Ride a cockhorse........

Nearly May and its cold grey and very wet here  - welcome to Spring in England! But we were away for the week end and determined to still make the most of it. So at 8.30am on Saturday we set off for Warwick, its about an hours drive and by 9.30am we were parked and making our way to the market. Having seen the weather forecast we changed our plans and decided a morning stop in Warwick would be better. I enjoyed looking around the market despite the drizzle especially when I found a stall selling jewellery. The lady had trays and trays of silver rings, so I had to stop and have a look. One tray had nothing but rings with elephant designs, and they were lovely. One just had to come home with me.

Our next stop was St Mary's Church, where we did some brass rubbing. This is something I love to do, there is something a little magical about seeing that picture appear before you. I chose a picture of St George which seemed quite topical as its April. Its a nice souvenir  to take home with you. Then we wandered down in to the Crypt and spent quite a while reading gravestones. Some may think that's morbid, but is actually fascinating. Most of the gravestones dated back to the 1700's and you can't help wondering about the life those people lived.

After leaving the church we had lunch at the Zetland arms, from the outside it looked really small but when you go in it opens out to a spacious and modern wine bar. We sat by the window, had some lunch and watched the world go by.

In the afternoon we headed on to Banbury, we arrived exactly at 2pm so were able to check straight into our hotel  Whateley Hall. Lovely old place, full of character. We had a room in the old and original part of the hotel. Creaky floorboard, stone window frames with leaded glass windows etc. The room was lovely, and I can honestly say the bed is probably the biggest I have ever seen! We dropped our things off and headed into town to explore.

Banbury is famous for the nursery rhyme -

Ride a cockhorse to Banbury Cross, To see a fine lady upon a white horse; Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, She shall have music wherever she goes.

The town is also famous for the Banbury cross now sitting in the middle of a roundabout in the centre of town. We discovered that the town has a nice shopping centre, and as it was a miserable wet day we enjoyed having a look around. Of course I ended up buying more books, it always happens. But I did come away with a copy of Friend Request, which I have been wanting to read. It was a fun afternoon, we returned to the hotel at about 5pm and had a rest before heading out to dinner.

We had dinner at Jay Pur, an Indian restaurant. The place is bigger than you think when standing outside, as they also have seating upstairs. The food was lovely, and the service friendly. After dinner the waiter brought us a plate of orange segments, glasses of brandy and little chocolates. I liked this a lot - nice way to round off dinner. By the time we headed back to the hotel, we were both shattered, we had done a lot of walking.

 

On Sunday we headed back into town and had breakfast at the Exchange, Paul's was lovely  can't say I was particularly happy with mine. Quite probably the worst eggs benedict I've ever had - oh well! After breakfast we had a last wander around the shops, we went back to Clinton's and Paul bought me a bag I had seen the day before. It had Mary Poppins on it with the words - practically perfect in every way. I love it! We finally checked out of the hotel at about 11.30am and made our way to Canons Ashby, where we met the lovely Sajda, Anuk and Anik. It  so nice to spend time with family and I am so happy I am getting the chance to do so at the moment. We had a lovely time walking around the house and garden, despite the cold and wind. It was freezing, more like November than a spring day in April!!! But as always we made the most of it, and enjoyed the afternoon.

The whole week end was practically perfect - life is what you make of it!

Last Day Shenanigans

Sadly our last day came around all too soon, but you know me - determined to make the most of it. So after breakfast we headed down to Praia de Oura for one last time. I love the beaches in the Algarve, they are so beautiful. By noon we started to make our way down the  Strip to Johnny Hoopers Saxophone Bistro, I had read about the place on line and the reviews were good. We were greeted by Mr Hooper himself who greeted me by name and showed us to a table on the patio. It was a nice touch. Unfortunately it was a cool and very breezy day and though we started on the patio, we ended up going back inside. It was nice while it lasted - LOL! Lunch was good, I had a Sunday roast. It had to be done, and can I say it was delicious. Dessert was also good, an Eton mess made with blackberries soaked in vodka. YUM!! From 2pm there was live music, sadly not Johnny on his Saxophone, but a lady called Carolina who entertained us till 4pm with a selection of oldies. She was taking requests which was nice so I got Paul to ask for Brown Eyed Girl (a song I love and which reminds me of my mum, she used to sing it to me when I was a child). There weren't many people there, maybe about 12 or so. As the afternoon went on the number was getting smaller and smaller. It was nice to be part of such a small and intimate afternoon. We would both like to go back for one of the party nights and hear Johnny Hooper perform. Apparently he is quite crazy and jumps up on the tables etc. I was really sad to leave, but by 4pm we had decided to head to old Town for one last time. So glad we did, it really felt like we made the most of the day.

