Searching for an Umbrella in Vilamoura

Due to the considerably early nights we've been having, I found myself wide awake at 7.00am. Sometimes this happens at home when I get up, I make a brew then busy myself with emails, housework, dog walking ..... but due to no internet access the eMail/Twitter/Facebook checks were out, due to Ruby being well over 1,250 miles away a dog walk was out, and there's only so much tidying up you can do in an apartment with the bare necessities.

So, while Hubster slept, I sat with a brew and my crochet, looked past the clothes drying on the back of the chairs and watched the grey clouds form out of the small gap in the window. I'd deliberately left just a small gap so I didn't have to face a whole sky of greyness so early on in the day.

I tried to ignore the droplets on the balcony rail and the shiny pool of rain water on the balcony floor.

We were going to need a brolly if we were going to venture out today.

Once Hubster emerged from his slumber it had stopped raining, so we consulted a map and 'he' decided that we would walk to the next little area along the coast called Quarteira, as they had an Lidl store, they were bound to sell umbrellas, he declared. 

Now, why you would visit a foreign country and deliberately visit a shop that you have just round the corner from your home back in England is beyond me, but off we went.

Two miles he said.

At two miles we saw a sign with an arrow stating 'Lidl - 5 mins'.

Ten minutes later came the sign 'Lidl - 4 mins'. Ok, so that minute must have been meant for car drivers as it took us ten, but onwards we went, undeterred.

At 3.5 miles from when we set off we find another sign - 'Lidl - 1km'

Can you see it? Let me zoom in for you...

At this point we gave up. It was starting to rain again, the road ahead looked pretty open with little shelter... and they probably didn't sell brollies anyway!

Turning back we decided to walk along to coast edge rather than the road.

Everywhere was shut, cafes with chairs piled up, it looked a little ghostly. Mind you, it was miserable, which idiots would go out in that weather?

Found a little shop with umbrellas for just €3.00. Bargain. Even better that it was purple, my favourite colour.

I managed a couple of beachy photos before the wind started!

Yeah, you read that right.. THE WIND!

'Blowing a hooley', is how we would describe it in Cumbria. Of course, my brand new lovely purple brolly was absolutely no use at all! We got soaked.... AGAIN!

Once we got away from the coast edge and between the shelter of the buildings, I could finally use my new brolly, the rest of the walk was seen from under our purple canopy.

"We've walked nearly 7 miles" Hubster announced proudly, checking his app on his phone.

I could have clouted him, it wasn't even lunch time. Sensing how unimpressed I was he steered us towards a cafe for lunch. We had planned on going to a Creperie that we had noted previously, but on reaching the Marina we were surprised to find that half of the shops and restaurants were shut, apparently that's normal for this time of year. And there was us thinking that once the weekend had passed (in this case, yesterday) everywhere would be lively & buzzing.

Anyway, we found a nice place that did a nice mozzarella toastie & wine (two of, after that long walk) and free wifi so we could catch up with the world back home.

And guess what? It was raining when we came out so spent the afternoon back in the apartment, crocheting. Clothes back on the back of the chairs, and the purple brolly up in the living area, all drying out.

So, bearing in mind that we'd been soaked through numerous times and really didn't fancy it again, we decided that we would try the Italian restaurant across the road from the apartment for dinner. Surely we could handle a hop, skip & a jump across a single carriageway without getting too damp. 

It was shut.

Brolly out of bag, I fought with it all the way down to the Marina, managing to keep my top half perfectly dry whilst my trousers were clung to my legs, sodden.

He just wore his North Face hat and braved it.

We found a nice Italian, and for an hour or so forgot about the miserable weather while we ate garlic bread, pasta & tiramisu..... washed down with plenty of wine, of course.

The pasta was amazing. Tagliatelle in a cheese sauce with crushed pistachio nuts. Never had anything like it, gorgeous.

And guess what? We got totally drenched on the way back too!!

Apparently we should be thankful it's warm rain, said Hubster. 

Grrrrrrrrr.

Another day at the Marina.

The plan for today was to venture outwards, to see if there was anything else to this area than posh shops, pricey restaurants and gleaming white yachts.

So after breakfast of mini tostas (we discovered these gorgeous little morsels last time we visited) it was time to face the day.

