Day two and Room Zaya in the apartment of dreams just keeps on giving…. So the kettle doesn’t work and the stove takes approximately one and a half hours to boil pasta, but there’s a coffee machine complete with actual coffee, the before mentioned real beds (any one who has done a Camino already will understand the value of being able to sit up without getting your hair permanently entangled in an upper bunk bed spring) and even sunbeds! Fucking sunbeds! Like we’re on an actual bona fide beach holiday. This is it! We’re in Pilgrim Heaven. We stroll along the sandy beach that sits a stone throw from our beach house with our coffees in hand, seeking out inspiring shells as we walk along the bright blue water’s edge. We head in to town, a good 12 kilometre walk through the picturesque Faro wetlands, Martin the guitar accompanying us, round the airport and in to the bright lights of Faro town. If you fancy a try out or a re-establishment of your Camino footwear we’d recommend this meandering walk, it even has arrows! We note a Decathlon en route, (any good pilgrim will always note a Decathlon, land of cheap thermal undergarments and woollen socks,) and forge forward… Faro is ace! A real town with a touristy edge. There’s an old town with little streets, the usual bars, restaurants, etc… A port to meander round. The sun is shining, the sea is blue and we are happy. We find some yellow arrows down by the port! We found the Camino! Woooohhhhh. It’s so flippin’ hard to resist following them but resist we do. It is not time. Yet… Liisa does some busking to keep her finances in check and I head off in search of a budget supermarket to purchase essentials, food and wine….

We take the number 16 bus back to the Praia as Liisa’s debut appearance is imminent (the bus-stop is to the back of the bus station, 2 euro 35 to drop you off at ‘the bridge’ which is about 5 minutes walk from Praia beach.) A tagliatelle later and we’re at the Bar Havana. We meet some fellow travellers, a young couple from Germany, who are also staying in the shared apartment, and they accompany us to the bar. We are warmly welcomed and Liisa infects Faro with a little of her musical magic. The gig is a success! Free booze flows freely and we spend a happy night in the Havana. Our first 24 hours of our new adventure has been hassle free and lots of fun. Roll on tomorrow! May the sun still shine, the sounds still sound and the wine flow free and proud! 🙂