Our day of compromise

---

Compromise: Nobody gets exactly what they want.

Sun day is fun day! Went for a long walk on the beach where it was a bit chilly and windy but hey, it was sunny and I was happy.

After a lovely breakfast prepared by our hostess, Danielle, Mike and I discussed what to do today. I wanted to see caves but the water was too rough for the local caves and the tours for the Cave of Benagil, near Faro, were booked for the next two days. Mike wanted to see Moorish architecture but the Moors got the boot from the Algarve a long time ago, so maybe just some influence here and there. We finally decided to visit Olhão, a town whose name we so butchered that Danielle just looked at us and said, on perfect English, "where?" When she pronounced it, we said, "whut?"

Starting the drive along the coast, we went through some beautiful, lively beach towns. There were lots of cool ruins and castles. Eventually, we had to get on the main road where we sped along to Olhão. This is a quiet little fishing village with a very busy market. One building of the market was for the fish and the other for fruit and nuts. Due to the storm, most of the boats could not go out to fish so the catch was minimal pushing the usual 1pm closing to 12:15pm. We got there at 12:30. Oh well, the park and marina were most excellent in the sun and, with our cappuccinos, we happily basked. Wandering around the beautiful mosaic streets and squares, we did, indeed, see the Moorish influence in the architecture. Lunch, then off to Lagos.

Lagos, on our way home, turned out to be a great stop. The dogs are chill, and the street music is on every corner. Another beach town known for its mosaic pedestrian friendly avenues, Lagos is full of incredible world history. Many ships came and went through this port during the height of the exploration years. The City still has most of its original stone walls and even a fort on the water, originally built to fend off pirates. The beaches were incredible soft and sandy with huge rock formations. Grottos and tunnels were eroded into the cliffs from the rough seas. We loved wandering around and stopping at an outdoor cafe for a glass of wine.

Home late. Pizza. Bed. Happy and tired.

---