And so it was that the four of us arrived in Faro one balmy Friday evening...
Intermission: very good news that I am not cursed by the rain as previously thought, and sunny holidays are within my reach.
Part 1: The Roadtrip
..We didn't do a lot on that Friday evening - a quick scout of Faro and a beer before bed.
Saturday, we picked up the car and headed to Olhao to check out the old town and visit the Barrio dos Pescadores (fisherman's quarter) where there was a fantastic fruit & veg market. I had the most delicious fresh figs, and we snacked on peaches and grapes before lunch. Over coffee, Piero booked a recommended michelin-starred restaurant in Albufeira for dinner that night. We drove west with our mouths watering.
Old man selling sea snails
We were not disappointed! The evening at Vila Joya started at 9pm with champagne on the terrace overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and was followed by an indulgent 6 course meal - plus the amuse bouche, and great wine - until 2:30am.
- Baked Atlantic Lobster with cantaloupe and lemongrass foam (what is it with Europeans and foam?)
- Bacalhau (salted cod) in Caldeirada sauce
- Sea bass with artichokes and capers
- Lasagne of calf's sweetbreads with spinach and morels (I'm sorry but I could only have a taste of this)
- Saddle of black pork with onion puree and savoy cabbage cannelloni
- Basil parfait with marinated strawberries and lemon sorbet
One of the great 'surprises' in between was a cherry and a praline each filled with goose or duck liver. Who knew that would taste so good? There was also tuna sashimi, fish roe, exploding balls of mozzarella and more I can't remember. What a way to bring in my birthday!
So. My birthday. We made a quick pit stop for coffee and beach towels in Albufeira before heading to an out-of-town beach for a few hours of sand and sunshine at Praia Gale. A dose of sea air was just what we all needed to get into holiday mood and was a long-awaited treat for me. We drove to the inland town of Silves for a delightful lunch at Cafe Ingles. It sits at the foot of the castle with a shady terrace, live jazz and served as the perfect venue for a long lunch. They have a decent chocolate cake - perfect for candles and singing too!
Dragging ourselves away, we moved on to Lagos. This is the black mark on our holiday! We arrived in this town, to an awful hotel, so we went to a bar and made our escape plan: upgrade to a new hotel and have happy hour drinks in the hotel lobby to forget it all! Plan worked well except we got a scratch on the car as we high-tailed it out of there.
We didn't linger over breakfast on Monday and drove further west along the coast for an hour or so until we hit the sleepy, unsuspecting beach town of Salema. Putting yesterday far behind us, we set ourselves up on lounges and umbrellas for the day. We spent all morning reading and lazing about before heading upstairs to Atlantico Cafe for one of the longest, booziest, funnest lunches ever! Vino blanco, views and calamari heaven. Lunch lead to dinner, and that lead to drinks, and even more drinks on the beach. Needless to say, it was a blast.
On Tuesday (slightly worse for wear), we drove along the coastal route stopping at Sagres, Cape St Vincente (the most SW point), and Zambujeira do Mar for coffees and ice cream and ocean views, and then up to Vila Nova de Milfontes. It was Ana's birthday this day and we found another great restaurant for dinner - Tasca do Celso. I had the best whole Sea Bream ever and finished with a range of desserts, dried figs & walnuts.
On Wednesday morning we had a couple of espressos and flavoured [filled with jam] croissants for breakfast at a local place that was recommended. Full to the brim, we made our way to the most beautiful beach we saw while we were there - Praia do Malhao. It was another glorious day so after my first dip in the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean I was able to defrost in the sunshine.
That afternoon the sun set on the roadtrip phase of the holiday as we sped up to Lisbon on the highway, checked into our accommodation and had a last drink as a foursome at Noo Bai (a cool bar) in Santa Caterina overlooking the old quarter of the city.
Part 2: Lisbon and Piero's birthday celebrations
Ana and I stayed in an excellent B&B called Casa do Bairro (I recommend it if you go). We opted for a quiet evening on that first night and ate at a traditional Portuguese restaurant. My fish stew and rice concoction was very tasty.
Everyone had said Sintra was a great place to see with its world heritage listed palaces and castles so Ana and I took the train up to this mountain town and visited Palacia de Pena. It's a mix of fairytale (portuguese romanticism) and moorish architecture and looks quite intriguing on the outside but the inside is a let down. Unfortunately the royal antiquities are shabby and not well curated or looked after. I think I am turning into a Palace snob now that I've seen so many along the way!
Back in Lisbon the celebrations begin! Thursday night saw the first of the big dinner parties with Piero's birthday guests eating traditional portuguese fare and then kicking on in the cobbled streets of Barrio Alto drinking caprihinas.
We toured the city on a private tram on Friday which was a wonderfully lazy way to see the sights and a good way to get across the sprawling hilly city. We had a pit stop in Belem at the home of pasteis de nata (yummy custard tarts) and wandered through the Castelo de Sao Jorge. There was another feast this night followed by drinks in the old town but this time drinking the local black vodka and strawberry drinks.
Yummy custard tart!
And then after months of waiting, the biggest day of all: an all-day and all-night beach party at Praia Bella Vista with its cafe and wooden decked terrace, lounges and umbrellas, sunshine, kite surfers and 40 of Piero's nearest and dearest there to celebrate his 30th. It was a really fun day - lots of sun, jugs of sangria, and laughs with everyone.
The last day was a quiet one as we had a last wander around town and checked out the old expo site before heading to the airport. And that was the end of my first summer holiday for the year!
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