We had a lovely couple of hours in Old Town, we strolled around the shops and headed to the beach for a walk and a drink. Even on a Sunday afternoon, there was so much going on. The place felt totally alive! I love the sea/ocean and its always hard to drag myself away. Honestly though, we left just in time cause the heavens opened and it poured! We made it to the taxi rank just in time, and when we got back to the hotel had to make a mad dash to reception. I think we were both feeling very sad at this point, but we finished our packing, tidied up the apartment and then felt a little deflated.

In the evening we headed out, neither of us was very hungry but decided to try the American diner near the hotel. Actually I am so glad we did as it was lovely inside, and the waitress was so sweet. We had pizza and mozzarella sticks, both of which were lovely. If you had to end a holiday, this is the way to go.  

 

 

 

Gyspies of Loule

On Saturday we had an early start as we were picking up a tour bus at 8.30am. This was to take us to the town of Loule. Thankfully this journey wasn't as bad as the day before with fewer pick ups and a shorter journey. Alas, the weather was not co-operating! On arrival in Loule, we were dropped off near the famous gypsy market and told we had three hours to make the most of this lovely town. Of course, everyone hopped off the bus and hot footed it to the gypsy market. Now this was just like our Saturday markets in the UK, and not as big as I was expecting. But it was still fun to look around, lots of bags, scarves, tablecloths and the such like. Unfortunately, it was while we were here that the heavens chose to open and it poured. Serious monsoon type rain!! We took shelter under one of the tarpaulins, and thankfully managed to stay dry.   We bought a few things and then decided to head off into town to explore.

We had hoped to visit the Castle, but can you believe we couldn't find it!! Sign posts took us so far, and then nothing! After wandering around for a bit I was concerned we were going to get lost and it was at that point it started drizzling again. So when we saw the big indoor market this seemed like a perfect option. We were actually really glad we went in, the place was big and bustling with activity. There was so much to look at, all kinds of food products as well as souvenirs etc. It was a lot of fun looking around and we both agreed, we liked it better than the gypsy market. The time flew by, and though we had enough time to look around the markets I would have liked the time to explore more, find the castle and maybe stop for lunch. We soon back on the coach heading back to Albufeira.

In the afternoon we headed down to the Strip, we didn't want to stray too far as the weather was unpredictable. At times when the sun came out it felt really warm though. It was much busier on the strip with the bars being full of what looked like stag parties. Noisy men drinking beer, watching football and shouting obscenities when their team missed a goal. Certainly a different experience from when we visited earlier in the week. I am glad we were staying a 10-15 minute walk away in a quiet area!! Thought there are many nice restaurants on the strip, it is not somewhere I would really want to go for a meal. In the evening we tried a Portuguese restaurant for dinner. Nice place and friendly staff, but I wasn't totally in love with the food. I had a carbonara which had mushrooms in it - mon dieu!!! An abomination!! But at least we had a very short walk back to the hotel.

 

 

Up to the highest heights

Before we knew it, Friday had arrived - how is that possible! We started the morning at Praia de Oura, the lovely beach nearest our hotel. At this point it was warm and sunny, it was lovely walking along the sand and exploring the rocky coves. The ocean is such an amazing colour, almost unreal! Around lunch time we headed back to the hotel, neither of us were hungry so we picked up croissants and fruit juice from the supermarket. We sat out on our balcony and enjoyed those before heading out again to pick up our afternoon tour. We didn't have the greatest view from your balcony, but still nice to sit there and enjoy the sunshine.

We had booked a trip to Silves and Monchique as we wanted to see a bit more of the Algarve. The first hour was a nightmare as all we were doing was picking up people. The coach was absolutely full by the time we started heading out towards Silves. Finally though we reached our first destination, alas we only had 75 minutes there and we had to make the decision - do we spend most of that time walking up to the castle only to not have enough time to go inside and explore. To us that would be torturous so we decided instead to have a coffee and enjoy ambling about the little tow, exploring the little side streets and all the little shops. Turned out to be the perfect decision, an we enjoyed out time in Silves, having said that I would love to go back and have more time there.

