The last two days have been spent winding down and revisiting all of our special places, saying good bye to the people who have been part of the fabric of our daily lives, walking, walking, walking, biking and intentionally trying to savour and imprint all of the beauty and magic of Tavira into our minds hearts and souls. We have loved it here so much and as I write this last blog FROM our wonderful studio 39 in Tavira, I am choking back tears that have come frequently the last couple of days, every time I think about leaving!
We have had a perfect holiday...an amazing experience in a new country with all of its traditions, culture, history, charm, warmth, beauty and imperfections which has made it such an authentic, fulfilling experience! As our friend, Rick Hamel, has said, we have been "living the life"!!
It is so hard to leave because, although we know we WILL come back to Tavira, realistically speaking, it will not be for a long time. So....the sadness is real and, as we have both said, neither of us has EVER felt this strongly about a place we have been to, on a vacation. We truly would love to live here for a period of time and....maybe we will, someday. But, for now.....it is so long, Beautiful Tavira....until we return......
Here are some random pictures of our nighttime walks and activities during our last couple of days......
Lawrence LOVED his swim in the very clean and calm waters of the Atlantic Ocean, yesterday afternoon!
Here is the point where the Rio Gilao, which runs through Tavira, meets the mighty Atlantic!
Ilha de Tavira is sooooo beautiful....unbelievable! Many, many kilometres of fine sandy beaches and so many spots for privacy/seclusion within a paradise of ocean beauty!!
We enjoyed a delicious supper last night at a restaurant called Aqua Sul ...in this picture you see a lentil, avacodo salad and Sea bream fillets, cooked in paper. It was so delicious, along with the baked apple tart & ice cream, below....
Tavira, at night, is sooooooo beautiful, peaceful and SAFE, people stroll the streets late into the night. It is just sooooo special!
A street view, from our balcony during the day, when a group of school kids were out on a field trip.....such a auditory explosion into our studio as they trekked by, under our open balcony doors! Our street in Centro Tavira is vibrant and colourful in sight and sound.....we NEVER had the tv or radio on.....we just woke to and were entertained by the sounds of people having coffee and conversation right outside our windows! :)
That same street view at night...... Serene....beautiful!
Tonight, for our last night in Tavira, we went out, for supper to one of our favorite restaurants along the river....the Tavira Lounge.....classy, yet family friendly.....great service and....great food! We really enjoyed our curried chicken and Portugues salad, wine, and apple crisp with ice cream for dessert!
It has been so very nice being here and once again, just in case I haven't said it enough......
Tomorrow, we are going to Lisboa for a sleep over at The House ( the initial guest house we stayed at on our way here)....we are looking forward to our afternoon and evening there and then, we will arrive in Saskatoon on Friday night!
How blessed we have been to have experienced our beautiful Tavira! We seriously hope that many of you, who have been following our holiday, on this blog, will gift yourselves with a trip to this beautiful part of Portugal!!
Posted with Blogsy
Definitely shaped and influenced by your experiences and writings, this has been added to the never ending bucket list. Can hardly wait to see you in person. Safe travels coming home!!
ReplyDelete