We set off, got down to the coast and immediately came across a barrier that guided us back towards the Marina.

It was at this point we spotted the miserable grey clouds, full of rain no doubt, and heading our way. Great!

Ok, so somehow we'd gone off course, which meant a change of plan was needed. "Let's do the lighthouses" he said. 

Good idea, I like walking out to lighthouses, they are usually much, much further than you expect and you get a great view back inland.

These are the lighthouses. Although they look quite close, they actually mark the entrance of the Marina and are quite a distance (walking wise) apart.

Off we set for the first one, only to discover that we could actually get very far due to the rocky nature of the path underfoot. (And that fact I had flip-flops on).

Still, the view was nice.... to the left....

And back inland to the Marina....

Now, to walk around and over to the other one.

Well, as you may have guessed, those nasty grey clouds beat us to it and it started to drizzle. Having only got 3/4 trousers, flip-flops & a lightweight jacket (just in case of chilly evenings) we decided we should take cover and have a drink.  Enjoying the view through the rain splattered windows. 

Half an hour or so later & it looked like it had stopped so we set off again. Getting a good distance nearer this time before the rain started and we decided we should probably give up the idea as a bad job before we got caught out at the tip of the lighthouse with no cover.

Lunch then, and a lovely feta, olive & tomato baguette....

With more wine...

Cheers you big ugly rain clouds!

The rain didn't stop, it was that weird kind of rain, like a thin mist, that soaks you to the skin within minutes.

The only thing we could do was to dash to the Haagan Dazs cafe for an ice-cream. Oh the hardship.

Then another dash back to the apartment (stopping on the way to see if we could buy an umbrella - no) to dry out.

The rain stopped a few hours later, the temperature was a lot lower, and we really felt the pain of having to put on still damp jackets so we could head back out for dinner. 

The chilly breeze soon dried us out though as we pondered menus deciding what to eat.

Chinese won. We found a lovely restaurant, decently priced, but full of people properly dressed for dinner, then us, in our damp clothes and North Face hats. (Originally meant to protect us from the sun but rapidly turned into rain caps)

The food was lovely. Tofu for me in a sweet chilli sauce.   Sweet & Sour Chicken for him.

Followed by a ball of deep fried ice-cream to share. 

And that was the end of another damp day in Vilamoura. Tucked up in bed (with two extra blankets) by 9.00pm.

Exploring Vilamoura.

The first day on any holiday has surely to be to explore your surroundings, it is for us anyway. Get a feel for the place, find your ground, note nice restaurants, find a supermarket, that kind of thing.

And so we did.

We left the apartment and headed right. Could have easily been left, but it felt right to turn right.

This took us past the glittery casino (although no longer lit up and flashing as it was the previous evening) and down towards the Marina.

When you enter the Marina you suddenly get an overwhelming sense of affluence, whether it's the huge gleaming white yachts, each one fighting to be better then the rest, or the people, either real yacht owners, showing off in a nonchalant kind of way, or the Del Trotter type trying to mix in but failing. Or might it be the ladies, each one hanging off the arm of a bored looking, well dressed man albeit in shorts & sandals. Designer handbags & sunglasses were in abundance  (even though it wasn't sunny).

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not one to judge.... usually.... but we did feel very underdressed and a wee bit out of place.  Oh if only we could afford one of those yachts!

We were looking for breakfast and the prices of the restaurants matched the wallets of the clientele.  I had to drag Hubster away from one menu when he exclaimed "Chuffing 'ell" in a very loud voice after seeing the 75€ price tag for some fish dish. And there was us trying to fit in ;)

We did find a Crepery tucked in a corner, so settled for breakfast there.

It was very good and I got a huge mug of tea, so all was well.

Crepe with mushrooms, tomato & a fried egg. Different, but good.

On we went and found a supermarket, sadly a necessary evil. First of all for breakfast stuff, to save us hunting down cheap cafes, but more so for toiletries. We had flown with Ryan Air, and only took hand luggage (one cabin bag suitcase & one smaller handbag) so we had left all the luxuries at home, like shampoo & shower gel. Predictably those 'luxuries' turn into necessities once you wake up the next morning with no deodorant or shower gel. (We did take toothpaste though, we're not total cavemen)

Coke, jam, butter, cheese spread, Nutella, bread, mini toasts, washing-up liquid, shampoo, conditioner, chipsticks and wine later (which incidentally was heavy to carry) we carried on our route and ended up at a McDonald s. Another McDonald s?  Apparently not, it was the one we encountered the previous night, and it was just a few meters from our apartment. We'd done a full circle. 

