A Few Of Our Favourite Things......(week 2)

It is soooo hard to believe (and so sad to realize) that we are half way into our amazing Portuguese holiday/adventure!! 2 weeks from today, we will be back in Saskatoon and very likely on our way home to the lake! While we are here and feeling so very immersed in the lifestyle, our life and responsibilities, at home, seem foreign and, somehow, unreal!! We are definitely living totally 'in the moment' here, in Tavira!

So....in keeping with our plan to capture our weekly highlights, here is this week's 'whiskers on kittens'......

1. Partying at the Irish Pub!!!

We don't have a picture of this experience but it was a blast!! Imagine coming onto an outdoor party scene with engaging, upbeat, very familiar music pouring out of an open door! As we entered, we were literally enveloped and 'welcomed' in by strangers, who were also patrons of the bar.....it was like "Hey.....welcome!....come on in......are you going to sing tonight?" The guy leading the singing scene, welcomed others to take the mike and play/sing (kind of like an open mike scene)......everyone,indoors, was singing along and dancing on the spot! It was so gregarious, friendly, and very fun, singing very familiar tunes like Tom Jones's "My, My, My Delilah" and "Rhinestone Cowboy"with gusto!!! Really, those Irish DO know how to party!! :)

2. Portuguese 'Turtles'

These tasty fig-almond treats are what we call our 'Portuguese turtles' because they are so delicious and they have replaced our favourite Turtle chocolates from home!!!

3. Our quick jaunt into Spain....

4. Travelling by train.....so stress-free, simple, efficient & a perfect place to watch people as well as scenery!!

5. Exploring Tavira.....the castle, the Pousada, the Camara Obscura, the gardens, churches, parks, side streets, river trails, the Ria Formosa......and LOVING it all and being very grateful for this experience!

6. Dreaming about moving here and finding "our apartment".....

7. Outdoor concerts.....we have had a great week, enjoying 4 wonderful performances in the Garden Square!!

8. RELAXING!!! We have absolutely loved our pace these past 2 weeks...lots of adventure interspersed with deliciously slow mornings, afternoon siestas, and peaceful evenings that have allowed us to blog, read, play crib/Yahtzee!! :)

9. The People....the incredibly kind, friendly, helpful, interesting people that have been woven into the tapestry of our time here and who have helped us feel connected and PART OF the community. Here are a few for this week. Next week we will have more pics of other great people we have met & share a connection with.....

Elia....our Good Samaritan....

The lady we tend to buy most of our daily produce from, at the Market.....

Our Aussie friends....Anna & Rob.....

Pedro....the young, hard working cafe owner, just outside our door....

Our Brazilian friends who own the excellent little Restaurante Castelo cafe just down the street. They, too, work so hard and yet, are always so friendly, upbeat and warmly welcoming to all who come to their corner of Tavira!....

Claudia....our beautiful and generous young friend, from our favourite Padaria, who keeps giving us free treats, when we come for coffee and a pastry...(Matthew Schmidt...here is a nice girl for you!!)...

Marcio......our handsome and talented Fado singer/ realtor.....

And last, but not least, for this week,....our new friends, Kenny & Christine, from Scotland....

10. Getting a car and making our way to Loule, today, where we took in the Gypsy Market and had the very best donut either of us has ever had!! We also explored some of the streets /shops in Loule (Before they closed for the rest of the w/e at 1:00pm!!!)...we will go back for the other Saturday morning market they host.

11. Dancing in the Park!!! ..... Tonight, we had the best time ever!! At the outdoor concert, in the park, there was a great classic rock & roll band playing and although no one else was dancing, we could not help ourselves....the music was soooooo good!!......we just started dancing and we ended up dancing all night!!! One other couple joined us and throughout the whole 2 hour show, we were the only two couples to actually use the space to dance! It was sooo awesome.....as the breeze blew off the Rio Gilao, into the Garden Square which we have come to LOVE, we danced the night away without reservation, under the stars, in beautiful Tavira, loving every minute of this experience and savouring what a very special experience this was! ( unfortunately we don't have any pictures on a camera....only the pictures, of the full experience, in our hearts and minds!)

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