Friday, 13th March

Friday, 13th March

Took John and Joan to the airport early this morning. Have a had a good ten days with them partly here and partly on the three day visit to Lisbon which they enjoyed.Came back from airport to total chaos outside while Manuel and Jean Pierre (supervised by John of course!) lay out new cables for the television channels. TV channels seem to have high priority over plumbing here! We retreated on the bikes for a circular one hour route through the small side roads, sometimes accompanied by village/farm dogs and sometimes with them making mock attacks which you deal with by counter attacking ( leaping off bike and bending down as if to pick up stone which causes them to retreat hastily.
Highlights of the last ten days with John and Joan: cycling to Paderne and sitting drinking coffee in the shade watching a cycle race whizz past; visiting the very Portuguese coastal town of Olhao and drinking coffee pestered by gypsies wanting us to buy packets of tissues; going from there to the nearly finished pousada at Estoi and climbing over some scaffolding to enjoy the stunning view from the roof of the modern annexe next to the rose-coloured palace which will house the reception rooms of the hotel; hope to see it finished and open before we leave! Pottering in the squares of Silves; eating local dinners with friendly service and lots of good red wine; looking in potteries for olive dishes and eating lunch, after buying necklaces from a Norwegian speaking Portuguese, in the beautiful square at the Monchique spa; eating breakfast on the train, eating breakfast in the hotel with reconstituted ,cardboard cornflakes, pottering round Lisbon and enjoying the 28E tram up and down the steep hills of Alfama; listening to fado in a local restaurant in Bairra Alto and being irritated on behalf of the singers by the group of young Italian men who rudely talked through the music (not done!!).Buying water colour cartoons of Lisbon life from a talented young artist, and enjoying an ice cream in the beautiful surroundings of the castle.And on the last day enjoying the wonderful tile museum.