Destination Portugal - Part 2

Sunday 21^st September

We eased into the morning after having breakfast. As part of the general relaxed feeling, we decided to go for a swim at the on-site swimming pool. When we got down to the pool area though we realised there was a minor setback. We couldn’t use the bathroom towels from the apartment as part of the owner’s rules. We hadn’t brought towels with us either (take up too much space in the bag!). We did check with the friendly male concierge if we could hire towels, but he advised us that it wasn’t possible. It wasn’t a big problem, as we resolved to buy towels when we next went shopping.

Our morning hot drink and chocolate took the edge of the non-swimming morning. We had got into an alternative drink to coffee, something called Cevada which is a barley powdered drink. It’s a little similar to a malty drink e.g. Ovaltine or Horlicks. We thought it was delicious and seemed to be a good option for our beverage consumption.

After this interlude we set out to find a restaurant for lunch. We walked up to the Portimao Marina and admired the river Arade. The promenade of the marina was decorated with sculptures and statues – all maritime-related. As we walked around James did some online research and found us a restaurant. It looked authentically Portuguese and seemed better than the more pricey restaurant at the harbour.

We made our way to Sao Francisco restaurant, and asked for a table. Our young waiter said we could sit anywhere, so we picked one near the window outside. Once we had looked at the menus we both ordered the tasty-looking Golden Bream with potatoes and rice. I ordered a side salad and we both went for a can of Sprite. We looked forward to our first meal out and about.

When the food arrived it was incredible, and looking oh so edible. We had two whole bream each and the rice portion was enough for two people. Then there were the boiled potatoes along with my gigantic side salad of tomatoes, onion and lettuce. Talk about a feast. The fish and all the side dishes were divine.

We noted that the ambience of the eatery was authentic, with all the local people gathering there to enjoy a lovely lunch. It was quite breezy as we sat there, and we laughed as we had to keep our tableware steady particularly the Sprite cans. It all added to the textures and flavours of the place.

Once we had enjoyed our meal and had paid the bill, we started walking to the local beach. This is Praia da Rocha – Rock Beach – which took us about 20 minutes to walk over there. Arriving at the top entrance to the beach, up the hill, we stopped off for a drink and to admire the view. The sun was glinting on the Atlantic Ocean, while we could spot the sun loungers and swimmers.

Getting down to the beach, we could feel the softness of the sand under our feet. Talking of that I wasn’t wearing the best shoes for the beach. I had my black ballet pumps, which are fine for average walking, but not ideal for soft sand. This slipped into the shoes from every angle as we walked towards to the ocean. It didn’t stop my sheer joy at stepping out onto the beach though. Scouring the sands to see where we might go and settle ourselves on another day, we saw where the sun loungers were situated.

As I shook out the sand from my unsuitable shoes, and reapplied sunscreen, we did some people watching. We then headed back to our apartment, trying to stay in the shade as by then the temperature was around 27 Celsius.

Back at our apartment we relaxed for a while, reflecting on the wonderful day. Then we had a buffet tea and eased into the evening, with images and memories filling our minds.

Portimao Marina