Today was another kind of quiet day. We ran and swam (of course) and then headed out to Lagos (pronounced Lagosh). We walked along the pier and saw lots of big fish in the rocks close to the pier as well as some big crabs! Then we checked out the Forte de Badeira which is at the end of the promenade and has a good lookout in all directions. Then we wandered through the cobblestone pedestrian-only streets and shops. It did reach a high of 32 today which was hot but there was still a nice breeze and humidity was only 26% so the heat was bearable. Having said that, there was still quite a bit of time spent in the pool both in the morning and at the end of the day. Not much else ... read more

I am going to start off this blog with last night's event since I blogged before we went out! We headed out after dinner into Lagos nearby where there was a festival called Arte Doce Competition and Fair. This was basically a fair celebrating Portuguese pastries and cakes and delicasies! Yes, we were in heaven. While we browsed, there was also musical entertainment such as belly dancing and drum bands. There was also a display of fancy creations made of marzipan! Very cool! Almonds are grown here so in addition to the marzipan which we see everywhere, lots of the cakes and tarts are almond based. Also a lot of fig based desserts.We sampled some of the treats (obviously) and enjoyed them all. There were literally hundreds to choose from. We each got something different and ... read more

The highlight of today was most definitely the lunch down by the marina in Portimao on the boardwalk. There is a row of 8 seafood restaurants on the pier and they all have daily features out front on signboards. Tons of people cruise by trying to choose their lunch spot. Each restaurant has a "front man/woman" out by the signboard to try to convince you to come in and there is also a large cooler with all their fresh daily fish on display. One way to go is simply to pick the fish you want for your meal straight from the cooler and that will be the restaurant you choose! We chose a restaurant half way down for two reasons: they had baby squid as a daily feature and they had another special where for 6 ... read more

Today was market day in Quarteira. It was a "gypsy market" although I am not sure why they call it gypsy. Anyways, lots of fresh fruit and veggies, sausages, cheeses (we bought some cheese), fish (saw some cool freshly caught eels and lots of freshly caught sardines). We also found some pastries that looked like funnel cakes so we tried one of those and it was so good we had another! Yummy! We also bought a Portuguese melon but haven't tried it yet. We walked through the town which was very nice. Then we headed back and stopped in Pera where they were holding their annual Sand City (International Sand Castle Festival). The theme this year was music. They have artists (sand sculpture specialists) from all over the world (even a few from Canada!!) who create ... read more

Today we decided to not venture too far, and to swim and relax. After swimming and some brunch, we headed into town to see if there were any boat rides "on offer" but expecting to maybe book something for another day as it was already 1:00. We were lucky enough to find a boat tour with space left on the 2:30 sailing! After talking with the very friendly tour operator for a while, he noticed Russell's t-shirt (Whitby soccer club) and he says, "Oh, I used to live in"....wait for it....wait for it....."Ajax". Turns out he was born in Portugal and grew up there but moved to Scarborough as a youth, settled eventually in Ajax on Rotherglen Road (1 street east of where we live). When his kids were about 13 and 15, they moved to ... read more