Day 2 in the Algarve

It is the middle of the night in Portugal, but not so late according to my internal US clock so the business center at our hotel is empty and Cesar is fast asleep so it is a good time to think about my day. And what a day it was!

We started our day quite early. Had a lot to do before getting to our boat for a 9AM departure to see the caves and grottos of the Algarve. After a short night of sleep, we got up to have breakfast at our hotel. It was an amazing breakfast, the kind you come to expect in Europe. All of the European dishes including a large selection of meats and cheeses and breads. I was thrilled to see the pasteis de nata, the pastry that I love so much. Cesar told me it was not common in this part of portugal but not only did I have a few, the girl in the restaurant brought me cinnamon to put on top and they just may have been the best Iºve had yet! So in addition to that, there were eggs, bacon, and the American breakfast items, along with several desserts, including crepes with real chocolate. We ate and then checked out and headed to our new hotel. Yes it is crazy to keep changing hotels but I am hoping to find one that is walking distance to one of the incredibly beautiful beaches. So far ºsea viewº means a view of the ocean far away over rooftops but I have hope that the one we will go to tomorrow will come through and my last night will be spent really looking at the beach and ocean. We rushed to check into our new hotel and then rushed to Portamao where we were going to board the ºpirate shipº that would take up out to the caves. I was excited but we were late and it looked as if we would miss the boat. Oh how we both wish we would have!! The boat is late and we are there and I was my usual excited self at the thought of taking a boat through caves and grottos. Seeing the little fishing boats being pulled behind our boat was a little alarming, but what an adventure. Turns out I was the only American, the few other people on the boat were either Portuguese or German. The captain was German and I barely could understand his English which had to be said just for me. We sail away on very rough seas. I was pretty happy that I was feeling fine and when Cesar started feeling sick I reminded him of how he never had any sympathy for me when I would be seasick on the ship so it was his turn. Well, I never should have been so cocky. It wasnºt long before I got sick and I literally couldnºt lift my head off the bench. We finally got out to the magical place where we were supposed to board the little boat. the big boat was rocking beyond belief and I raised my head to see the little one bounce up on a wave way above the large one and I knew I wasnºt going anywhere! Cesar refused to go without me and he sat with me the entire trip, something Iºm not really used to, always being along through almost everything. The captain spent time talking to me and it is true that I was so sick I couldnºt even answer. He was worried about me because it was cold out and I was very hot to the touch. finally after what seemed like days, the little fishing boat returned and the captain announced we were heading directly back because Miss Colorado was so sick. He called me that the whole time and it really was funny, too bad I couldnºt say a word. Finally after 3 1-2 long hours at sea we arrived back at the dock. I made it! I know one day that will be funny, but today it was a nightmare. The only good thing was that I did make it and Cesar did stay with me throughout it all.

We decided to go on with the tour he had planned. If I could spell all the towns we visited I would share that because I know some of you would look up things. Since I canºt walk far with my damaged knee, most things were seen from the car window. We did drive to Lagos for lunch and ate at a restaurant he had heard about and it was amazing. We had a giant meal, complete with appetizers, tea and dessert and it came to 23 euros, that is about $35. We then headed to the town that is the southernmost point of land in Portugal and then on the way back visited the town of Salema where he hadnºt been before, but since Elaine had written about it I wanted to see it. Finally there we were able to get near enough to walk in the water. a lovely experience! The cold water felt wonderful! And I am sure I got some awesome pictures of the sun setting behind the cliffs.

Then we drove all the way back to our hotel for the night in Caroveiro (?). We got dressed to go out to dinner, first we were going back to his guest house because he wanted to cook dinner every night, then we decided to stay in this town then we decided we were too tired to go anywhere and settled on a fancy, cheap room service dinner of club sandwiches. A Portuguese club sandwich is about twice as big as the ones at home and we enjoyed that and then the night was over.

Tomorrow is our compromise day. I wanted to go into Spain and to Seville, he didnºt want to so we are going to Spain but not all the way to Seville. There are many more villages and towns to explore on the way and if we make it we will find the water fall that is supposed to be gorgeous. Lots of exploring, lots of new sights for him too and we can both guarantee there will be no more boat rides for a long, long time!

Again, bon nuite from the Algarve!