Metal Sculptures and Food.

I don’t know the reason for this, but sculptures have been erected all along the promenade. They are really interesting and thought-provoking. I will post them all in this blog. I’m officially feeling better and Joe now has my cold :/ Like I said, it’s not a bad one.

We’ve been moving at a much slower pace than usual, which is fine because we have a gorgeous terrace to hang out on. This is our first time to stay at a place with a large gas barbecue. It’s been great to grill up chicken and ribs every other night. Tonight I bought filet mignon for dinner. I got thick cut slices and it was 15 euros… not bad. I always bring spices from home (shout out to The Spice Tin in Murphey’s, California). I sprinkled blackened seasoning on the steaks, and then I made a mixture of olive oil and piri-piri sauce (super hot-spicey). I’m looking forward to tasting it. (P.S. it was delish)

It was cold today, so we stopped at an English pub and I had a big bowl of chili and fries. The most unusual thing we’ve had on this trip was “Piggely-Belly” at a really high-end restaurant. It was tasty, but I think they over did it with the crunchiness of the outer layer. Pork cheek is popular here and is extremely rich and decadent tasting. The other night I ordered it while watching a Fado show (somewhere between opera and blues). I love Fado. Joe accepts it as part of being married to me.

We have one beach café we like a lot, well, two cafes. One has a great, simple chicken wrap we can share with really crunchy fries. The other has a burger plate… two hamburger patties, lettuce/tomato/onion, and fries. You know I loved that one.

One of the first things I purchased here was a bag of small golden potatoes. You wouldn’t believe how smooth and buttery they are—perfect for every meal. I also bought cream cheese, because they don’t have sour-cream here. That’s something I can’t comprehend. The cheese sorta makes up for the lack of sour-cream.

I’ve gotten in the ocean and bobbed around for about twenty-thirty minutes. It was on hot days. That would not have happened today. We’ve gotten in our pool almost every day to swim laps or just do a little water-exercise. As you know, I’m a speed-walker (trust me, my speed is slower than yours, but for these short legs I try) and I love walking the cliff trails. This morning I took a different route. I went on the boardwalk that goes way out over the wet-lands. It’s a beautiful walk. Ninety-percent of the people are serious about walking or cycling, but you always have those who are taking a leisurely stroll… right down the middle of the path… blocking everyone. There’re all kinds of etiquette in the world, so I can’t expect them to know to stay to one side.

I forgot to tell you that we went on a wine tour at a local vineyard and winery called Cabrita Wines. The Algarve used to be a major wine producer for Portuguese families. Very simple and light red wines. Now they have added white and rose wines. It was a nice little tour. We got taken out to the vineyard and Duarte pointed out that the grapes had all been harvested. In fact they had just finished the day before. Then we sat down to a long table of charcuterie boards. It was nice. We bought three bottles of wine for nine euros each.

We also went to Albufeira last week. That town is not what I expected. It was packed with tourists and all the shops to go with that kind of crowd. The town square was a vibrant city center full of giant shade trees and a band from Ecuador. They even had drug dealers in case you want to break the law… they disappeared when the police strolled by. What we didn’t see was Portuguese people or children kicking around a soccer ball. For us, it was a disappointment.

Another disappointment for me is a shoulder injury as a result of that fall I took in Lisbon. It doesn’t hurt all the time, but I can’t swim freestyle or breast-stroke. I’m sooo bummed. Of course I make up for it with other odd looking things that don’t hurt, and I get a very good leg workout by using my fins. The irony is that this is finally a good pool and I still can’t get my laps in! Usually the pool is either tiny, closed, or has construction debris floating in it.

Because Uber is so cheap here, we are planning to visit someplace at least once a week. So far we went wine tasting and to Albufeira. Next we plan to go over to Portimão and possibly spend the night. On our way back we’ll go to Dos Santos Brewery and Winery. Another plan is to go on the 7 hanging valleys hike. It goes along the coast and is about 3.5 miles one way. It goes through two places we really like; Benagil Caves and Carvoeiro. I’ll let you know how this plan goes.