Our next stop was Foia up in the Serra de Monchique, at 902m its the highest point in the Algarve. You would expect awesome views from here, but sadly the weather had turned and we pretty much drove into a cloud. It became cold, wet and misty - not the best day to be on top of a mountain, but what can you do! Still, there was a wine tasting which was pleasant and a gift shop to look around, so all was not lost. From there we headed to the spa town of Monchique, this was only a brief stop but we had time to wander down into town, take photo's and look in a couple of shops.

It was around 7pm when we arrived back in Albuferia, much later than I had expected and despite the weather it had been a good day. We were both hungry though so we headed to Tiffany's for dinner. That was delicious, and it was a lovely evening. Especially as they insisted on giving us free glasses of wine. Be so rude to say no!

The moral of this story is that coach tours are fine and serve a purpose, you get to see places you would never have seen otherwise. But you have to except that you will never get enough time at any of the stops to see and do all you want to.

 

 

Return to Praia dos Pescadores

Having loved the Old Town so much we decided to head back there on Thursday, so after breakfast we hopped in a taxi and made our way there. Its such a lovely place to amble about, so we spent the morning wondering around the shops. There's such a wonderful array of merchandise for sale, its fun to just browse. There were also lots of stalls dotted about the streets, and live music in the square. There really is something going on everywhere you look. Once we'd done looking around the shopping area we made our way up hill to visit the museum of Sacred Art. Its amazing how quickly you get your bearing and find your way around. We had noticed the museum earlier in the week and it looked like it was worth a visit. It was only small but there were some very interesting items on display. We learned a lot about Albufeira and its patron saint. The building itself was lovely and the extremely thick walls made it so cool inside.

After the museum we had lunch at The Beach Basket, I had spotted the place on our previous place and wanted to eat there. Why? Because it was on the edge of the cliff overlooking the beach, and the views were amazing. We grabbed a table by the windows and had a fabulous view of the beach and the ocean below. For lunch I had peri peri chicken which is a Portuguese speciality. It was very tasty but not as spicy as I had expected. It was just a joy to enjoy the view.

After lunch we made our way back down to the town centre stopping at the Antiquity Bar for a glass on local wine. I think this will always be my very favourite place in the Algarve. Finally we made our way down to the Praia dos Pescadores - such a lovely beach. While I don't ever lay on the beach to sun bathe, I do love to walk along the sand and listen to the waves. Of course it seemed rude not to stop at O Farol's on the beach for a beer. Ah...happy days!

We were tired when we got back to the hotel, every day consisted of a lot of walking! In the evening we went to an Indian restaurant called Tiffany's for dinner. Another place with a 10euro tourist menu, and probably the best food we had while in Albufeira. The staff were very chatty, and our evening was lovely. Its surprising how quickly the days fly past, even though in some ways it felt like we had been there a very long time.

From the Beach to Vivaldo's

On Wednesday we had a leisurely start to the day, after breakfast we had a wander down to the Strip to see what it was like. We had a walk from one end to the other, pottering about the tourist shops, it was fairly quiet so probably a good time to head down there. We also made sure we could find Johnny Hoopers Saxophone bar in readiness for Sunday. It was a lovely warm morning, perfect for ambling! We stopped at a bar for a beer, such a great place to people watch. I think we were surprised at how many Irish holiday makers there were about! Its amazing how all the restaurants advertise English breakfasts etc. I'm in Portugal - bring me a Portuguese breakfast!!!

 

 From the Strip we walked down to the beach, it was so lovely walking along the sand feeling the sun on you! We stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Vivaldo's which overlooked the beach. What an amazing view we had from our table! Lunch was good, but the sangria was even better!! After a while it got so hot we moved to a shadier table, I could have spent all afternoon sitting there by the beach. While we were paying the bill, the waitress mentioned that they were having a traditional Portuguese night with Fado music (Fado is a music genre that can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon,  but probably has much earlier origins) We decided to book ourselves in for dinner to experience this.

After lunch we headed back to our hotel and had a bit of a rest. I had taken a book with me (The Choice by Samantha King) which I was really enjoying, so I was happy to sit on the balcony and read for a while.

