LIISA ARRIVED BACK AT CASA UMBERTO AT ABOUT 8:00 AND CAUGHT THE END OF SUN RISE ON THE ROOF TERRACE. WE PACKED UP OUR BELONGINGS AND UMBERTO DROVE US A FEW KILOMETRES UP THE COAST TO START OUR WALK ALONG THE BOARDWALKS TOWARDS PORTIMAO. IT WAS, ONCE AGAIN, A BEAUTIFUL DAY. WHERE THE BOARDWALKS

STOPPED WE FOLLOWED SANDY TRACKS THAT SKIRTED BEHIND THE SAND DUNES, FOLLOWING THE OCEAN, AND PASSING CARAVANS AND CAMPER VANS ALONG THE WAY. WE FOUND THE ‘ENCOVA CYCLE TRAIL’ MARKINGS FOR THE FIRST TIME.

FOR A FEW KILOMETRES LIISA WALKED ALONG THE BEACH WHILST I CONTINUED INLAND, UNTIL I SPOTTED HER BRIGHT RED JACKET WAVING IN THE WIND. I FOLLOWED A BOARDWALK TO MEET HER. THE NEXT RESORT TOWN, ARMACAO DE PERA, WAS IN SIGHT AND WE PADDED ALONG THE SOFT, WARM SAND TOWARD IT, UNTIL WE CAME TO AN ESTUARY! IT WASN’T VERY DEEP, PARTICULARLY IF YOU WATCHED THE TIDE AND JUDGED WHEN TO RUN, BUT IT WAS DEEP ENOUGH TO GET YOUR BOOTS AND JEANS WET. LIISA TOOK HER BOOTS OFF AND PADDLED THROUGH. I TRIED TO MAKE IT IN MY BOOTS BUT TURNED BACK AND GOT ‘GOT’ BY A RANDOM WAVE THAT TRIPPED ME OVER! I FELT A TUG ON MY RUCKSACK AS SOMEONE PLUCKED ME OUT AND SAID HI TO A MAN AND HIS WIFE FROM EDINBURGH! WE WALKED UP BEACH TOGETHER AND FOUND A SHALLOW PLACE TO PASS, REJOINING A GIGGLING LIISA.

WE HEADED IN TO ARMACAO DE PERA TOGETHER, BOUGHT A CHEAP PICNIC FROM THE SUPERMARKET, (PASTY WITH SURPRISE FILLING FOR ME, SUGARED PRUNES, SMOOTHIES, BABYBELS AND BREAD ROLLS FOR LIISA) AND THEN FOUND A BUSKING SPOT ON THE PROMENADE. THE TOWN WAS QUIET…. I TOOK A COFFEE AT A CAFE OPPOSITE AND WROTE WHILST LISTENING TO LIISA PLAY. SHE MADE A FEW EUROS BUT CAME FOR A COFFEE TOO AS THERE JUST WASN’T MUCH OF A CROWD. AN OLD GUY BY THE NAME OF BARRY FROM ESSEX WANDERED OVER. HE WAS ENJOYING A PINT ON THE TERRACE, AN EX-PAT WHO HAD MADE THE MOVE TO LIVE OUT IN THE SUN PERMANENTLY, AND ASKED IF LIISA COULD PLAY NATALIE IMRUGLIA’S ‘TORN’  LIISA WASN’T SURE WHICH SONG IT WAS SO ME AND BARRY TRIED OUR BEST TO SING IT FOR HER! 🙂 SHE LOOKED UP THE MUSIC AND LYRICS AND GAVE IT A GO ANYWAY. SHE WAS PRETTY GOOD FOR A FIRST ATTEMPT BUT IT NEEDS SOME PERFECTING… I WENT TO PAY FOR THE COFFEES BUT IT TURNED OUT THEY HAD ALREADY BEEN PAID FOR BY AN ANONYMOUS DONOR! 🙂 AS WE HEADED OFF TO START OUR WALK TO THE NEXT TOWN (LAGOA) BARRY SPRANG OVER TO GIVE LIISA 20 EURO AND WISH HER WELL. I TOOK HIS PHONE NUMBER AND TOLD HIM WE’D SEND HIM A VIDEO WHEN THE SONG WAS PERFECTED! 

