what its like to have undisturbed sleep.

Anyhow, I woke up at 5pm and as I hadn't booked anywhere local to eat, raced about getting ready and out to grab some food.

I had googled some restaurants and headed to one about  10mins walk away, which was doing the only seafood which doesn't make me sick, razor calms and oysters.

This was all washed down with some very good quality rose wine. I have found that a lot of the rose wine here is fabulously dry. Always a win on my books.

The oysters were fabulous, but the razor clams....................OMG, grilled with lemon and black pepper, they were just perfect.

This was not meant to be a foody weekend, but has very quickly turned this way. And also at amazing prices. Something that I have found across the board here, from cake and coffee to amazing dinners  the prices are incredibly reasonable.

I headed back to the hotel and sat in reception with a glass of wine, chatting to the  two reception staff, one of whom used to work in Swindon and his English was perfect. Whilst there an English guest came in and said she had left her key in her room, could they let her in, she headed up the stairs and then shouted, 'hurry up, I haven't got all day'!!!! apparently she left her key in her room at least 3 times a day and expected to be let in as demanded.

Then they called another guest who had dyed her hair whilst here and the hair dye was all over the towels, white duvet cover and pillowcases, they informed here there would be a 20 euro charge!

I was shocked to say the least, but for them all in a days work.

I headed back to my room and spent the remainder of the  evening watching movies of which there are 4 channels showing back to back English language movies with Portuguese subtitles.

It was indeed a wonderful day.

Full day of Faro

 

I was up and down for breakfast by 8am.

Once I was fed and watered, I headed out to find things to look at!

I usually have a list of things that I want to do or see,( and I had that) but I  usually just wander too and see where I end up.

Firstly I found the salt water marshes, which has a rail track running along its twists and turns, that must be a lovely part of the train journey. The marshes are a great area for bird life and  there were  Oyster catchers, my favourite birds ( along with blackbirds). It was so peaceful that the calls of the birds was so loud and clear, a great start to the day.

I wandered through the old town round the old walls, sadly a lot of this area seemed to be derelict, however it did seem as if there is some sort of regeneration taking place, which is good as the buildings are full of architectural history.

I made my way to the marina, and then was trying to figure out the way to my next 'place' on my ticky list. I spotted a policeman and decided to ask him. He was standing out side a stunning building which turned out to be the National Bank of Portugal.  He said he spoke a 'little English' and when I explained where I wanted to go, he said he would take me, on condition that we spoke in English to help him to speak it better ( he asked me! to help him speak English better!!!???, good lord!). We set off chattering away, he actually spoke really good English. We arrived at my destination. As he left to head back to the marina, he thanked me for visiting 'his city'. 

I had arrived at The Chapel of Bones, or rather I had arrived at the stunning Carmo Church, built in 1713 inside it was a glittering delight, gilded with gold from Brazil ( a Portuguese colony at the time)

The side churches were dedicated to saints but as you passed through one, you headed out to a garden and the Church of bones, built with the bones of over 1000 monks in the 1800's, this is not as creepy as it may seem as there are various types of these churches through out Europe, space in cemeteries  being at a premium, some bodies were exhumed and often transferred to churches, especially those of holy men.

I headed off to get some lunch before wending my way though the cobbled streets.

some are struggling with the roots of the trees that flank them.

I then went into shopping mode and made some fab purchases as the sales are on, yes I really do need another handbag!

By now I had somehow ( accidentally on purpose) made my way back to the Marina and to Columbus Culinary Bar, I had read about this at home and then the Jet2 rep at the airport told me they had their Xmas do there, so I headed for cocktails. I decided on a Dry martini. It arrived with 3 olives and was exceptional ( move over Grumpy Gabriel, you have lost your crown). 

I then headed back to the hotel for a nap, not before stopping at a restaurant just round the corner and booking a table for dinner, and grabbing a coffee and piece of cake!

Nap  over, shower done, I was dressed and at the restaurant by 7.20pm.

I opted for a local white wine to drink, and had goats cheese and bread and olives for starters.

This was followed by pork cheeks slow cooked in red wine, with sweet potato puree.

The meat just fell apart and was amazing. I had no room for dessert!

The restaurant was very busy and full of locals, always a good recommendation.

I walked round the block twice before heading back to the hotel.

It was 9pm by this time and I was tired out and ready for bed.

And now I am about to head for breakfast and hopefully  another full day.

Here we go again

 I dropped my car at the car parking at 4.30am, over 5 hours before my flight, 'just in case' we were going to be taken  to another airport due to the fog.

In the car parking hut, I also dropped my keys and  purse as my hands were shaking uncontrollably, I had driven less than 2 miles from the hotel to the parking, but the fog was so thick that I couldn't actually see the road, centre lines or the side of the road, I really was driving blind, the family that came in after me said the exact same thing. in my 150 years of driving I have never driven in fog like the last two days, and seriously never want to again.

I arrived a the 'new and improved' Leeds /Bradford airport, not impressed. Jet 2  are now a separate entity, meaning that you  go to one building, come back outside to walk into another, I am hoping this is just a temporary arrangement.

