A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That

What with sickness in the house and cooler weather, mid to high teens, we’ve been doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that when we all feel like it.  It’s wonderful to take a stroll in the “neighbourhood”.  It’s marvellous to hop in the car and in a few short minutes be in any one of several small towns to either grocery shop or have lunch.   The best part is, constant sunshine to keep us company and to keep a smile on our faces.

We took a trip to Ikea!!!! It was actually quite a bit of fun to see how different it was from the North American experience. It kind of reminded us of a theatre set in that the show room is set up with mini apartments, studios etc. Very clever and creative.

And they even had a Pets section.

Following a morning in Ikea, which is near Loulé, we headed into town, parked to walk a little and headed to one of our favourite spots, Bocage, for lunch.

We stopped in  São Brás de Alportel for a few groceries and as always, something caught my eye and demanded to be photographed.

This lovely tile was high on the wall above a second story doorway.

This old chimney has certainly a tale or two to tell.

I liked this double chimney.

Somehow the days simply fly by and before we know it we are cleaning up from dinner and pulling out the cards or crib board! It’s wonderful spending this time with like-minded folks……..none of us feels any pressure to comply or “play in the same sandbox” if we feel like curling up with a book or game or whatever.  Easy life it is.

Thursday was threatening much needed rain so we opted to head into Olhão late morning and go to a recommended pizza place, Pizza Mar, for lunch.  We enjoyed it and it was nice to be out of the house for a few hours.  It did rain…..poured, which was wonderful to see, hear and smell.

Our motley crew.

Marc’s seafood pizza……

Patricia’s Bolognese pizza

Gary’s meat lovers pizza

My Portuguese sausage pizza

Today folks were feeling a little better and we decided to head off for a hike at Fonte Benémola.  We’ve done this almost every year we are here and we never tire of it.  Today, at Gary’s suggestion, we walked it in the opposite direction (end to start) so as to provide a new perspective for Marc, who “complained” that he’d already done it!!!  Worked like a charm.

Our destination.

Just getting ready to head out from the parking lots.

A rose between two thorns!!

The path is wonderful and winds through what they refer to as Barrocal, which is defined as “An area of limestone soil stretching across the central part of the Algarve between the Serra and the coastal strip, with its own characteristic vegetation largely unique to this area”.  Loads of cork trees, cistus bushes etc..  We thoroughly enjoyed it and frequently wandered off the trail to explore side tracks/roads/paths.

As you can see, the countryside is spectacular and Marc was having a ball.

I love this shot……..we walked along in silence listening to the birds, the sound of the river, the wind in the bamboo etc..

Sadly the water levels are much lower than usual and the beautiful waterfall had dried up. Still quite breath-taking in my viewe.

Happy happy fella……..one of these days he’ll admit he likes hiking!!

We had hiked all around this beautifully tiered land…..took this shot from the opposite side when we looped around.

Look at the size of this aloe vera!!!

Stumbled on this little house tucked away on a side path that we had not previously explored. Of course I had to climb up and see what was there.

Some of the wildflowers are starting to show up…..makes me happy.

This periwinkle comes in three sizes……this is the mid sized. Our first of the season. Soon the ground will be peppered with them

Look at that gorgeous smiling face. Tell me this is not one happy woman?

Energy galore as we are just really starting out.

Crossing the river on the newly installed cable ramp.

Olive trees in the forest, still bearing fruit.

I liked this graffiti on the side of an old building at the end of the hike.

Last year we stumbled on a restaurant, Snack-Bar Café “Correia” in São Romão, which is part of the larger area of São Brás de Alportel.  We had one of the most delicious meals of our Portugal trip and Marc and I sought it out a second time…..with one of our second most delicious meals.  I had made note of it and today we stopped there again…….what a feast and how amazingly inexpensive.

Frango do Campo……this was mine……..I wish I could somehow describe the intense flavours.

A family style platter of amazing home made fries…..piping hot and just the right amount of salt!!!

Gary had frango no forno…chicken roasted in the oven.

Portuguese feijoada, a rich and satisfying pork and beans stew for Patricia.

Marc devoured this wonderfully rich and satisfying vitela com molho, veal in sauce.

Believe it or not….this was for me…. tarte de maçã….apple pie!!!.

Proof I ate the dessert……I haven’t a modicum of sweet tooth but I love apples and as I can only eat them cooked…….this cried out to me.

From here it was a slow easy drive home, with the obligatory stops onroute……..there is always something that we have to have a closer look at………plus it helps to burn off a little of our feast.

We stumbled on these parrots last year and I recalled roughly where they were so………we found them and spent some time chatting with them.

Just look at the almond tree……..alive with the bees it truly was humming.

Saw this lovely arched entranceway in the middle of an old fence.

Marc caught sight of this colourful wall down a tiny winding country road.

A wonderful day had by all.  It will be a light dinner, Marc has made a pot of turkey soup that is smelling pretty darn wonderful despite my still full tummy!!  Gary is napping, still trying to regain his health, Patricia is reading and sipping tea, and here I am…..about to hit “publish”.  All is good in our world.