Portimao & VRSA

Once back at Praia do Rocha we quickly take Fozz in to the small, but perfectly adequate Honda garage for a scheduled service. The guys there say 'go have coffee for an hour or so and come back and collect'. So we stroll the back streets of Portimao and soon we are back at the van a day ahead of schedule

We settle on a few days here as we quite like it here despite it becoming increasingly busier with incoming tourists

Its a little 'concrete high rise' here but it still has charm as they are elevated above the beautiful beach

The weather is still mixed at the moment and we get stranded by a heavy shower on our cliff top walk in a bar where Nina samples 'Mohito'

The Marina next door to….

Our usual base, not sexy, but very functional for us

As predicted the weather turns back to where it should always have been, hot & sunny…

We move eastwards towards Spain now, calling in at Faro Fiat to check out getting the van serviced there. We did not fancy staying locally for several days and the lack of attention in the service area saw us restarting the van and heading for Vila Real De San Antonio on the border with Spain

(We'll service the van at Seville)

On the western bank of the Guadiana river lies VRSA, a very nice Portuguese town with oh so many linen shops for my dear wife to stroll in to...

Its car boot day too and we spot this timeless wonder and think of Mick & Deb and some 80's 'underwater' filming

Basically guys just bring the contents of the shed here in the hope of raising extra cash

There's a 'Festa' going on in town and we make several visits from the nearby riverside Aire

These guys came on to stage very late in the evening and serenaded the locals. We stuck around for not very long and drifted back to the van to make ready for changing countries the next day

After four months in Portugal its time to make the slow three month trip back to the UK for a couple of months. The forecast for Seville (our favourite city) looks impressive and we organise ourselves to take in the van service

Messines/Silves

We trundled off to 'Anonymity Land' better know as Camperstop Messines and some R & R for six days. The forecast is good for a while and we just chill amidst temps in the late 20's and 31 one day, phew!

The lovely flowers around here are in their prime and in abundance

We manage a trip on Fozz up to Monchique and then the viewing area atop the nearby hill

Superb sea views from here stretching from a distant Albufeira to Lagos

Back at the site Dougie (the dog from IKEA) makes friends with me for one reason only

Salami dog chews, centre of the canine universe!

There you go Nina, Pal for life…..

We decide to move over to Silves as the weather is expected to be stormy with potential heavy flooding and given Andre's site has been flooded badly recently we take the safe option

The weather turns Pants….

Heavy rain then glorious sunshine each day, certainly not what we are used to down here at this time

Next day (before the rain came)

Good job we brought the brolly...

The terrain in Silves is all this stuff, polished by thousands of tourists' feet

Silves is home to a large number of storks and they live just about anywhere they can build a nest

Often the locals build platforms for them to start their families

More building material no doubt..

Portimao again next for that all important service on Fozz...

Portimao Family Visit

Its time for some of the Clan to visit us here in Portugal and Portimao was chosen as the most suitable venue for both Martyn and us being able to park the week at Praia do Rocha Aire

Soon after Nina's return from the UK back in February her parents booked the same hotel & flights so it was now a family event….

The weather recently has been pants to be honest with mixed days and not the usual constant blue skies of previous years. By some minor miracle the weather changed tack the day before their arrival and was set to be really warm and sunny all week…happy days!

The more observant readers will notice some odd looking photos from now on, the above being one of them. This is due to me running some shots through my recently purchased Photomatix software programme. I'd like to say I know what I'm doing with it but the jury is still out on that one. They are meant to add interest to the blog and hopefully create some variety. (I still have the originals)

Here's the thing….

Lynda (Nina's Mum) is a Veggie

There, I've said it!

All very good in Northern Europe but down South you are viewed with suspicion and , to be honest Portugal doesn't do veggie. So we spend a few days researching restaurants locally that may suffice and the 'Asia' emporium (recommended by Andre here at Messines) is top of the list….

We arrive the day before their arrival and checkout the joint. We are hungry and are then panicked by the possibility that the 'Chinese' plan may not be suitable so make a tactical decision to give it a go before they come

Right decision!

However there is much hilarity at the table due to Nina not bringing her readers'

Its a 'write down the numbers on a pad' ordering style for the super value €13.99 buffet meal and all is well until she changes all her selections at the last minute due to her realising "Oh, is that a B, I thought it was an 8"

Some time later we are twitching a little as it takes time to cook and we are now really famished. The food arrives but alas it is defo not what she ordered. The guy stands firm insisting it is. No sorry my little friend, its not!

But it is! Ermm, no its not Pal. No rice or curry ordered from this table. (The food is going cold and he's stopped looking at me and concentrating his efforts on a flapping Nina)

Back he comes with the original order pad as scribed by my myopic wife revealing that indeed she has ordered curry and that she actually can't differentiate between an 8 and a 9….

Never work with children or animals…..

The hire car is driven to Faro airport and some pale relatives are picked up and whisked to their beachside resting spot...

The guys are happy with their hotel and enjoy strolling around the town's marina and boardwalks

Come on guys, get it right this time...

Two nights running (for us) we hit the 'Asia' house. This is Terry getting to grips with his fifth spare rib, a favourite of his, apparently

Next day we trundle along to Sagres, the most south westerly tip of Europe

Martyn spots these beauties far off the coast

Usual fishing going on, 30m above the sea

The quaint seaside village of Carvoeira

Its Martyn's birthday and the three of us take a tour of the nearby Algarve coastline at lunch

Free ice creams from a very enthusiastic Ivan..

Salutations with the 'Duddies'

Prost!

I'm pleased with this one Mick!

All we heard was 'This time 33yrs ago Martyn' all lunch

They liked Alvor so much they booked an appartment for a whole month next year!

The local restaurants went down well too

Another day in Portimao and the 'Atlantic Beach Bar' takes a regular hit from us with some interesting passing traffic

Eduardo, a local artist, preparing some small paintings for us to take home

The week was most enjoyable for us all. It was good to have close family out here to see for themselves the attraction of the country for us. I have to say we spent the next few days just recovering from 'holiday mode' and soon afterwards made our way to sleepy Messines to bask in the sunshine