THE GULL AND THE SQUIRREL WEAVED OUR WAY THROUGH COUNTRY ROADS TO THE TOWN OF LAGOA, WHICH SEEMED NON TOO INSPIRING BUT A ‘REAL PLACE’ COMPARED TO THE RESORTS OF LATE, AND THE PERFECT PLACE FOR SOME CHINESE SHOP THERAPY. LIISA NOW HAS A BRAND NEW PAIR OF SANDALS! 🙂 

WE HAD WALKED ABOUT 25KM AND KNEW THAT THERE WAS CHEAPER ACCOMMODATION IN THE NEXT TOWN, (A RESORT PLACE CALLED PORTIMAO) SO WE DISCUSSED HITCHING AND WHILE WE WERE STILL DISCUSSING OUR OPTIONS AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD A CAR PULLED UP AND OFFERED US A LIFT. IT WAS FATE! WE CLIMBED INSIDE. HE WAS A HAPPY, SMILEY GUY, WHO WAS WILLING TO TAKE US TO ANY PLACE IN PORTIMAO SO I LOOKED AT BOOKING.COM FOR SOME INSPIRATION. FILTER SET TO SHOW ‘LOWEST PRICE FIRST’ AND OUR CHOICE OF LODGING FOR THE NIGHT WAS SECURED! THE SQUASH APARTMENTS AT PRAIA DE ROCHA BEACH. OUR HITCH RECOMMENDED SOME PLACES TO VISIT WHILE WE WERE IN PORTUGAL, INCLUDING HIS HOME TOWN OF SINTRA, JUST 23KM FROM LISBON, WHICH HE TOLD US WAS A FAIRYTALE COME TO LIFE, FILLED WITH MAGICAL CASTLES AND IMAGINARY DRAGONS, HE WARNED US NOT TO KISS THE FROGS THERE UNLESS WE WERE READY TO HAVE TO DRAG AROUND A PRINCE… 🙂 

AT 19 EUROS FOR THE TWO OF US, WE DIDN’T EXPECT MUCH FROM TONIGHT’S DIGS BUT THE SQUASH APARTMENTS WAS A GREAT SURPRISE! BY THE TIME WE PULLED UP OUTSIDE, IT WAS DARK AND THE AREA LOOKED QUITE BUILT UP AND UGLY. WE RECEIVED A FRIENDLY WELCOME AT RECEPTION AND A KEY TO OUR PAD ON THE 9TH FLOOR. THE LIFT HAD AN INTERIOR THAT SEEMED TO BE MAINLY MADE OF CARDBOARD WHICH WAS SLIGHTLY DISTURBING, BUT WE MADE PEACE WITH THE WORLD AND STEPPED INSIDE. SAFELY ON THE 9TH FLOOR, WE WANDERED DOWN THE LONG CORRIDOR, EXPECTING TO SEE THOSE SCARY TWINS FROM THE SHINING AT ANY MOMENT AND ENTERED OUR ‘SUITE!’ OUR 1970’S FAMILY APARTMENT WAS FABULOUS!

LIISA VENTURED OUTSIDE TO DO SOME BUSKING AND I COOKED UP A TOMATO AND WINE VERSION OF CHEESY NO CHEESE SPICE RICE (SEE RECIPE POSTED IN BLOG: DAY 3!!!) IT’S BASICALLY THE SAME RECIPE BUT WITHOUT THE BURNING, SCRAPING OR CHEESE. I TOOK A LONG, HOT BATH AND PREPARED SOME LUNCH FOR TOMORROW (MAINLY BOILED EGGS.) LIISA ARRIVED BACK AND WE ENJOYED OUR CALM EVENING OF DOMESTICITY IN OUR 70’S FAMILY SIZED APARTMENT.