Twas a Lovely Tell Yer Mudder Kind of Day!

Today is the last full day for Claudette and Lil in the Algarve and as we had more things we wanted them to see before leaving we had arranged to collect them at their hotel at 10….the agenda was left up to us!! The gorgeous blue skies we love so much, the warm yellow sun kissing our cheeks, and a bounce in our steps, the four of us trundled off.

First stop…. Roman villa of Milreu in Estoi.  The Milreu site was excavated in 1877.  The oldest part of the Roman ruins are thought to date back to 1st or 2nd century A.D. with a large villa and temple being added later, probably in the third century. The aquatic temple mosaics suggest that the temple may have been dedicated to a sea god.

I’m not sure how long we were wandering but the hot sun was beating down on us the entire time and by the end I felt as if I was melting a bit!! A Canadian ruin amongst the Roman ruins!

Marc had been running an errand in Estoi, had walked down to the ruins once done, and was waiting for us when we came out. We had determined that we would take a mountain route across the top near Sao Bras to Moncarapacho for a bit of a wander and lunch on the square.

As luck would have it, there is a tiny chapel and museum in Moncarapacho that is rarely open. (Ermida de Santo Cristo de Moncarapacho (Chapel of Santo Cristo)) Today it was!! This is a small chapel built in the 17th century. In the chancel, there is an interesting Mannerist altarpiece with three paintings depicting the Passion of Christ. The highlights are the two 18th century statues – one representing Santa Catarina (St Catherine), another São Francisco (St Francis). chapel.

What a treat it was to experience both these buildings and contents, for us as well as Claudette and Lil. From there, a walk to the main square and a relaxing lunch, where we forgot to take photos as I think we were quite hungry and simply dove in when it arrived.

From here we headed back to Estoi to enjoy wanderings around the pousada grounds. (Palacio de Estoi) It was built in the 19th century by the then-Viscount of Estoi. We limited ourselves to the outside and the gardens.

I thoroughly enjoyed our leisurely stroll around the gardens. The “girls” got to pick oranges right off the tree, in the mid day sun, and enjoy the juice running up their arms and down their chins as they ate. What a treat.

Lemons, orange, Chinese mulberries, olives, figs, avocados and various herbs growing and scenting the entire property. What a pleasant assault o the senses.

A more or less perfect last day for our friends and a treat for Marc and I to be able to share part of our history and love of the place with them. It ended on a great note as we took them up to show them where we had lived this past few years and James, who is staying there now, was home so they actually got to visit the Quinta, not to mention visit with James and Jackson.

We wish them both safe travel to their destination tomorrow then safely home to Canada in a few days. A grand time had by all.