Vila Recife, Albufeira, Portugal CAD$31, incl breakfast

I was hoping to be awake early enough to get away before too much of the morning had passed. Last night I was so excited to get going that once I turned off the light I had a difficult time getting to sleep, but finally did.

I woke up in what seemed to be an hour or two, but when I checked the time I found it was almost 5:30 am. Decisions. Decisions. I decided to get right up or I would sleep another few hours. It was still dark out, but the sun was to rise within the next hour.

I was not hungry at all, but went into the kitchen just the same to have a ham and cheese sandwich on month-old bread. At around 6:15 am I was packed, the bike was down in the lobby and the bags were strapped on. This is always a bit of a puzzle to figure out as I always have about one bag too many and have to sort things out, which I did, though I had to make a few adjustments along the way.

The sun was not yet up but was glowing in the east as I headed west initially along the same route I had taken to get into Faro on Tuesday, but then the route veered inland through a natural park and followed a route which was mostly gravelly farm roads through orchards and orchards of orange trees just dripping with ripe oranges and flower petals. Remember how I went on about it yesterday? Well, this was even better. The path undulated and I worried about my calf, but I took it carefully and there was no pain, though a few tell-tale pings that seem to be the new norm.

I came out from the park and then the route was along the edge of built-up areas and then eventually merged with the N125. This was a fairly busy main road that seems to connect Faro to Albufeira to Portimão and points west. Traffic was steady but very respectful of me, seemingly giving me the 1 m of clearance required and holding short if the road was too narrow as when there was an approach to a roundabout.

All along this road/highway there were various towns and built-up areas and really, it was a long line of almost complete suburbia. There was the odd farm and a number of orange orchards but not what you could really call 'countryside'. This is not to say that it was not pleasant, for it was. It is just that I hope and expect things to become more pastoral once I swing northwards to Alentejo which is the province north of the very built-up and commercialized Algarve.

The kilometers counted down until I saw the sign welcoming me to Albufeira. The terrain became quite rolling with a number of big descents and climbs, and then what seemed to be quite a long descent into old Albufeira. The city went from very commercialized to restaurants, cafes, fun zones, hotels, condos, and pubs. Clean and new enough but not pretty at all. Then things became seedy along the descent into the old city but improved again somewhat as I approached the edge of the cliff overlooking the sea.

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The sea wall. More beautiful than I remembered. Though they were not there in 1982, now there are some buildings down below on the beach and a lot more built up above, but there was the huge natural stone pillar on the beach, the dark yellow sand, the matching yellow cliffs, and the blue sea with the white band where it met the shore as crashing waves.

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I planned to go down to the beach later in the day, but at the moment it was time to go up and around to Vila Recife, where we had stayed 37 years ago. I came round the corner and could not help but almost jump for joy with a huge grin, I'm sure. I took pictures of the entrance gates and main hotel then went up to the entrance and to the lobby.

The clerk was ready to check me in, but I asked about having the room above the lobby where we had stayed all those years ago. He agreed since I had been here before but he said I would have to wait for the people to check out. He said I could go into the restaurant to have a snack and that the room would be ready around noon - about 2-1/2 hours to wait. No problem - the courtyard was full of tables just asking me to sit and relax...and rest my calf (which still is not hurting)!

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What an amazing beach front to this city. I descended the long stone stairway that I am sure was there in 1982 and was soon right in front of the crashing surf. Not sure if it is allowed or not, but I picked up a couple of seashells from the beach which are a nice reddish colour - similar to the soil in the area.

New to the beach is a boardwalk which made it a lot easier than walking through the very soft sand. The waves were pretty strong and likely the water cold, so there was not a soul in the water. There were a few sunbathing in the sand here and there on the immense beach, but they must have been a bit chilly with the really strong wind and with it only being about 19 C.

I was getting a wee bit hungry so came up from the beach through a tunnel that brings you up into kitsch central. Good lord, it was sad. Junk shop after junk shop after tacky looking English-looking bar or restaurant. Not what I wanted. On a whim I turned left and followed a narrow alley and when I came to an arch on the right, noticed a number of tables outside. Once closer I could see the sign for Adega Dom Pipas and decided to step in. I was greeted by a friendly smile and wave from the owner behind the bar who said I could choose any table I liked. He served me lunch while his wife prepared it in the open kitchen - sea bass, crisp green salad, boiled potatoes and a glass of Sagres beer. It was amazing. Amazing. And the owner was the most pleasant fellow and it was he who encouraged me to have the very local sea bass and he was so right. He says that at this time of year it is quiet because he is on kind of a back street, but what a hidden gem of a place. It is rated as a 4.4 on TA and I can see why. I left there feeling like we were friends. I would have had some flan but he was out so I went to a mini market where I got an almond tart - they are a local recipe, and it was really good.

The sun was quite strong so I headed back to the room to keep in the shade til the sun is a bit lower and the AP (artsy photo) moments arise.

Well, how a few minutes in the shade turns into a few hours asleep. The light was nice overlooking the beach for some nice evening shots then went across the road to Eclipse Restaurant (highly rated on TA) where I had piri-piri chicken, rice, salad and tarte de natas (not to be confused with pasteis da nata - Tarte de Natas is a soft sweet made with milk cream, condensed milk, milk, gelatine and served with butter or "Maria" type cookies. You can find this specialty in most regions of Portugal.) for €13.90 . It was really good and the neighbouring company was pleasant - a couple from Lac-St-Jean, Quebec, who are in the Algarve for four weeks traveling around villages for the most part.

After supper I thought to head to the beach for night shots but it was really dark (of course, duh) and the beach was pitch black, so I came back to Vila Recife for some night shots off my balcony. I would like to have wandered around a bit more, but my calf is pinging a bit more so I want to get it raised up and give it a bit of a massage. Hopefully it is back to full strength tomorrow - today was great.