For the Love of My Liver...

For the health of my liver, I must leave the Algarve.  We have had a great deal of fun spending time with Mike's parents - Pat and Paul. They do know how to have good noshies and cocktails before dinner, followed by some fabulous Portuguese reds with dinner.  Oh, and I cannot forget about the sangria in the afternoons. Truthfully, I think Pat and Paul's livers could use a break from us as well.  Hehehe.

Aidan also had his share of fun with Grandma and Grandpa.  He had been counting down the days for several weeks and I don't think he slept much the night prior to seeing them because he was so excited.  His early morning cheerio eating contests with Grandpa resumed and he got all the bacon he could eat from Grandma.

Now all joking aside, the six days we spent in southern Portugal hasn't been all drinkies and nibblies.  We have seen a few things. Pat and Paul have spent the last four winter's in the Algarve and know it very well.  They rent a two bedroom condominium in Sesmarias, which is near Lagoa, which is near Faro.  It is a nice place (if you like everything done in marble - and really who doesn't) near the ocean.  It was here that we were introduced to many other expats who spend their winters in sunny Portugal.  The temperature really was quite nice, around 24 C every day.  Most of the communities were quiet, but we were told that in the summers when the temperatures soar to over 40 C each day, the beaches and towns are crawling with tourists (mainly Brits).   

We were treated to a couple of rituals.  First there was the daily coffee ritual.  This involves driving to Luis' cafe and having two cups of very tasty coffee.  We went on the regular pilgrimage to the chicken lady's for lunch in Silves.  There is a particular restaurant that is owned by the old lady and serves piri-piri chicken.  Actually, that is all they serve.  First they bring out bread, cheese, sardine paste, and olives.  Then comes wine.  Then the old lady comes and fusses over Aidan.  Then out comes platters of salad, piri-piri chicken and fries.  Pat and Paul found out about the place when they spoke to another couple who had stumbled upon it.  They sat at a table and asked the old lady for a menu.  At which point she slammed her hand down on the table and yelled "chicken."  So they had chicken.  We also went to sample the famous Pastel de Nadas (Portuguese custard tarts) at the Pastisserie. Finally, we attended the weekly expat Canadian meeting / Canadiana quiz at Smilers Bar.  It was here under the maple leaf that we helped Paul win the weekly trivia by knowing the answer to a tie breaking question (Q: The name of the movie about beer drinking Doug and Bob Mackenzie; A: Strange Brew).  Yay Paul - a bottle of wine to replace the diminishing collection!

Pat and Paul have a roomy car and therefore we were driven to all the fun sites around the area.  We visited the castle in Silves and the Palace of the Verandas.  This fortress sits on the highest point in Silves and is quite ancient, like before the Romans.  It was the site of the throne of Seville from 1053 onward during the height of the Arab rule.  In the 13th century it was conquered by the Christians. 

We spent another morning combing through the gypsy market and managed to find some replacement running shoes for Aidan and some very large sugary doughnut like things for all. On a different day we packed a picnic lunch and headed to the beach at Praia da Rocha. Wow what a beach.  It was as amazing as any we have seen in our travels, but with no one on it.  It is packed in the summer.  It was a hot day and Aidan had a good time building sand castles with Grandma.  On another day, we ventured to Monshique - both the top of the mountain and the small picturesque town.  Here we marveled at the wind turbines, the view and the hot springs.  We also managed to fit in some shopping in the small towns, where every street is made from marble stones.

Aidan did manage to get into the brand new swimming pool at the condo complex.  It was a fairly chilly day and even he couldn't stay in for very long.  A little too early in the season, but Grandpa and Michael sure enjoyed the show.

We also got some exciting news from home.  Our house renters (actually my cousin Brian and his lovely wife Wendy) informed us that their new home in Leduc is ready three months ahead of schedule!  They are moving in April 1st instead of in June.  Obviously the economy in Alberta has gone down hill a bit when homes are being finished before rather than after the estimated completion date.  What this means is that we are moving back to our whole home again in April instead of just into our basement.  We cannot thank Brian and Wendy enough for taking such good care of the house over the winter. 

All in all, we had a great relaxing time in the Algarve and Portual thanks to Mike's parents. Now back to our African adventure.