Through security without my underwires triggering a full scale SWAT invasion, and then spent 10 minutes trying to find the 'new' food and drinks places. I had checked out the Tap & Brew on line, and was looking forward to Yogurt and granola bowl washed down with a couple of glasses of house champagne.

Ahhh the blissful idea was blown out of the water instantly, ' we don't sell champagne by the glass love, you can have have a glass of prosecco'. Even the withering look from me did not deter him wittering on about Prosecco. 'Why are you advertising on the website that you sell 2 glass sizes of champagne' I asked. 'don't know, but you can have prosecco' he replied. I'm not sure if he had shares in the overpriced Italian plonk, but he was desperate to sell it.

He offered me  bottle of champagne!!!, I asked him if he really should be trying to get a lone woman to buy a bottle of champagne when she then has to get on a flight ( or not as the case could have been). He shrugged his shoulders.

I cancelled my order and headed back through to the 'old building' and the cabin bar, where you order via a QR code, the whole system had  gone down, carnage! I eventually got 2 slices of cold sourdough toast and jam and an espresso martini.

As you should know by now it is the law in my house to have champagne at the airport, a disappointing start. However, the planes were leaving despite the fog, so that was a bonus. Leeds/Bradford is now on my 'naughty 'list and looks like I will only be flying out of Newcastle for the foreseeable future.

We took off and 2 hours 30mins later we touched down in Faro, where I sailed through passport control, grabbed my case and was whipped away to my hotel by private transfer.

 The lovely Nell, was my driver and she told me all about her city, which she was so proud of. She gave me a quick tour of some things I might like to see and then dropped me at my hotel.

I was checked in and was in my room in minutes.

The fact that there is a roller blind which when I pulled it up, covered a window to the shower, was not lost on me, imagine the 'fun  if I had come with company, that might have been interesting.

The decor in the room is lovely, white and black and surprisingly the safe is free. Sadly the roof top bar is not open at the moment due to the rather grim weather, however the staff are so lovely, saying that if they do open it they will let me know immediately.

I changed into trainers and headed out to get my bearings and something to eat, as the cold sourdough toast was a very distant memory.

I wandered around for about an hour and then stumbled on an Irish bar, not my usual haunt but by this time, my stomach thought my throat had been cut, so in I went. Wowsers what a beautiful building inside ( I didn't get pics but will go back). The girl behind the bar was from Argentina, she spoke amazing English. I had a club sandwich and chips and a mineral water. all for the princely sum of €9.

It was cooked by a young man from Hong Kong! no Irish in sight.

I wandered back to the hotel and settled down for a nap as tiredness was now taking hold. And that as they say is that, I never even got out for dinner, preferring to lounge around in my room, snacking on a feta salad purchased at Auchon on my way back to the hotel. 

Now I am off for breakfast and getting out to explore.

And lunch today may be below, I've had some odd variations of lasagne recently ( remember the roquefort lasagne I had in Mijas in October?), might as well add this to the list, if you cant read it at the bottom, its duck breast lasagne!

Vilamoura, the debrief

 

Despite, having travelled extensively in my life, I had never been to Portugal, it just never really appealed to me. Last year I booked to go to Portugal for my 60th birthday and cancelled it nearly at the last minute and booked to go to Mijas ( and look how that turned out).

So when I found this holiday over Christmas I thought that I might as well give it a go.

So firstly, I booked to go to one  apart/hotel which was made up of 3 separate 'apart/hotels' ( I didn't know this at the time), I was not in the one that I booked, although they were all interlinked.

The apartment was great, it was very large with a large balcony, the bathroom had a bath as well as a shower, which gets top marks in my books. The kitchen was fully equipped and the dining area was large.

However I was on the 2nd floor of a block with no lift, also well away from the main hotel and with poor lighting at night.

The hotel bar was widely used by locals, which could be a little daunting going in on my own for a drink. The English restaurant round the corner was not bar, just a restaurant, but they kindly allowed me to go for a just for a drink, I did usually eat there and the food was exceptional.

The weather was very good and it was lovely to be sunbathing on Christmas day, even a couple of days of rain didn't dampen ( no pun intended) my exploits', I was out and about no matter the weather.

The hotel provided a mini bus transfer 3 times a day to the Marina, one lady rode it there and back 3 times a day whilst I was there, she never got off, just did a round trip.

By the fish market in Quarteira, I found public toilets, which were a sight to behold. The ladies comprised of two toilets and a room for a lady who kept them tidy, they were spotless and after anyone used the toilet, she went straight in to clean and wash the floor!, clean and fresh smelling, meanwhile landing at Newcastle and nipping for a wee, before my case came round, not as clean and fresh.

The main thing that struck me was how Christmas was celebrated, it was no where near as in your face as the UK. For a a holiday resort the decorations were low key and tasteful. I found this very refreshing after leaving England totally overstimulated by the  obsession with trying to knock out the National Grid with electric lights on  houses. 

So would I go back to Vilamoura, the answer is no.

Nothing wrong with the place, but I just wasn't too struck with it. I would go back to Portugal, ( I am going back to Portugal), but this wasn't the place for me.