Early days

Well, this is a "settling in" week so still not much exciting going on - just getting into the time zone, laying in supplies and enjoying the change from minus degrees celsius to, as it turns out, lots of sun and plus 20 to 25 degrees celsius. Not a difficult adjustment.

So, we have spent lots of time walking (10 Km or more each day) both on the beach and the streets to places like the Modello (the main supermarket) and the local bakery, Pao da Aldeia. The former is about 15 or 20 minutes walk and the latter 10 to 15 minutes from our apartment hotel. ( I may have told all this last year but, since there is not much else to tell, here it is again).

We have dishes and utensils in our place but the cereal bowels did not meet our standards so Ruth and I visited a small ceramics shop a couple of blocks away and picked up a couple of bowls which were more to our liking.

Yesterday we walked to "the Strip", a terrible tourist shopping area, to pick up a sun umbrella and some wine - our balcony faces south and the sun has been unexpectedly hot, so we needed to have some shade while we sip our drinks in the late afternoon.

We have been to "old town" Albufeira 2 or 3 times to renew acquaintance with the square and our hang-outs, like Sir Harry's pub, and to enjoy a beer or some fresh squeezed orange juice, or, for Ruth, "decaffeinate white coffee".

A new wrinkle Sunday was a trip to a local community centre to partake of the "Festival das Sopas" (Festival of Soups), a fund raiser for the Village of Solidarity (Photo of the soup feast to the right - we have no idea what the Village of Solidarity is), with some folk dancing entertainment, which we did not stay to see. Some good soups, some not so good.

The coming week will also be "open"; that is nothing scheduled, except possibly a trip to the Gypsy market on Tuesday for entertainment. Also, on March 1 one of our favourite local restaurant opens, so we will definitely be out for dinner that night.

The last photo is one of shadows around and reflections in "our" swimming pool.

Next week, on Monday March 7, we are going to the town of Loule, about 50 minutes away, to the Carnaval parade. Carnaval in Loule is a famous pre-lent celebration in Portugal, a bit like Mardi Gras, with a colourful parade and associated revelling and merrymaking. Hopefully some interesting photos will emerge.

On March 12 we are scheduled to go on a long day trip to various spots in the western Algarve with our own personal guide. Should be interesting. Stay tuned!

In there somewhere will be some water colour painting and some outings for making photos.