Driving, driving in the driving rain

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Tuesday! Time for our trip down to the southern coast of Portugal, the Algarve region. Mike and I were so excited, having been planning this little outing since we decided to go to Portugal. Unfortunately, we hadn't planned on the rain. It was pouring as we got ready to leave, it poured while we sat in traffic with our Uber, it poured and it poured. Sigh. No problem, we will be there for three days and there has to be sun some of the time.

First thing, the rental car: Mike found, on line, such a deal! $11/day for a Mercedes sedan...plus a little something here, plus a little something there. Oh, the person at the agency spoke no English but we managed with a lot of sign language, pointing, and knowledge of a couple key words. Finally, by 11am, we were on the road. Three hours to go!

The drive was interesting. There were many Googled questions: Cork trees, both individual and in groves were all over the place. Cool how they skin the trees from the ground up to about 6' feet high. We later learned from a cork salesperson that it can take 77 years to grow back. Huge nests on the electrical towers? White Storks, who used to winter in Africa, but have recently decided to stay in Portugal. Interesting factoid, storks are carnivores. To me, then, it seems that these birds are more likely to have a baby for lunch than deliver a baby to the local cabbage patch. Just a random thought. Did I mention the rain?

Lunch was on a bluff in Lagos, at a restaurant called Cafe do Mar. Hot fish soup, salads, and bread. The views from the patio were beautiful with cliffs, beaches and a fierce surf. The wind was so strong that we were surprised that the chairs didn't end up in the drink! Back in the car for the last 30 min to Salema and our B&B.

Up on a hill top, in the old section of town, sits the sweet blue and white Pension Maré. Our innkeeper, Danielle, directed us to an incredible family restaurant where the dad walked to each table with the catch of the day. Mike and I chose the grilled sea bream with veggies and a bottle of the local Vinho Verde. Lots of other chatty diners around us. One side was a couple hiking from Faro to Cape Sagres (70 miles) in 5 days, rain or shine, who were from Texas. The other couple were from Holland and were spending the last couple days of their vacation in Selema. We managed to solve most of the worlds problems before we toddled home.

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