Time for a late lunch then, last nights left-over pizza & chipsticks, with wine (Coke of the non-drinker).

With an audience of squawking seagulls who saw us as easy pickings. They were wrong! They got nothing.

Rested, fed & showered it was time for exploration number two of the day. No point turning right or left as we'd done a circle, so we ventured out, took one look at the rain bouncing off the pavements & went straight back in again!

The next few hours were spent watching Mr Popper's Penguins on our 5 channel TV in Portuguese.

Once the rain had lightened off a bit we decided to take the plunge (pun intended) and go find somewhere to eat. We settled on a nice warming Indian, and we sat there looking like drowned rats as we ate our curry.

After a good fill, half a bottle of wine and two free Ports (I had his as well) we braved the rain and headed back. I had my 'beer coat' on by then so I wasn't as miserable as one might have expected.

By 9pm we were tucked up in our very uncomfortable beds, hoping that the next day would be slightly drier.

Our first night in Vilamoura.

After enjoying a holiday in Portugal last April, we decided we'd like to visit again - only this time a different area. 

The price made the final decision as we love a bargain so when a week in 'Vilamoura' popped up at just £200 for both is us (self-catering) we thought that would do quite nicely, thank you very much.

We flew from Liverpool John Lennon Airport on New Years Day, leaving behind a miserable, soaking wet & storm battered UK to flee to sunnier climates, or so we thought.

Of course, I had to take a project to do whilst away. I chose to take some threads & a tiny 1.25mm steel crochet hook to make some Doileys with..

And some DK yarn to make a Filet crochet blanket with for a new family member arriving very soon :)

The plane touched down on Portuguese tarmac and the windows looked immediately rain splattered. The doors opened and we had to walk across the tarmac to the airport, and it was HAMMERING down. This was rain you wouldn't attempt to go out in even in the UK where we are used to it!

We ran.... cabin sized suitcases on wheels bouncing around behind us. No politeness as the fitter ones overtook the less fitter as we dashed for cover. Only a short distance but we were well and truly drenched. Soaked right through to the skin, and not hugely looking forward to the transfer journey to our apartment.

"At least it's warm rain" noted Hubster.

An hour or so later and we reached our apartments. The Alamgar. Usually we seem to get places quite a way off the beaten track, we don't mind this, we like to walk and explore.  This place, however, seemed to be on a main street with restaurants, shops, and a big lit up, glittering casino right opposite.

Nice enough apartments, we're not fussy about places, except we like it to be clean. Having spent only £78 for a week on accommodation, we had low expectations, but it was really quite nice.

Separate living area & bedroom, both leading to a balcony overlooking the street (which works for us as we like to 'people watch')

No kettle. Hoping it's an oversight, will need to call the emergency number in the morning ;)

After quickly checking in (aka waiting 20 minutes for someone to arrive as it was NYD and 'out of hours)  and dumping our bags we ventured out in the vain hope we might find somewhere to eat at 11.00pm at night and that we didn't have to resort to the emergency bag of Hula Hoops and a Lion bar for dinner.

A McDonald's seemed to be the only place open..... couldn't think of anything worse, except maybe a bag of Hula Hoops & a Lion Bar. So Maccies it would be. Except after queuing for ages (it was definitely the place to be if you were a teenager and out late at night in Vilamoura) we discovered they don't do veggie burgers in Portuguese McDonald's!

"Do you just want fries?" Hubby asked.... "Let's just head back & have those Hula Hoops" I replied rather grumpily.

Interestingly though, this sign was at the car park exit.

And would you believe it, on the way back (a different route) we found a pizza cafe! Whey hey.... pizza.... and wine!! That'll do nicely. Good prices too. €9 for a huge, table sized, pizza €6 for a whole bottle of wine (we thought that price was per glass). We even took some pizza back for breakfast ;) 

Delicious Garlic pizza.

And a margarita the size of a small table!

Happy days.  (or evening!!)