Carvoeiro

The morning started out dark and stormy. The afternoon was dark and stormy.

So to gee ourselves up, we decided to go to ABC (Algarve Book Company) books in the village of Carvoeiro.

Oh Carvoeiro where has your soul gone? We wondered your narrow crater infested streets looking for insperation. What we found was a naf book store (5 euro's each no matter how rubbish the book was) and a beach the size of a pool table surrounded by bars with great Portuguese inspired names like "Cheers" and "The Dog and Piddle", where unlucky hour started the day the tourists arrived.

We struggled back up the main drag from the beach. The drag has a whimsical Berlin spring 1945 inspired architecture -- after the Russians redesigned it. Which stands side by side with the ugly, rubbish apartments in white with yellow highlights, next door to wine and t-shirt shops.

83% of the GDP of Portugal is tourism, I think the deal with the devil needs a rethink. PLEASE.

There was a ray of light in all this rundown ticky tacky. Its name is the Fabrica Velha coffee shop. Light, inviting, friendly staff with great coffee and some of the best pastries we have had. Why they set up shop in tacky town is a mystery, but thank god they did!

Happily G did love the surf at the beach. With its diminutive size and cresent shape the waves got quite large due to being stuffed into such a small space. He'd run at the ocean as it receded and then tried to stare it down, only to beat a hasty retreat when it came back in. Fun, fun, fun.

Oh well another tastles piece of Portugal done with, never to be visited again.

Always remembering that if you don't go looking, even in what turns out to be the most unattractive places, you don't find the Fabrica Velhas of this world.

Tomorrows another day.

Ciao

New Fiat 500. Must have one!