In the evening we walked back to Vivaldo's for dinner. The food was lovely, complimented by a litre of sangria! After the main course a waitress came around to the table with a platter of desserts. A slice of everything they had on offer. All you had to do was point at whatever took your fancy. It all looked very appealing, but in the end I chose tiramisu. YUM!! The Fado  started about 8pm, a lady singing accompanied by two gentlemen on classical guitars. It was really very pleasant and though we couldn't understand a word - who needs too! Its all in the atmosphere and emotion of the song. The restaurant was full, and everyone was in such a happy mood, chatting and laughing. Its one of the best evenings out we have had in ages.

After dinner we walked back to the hotel, seemed a long way but that could have something to do with all the dinner and drinks.

Albufeira Old Town

Tuesday was our first full day in Albufeira, so we were eager to get out and explore. We were only one of two couples having breakfast in the hotel, so it was an intimate affair - ha ha! The staff in the bar were so lovely and though breakfast was very limited they made sure we had enough to eat and looked after us.

We'd been warned it was a fair old walk to the old town, so we hopped in a taxi and headed there after breakfast, and that it was where we spent the day. First we headed to Praia dos Pescadores, it was beautiful! We had a walk across the golden sands, and then stopped at a beach bar for iced cold beers. I could sit and gaze at the sea for hours! When we finally dragged ourselves away we went for a wander around the shops, it was a fun experience! So many shops, restaurants and bars and live music in the town square provided by two guys from the Andes. Its not a place to rush by, you would be missing so much by doing so.

For lunch we stopped at a restaurant tucked away on one of the size roads near the square. It had spilled out on to the steps with tables set out on little terraces. We overlooked the square and could watch the world go buy as we drank wine and enjoyed lunch. After we had eaten we carried on walking up the many steps and made our way to Praia do Peneco, the beach at the other end of the old town. Up on the hill overlooking the beach are pretty little restaurants and we also found the archaeological museum. It was only a euro to look around so we did that, nice to soak up a little history and culture too.It was only a small museum, but we learned a little more about the history of the Algarve.   On our way back down we came across an amazing little bar, totally decorated in shells. It looked so quaint and stunning we had to go inside. Honestly the inside was even more stunning. So we stopped at the Antiquity Bar for a drink, the owner came back while we were there and told us more about the bar and how he collects the shells from the local beach. Apparently he lives above the bar and watches the beach with binoculars. If he seems lots of shells, he heads down there to collect them. Portuguese people are very friendly and like to chat.

Finally it was time to head back to Santa Eulalia where we called in at the supermarket for a few supplies. In the evening we had a walk up to Sol Caffe for a little dinner. The whole day was just perfect.

 

 

 

Only three hours from Albufeira

After a lovely Easter, it was at last time to set off on our Portuguese adventure. So at 4am on Easter Monday we hopped in the car and off we went. We never expected to have to drive through heavy snow and blizzard like conditions, but that is exactly what we were faced with - honestly its April....where is Spring!! Thankfully we got to the airport ok, though we were cold and wet by the time we had got on the bus from the car park. Our flight was delayed a little as they had to de-ice the plane and scrape off all the snow, but at last we were on our way! And three hours later we were in Faro and stepping onto our transfer bus.

The journey to our apartment didn't seem to take long and luckily we were the first to be dropped off - first time that has happened. We stayed at the Natura Apartments Hotel, lovely place and great location in Santa Eulalia. We couldn't check in yet as is was only about 11am, but we left our bags and headed to get lunch and explore. We soon found the Sol Caffe and had toasted sandwiches and coffee - perfect for a quick lunch. From there we headed to Praia de Oura, our nearest beach. Its about a 15 walk from the hotel and is lovely, sandy beach, rocky coves and a beautiful turquoise sea. It takes your breath away. We stayed there till we could check in at around 3pm. 

Our apartment was spacious and like a proper little home for our stay, with a kitchen and balcony I think I could happily live there! After having a little rest and unpacking, we headed out for dinner. Within a 5 minute walk there are many different restaurants, we ate at a place called Rania's, drawn in by the 12euro tourist menu that included starter, main course, dessert and wine. What more could you ask for. It was a lovely evening, a lot of which we spent chatting with the Canadian gentleman on the next table. He was in Albufeira for several weeks, can't say I blame him. Within a few hours, I had already fallen in love with this place!!