Farewell in Faro

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We left Evora and headed off on our fairly long drive down to Faro in the Algarve - our last stop and last two days together. The drive itself was pretty uneventful and apart from a Pastiche stop in Bega, nothing else notable happened.

The Algarve is the summer holiday destination for thousands and thousands of Europeans, as  it enjoys year round warm weather. It is also the largest of the towns along the Algarve coast and is quite a pretty place, but I again think it would lose its charm in high summer and packed to the rafters with tourists.

We arrived mid afternoon and it was actually warm enough to take off our jumpers, which was a very pleasant surprise. Mac had once again booked the best accomodation in town for us, at the Hotel Eva, which is slap bang on the Marina and had the most spectacular views. Upon checking in, we managed to get the clerk whom clearly decided to offer absolutely no information about the hotel at all, and let Mac ask all the questions but getting answers was like drawing hens teeth!

Eventually, we got to our room with gorgeous views. Faro has a population of around 60, 000 and is another small city with the original part dating back to the 15th century and is still enclosed by the old wall. It is the centre of the Algarve and is full of restaurants and shops, set in nice paved streets, lit with fairy lights and lined with palm trees.

There are a few historical things to look at, another bone chapel (PASS) a few museums and churches but to be honest, we were a bit burnt out on history by now! Mac decided the next day we would drive back into Spain and go to Heulva, then drive from Spain, right across the entire width of Portugal to Cape St Vincent to catch the sunset - nothing like a good challenge.

Our last day together dawned. We took full advantage of the tasty breakfast served in our hotel before setting off on our odyssey to Spain then back into Portugal. The drive to Heulva was just under an hour and we arrived at about 1:00pm, so really didnt have much time to look around before Siesta, but it was long enough for us.

Heulva is a large regional town with great shops I must say! Mac bought me a beautiful skirt and we picked up a few bits and pieces before retiring for particularly delicious pastiche in a rather grand pastiche shop. The one thing about Heulva that we will never forget was the underground car park.

This car park must have been designed by the kid on work experience as it was the smallest, most awkward car park either of us had been in. We had a Ford Focus and that was pushing the boundaries of size! Every pole and wall had paint and scrape marks on them, the concrete columns were just an inch too close and how we got the car in and out without any damage is a testament to Mac's expert driving.

Upon leaving Heulva as Siesta descended upon the town, I saw a sign to Seville and got awfully excited. I begged Mac to go to Seville for the day but he actually said No for the first time (some lame excuse about distance and time or something like that) as he zoomed back towards Portugal.

About half way back to Faro, the car started making the awful flapping sound again, and as we still had a good two hour drive across the country to Cape St Vincent, Mac thought it best take the car back to Budget to get it checked. What followed next was a classic example of perfect timing!

We went to the Budget office at Faro airport, where they examined our car and decided it best we have a replacement. We were presented with a lovely new VW Golf (much, much nicer!!). I was sat in the office for about 1/2 hour and starting to get a bit concerned as Mac had literally disappeared and the sunset was at approximately 5:30 and it was now 3:00. Not sure exactly what to do I waited and hoped that everything was OK when at about 3:30 he turned up looking a bit peeved. It seems he had to go and fill the petrol tank of the Focus, and of course the petrol station we could all see from the Budget Office could not actually be reached by the road leading out of the airport - naturally. Seems Mac had to go for a bit of a drive to find a petrol station, while time was quickly slipping away.

We were back on the road in our lovely new car, heading towards the Cape for what promised to be an absolutely gorgeous sunset, the radio station we had on was playing cool driving  music we could sing to, the scenery was all very picuresque and our timing was spot on.

We arrived at the very windy Cape at about 5:30. The Romans believed thier gods slept here at night and it was easy to see why, the Cape really did feel like the end of the world. Mac and I joined the other Sunsetters and found a spot on the cliff edge and waited for the spectacle while the Atlantic Ocean swelled far below us- and spectacle it would have been if the clouds had not come up! Despite this it was still beautiful and well worth the drive.

After the awe had worn off, I realised I was infact sitting on the edge of a rather massive cliff and my fear of heights kicked in. It honestly took every fibre of my courage to calmly slide on my bum up to a safer spot. I must have appeared very relieved when I had found my 'safe' place because Mac just took one look at me and said "Yes, I thought you were being very brave".

It was now too cold and blowy to hang around so we joined the exodus back to the warmth of our cars and drove to Lagos, another quaint, pretty town along the coast for a stroll and a chocolate milkshake. It was easy to see how these coastal towns would be alive and thriving in the summer, but I still prefered the cold, quiet streets to hoards and heat.

We arrived back in Faro at about 7:00 and then came the next big decision - where to have our last dinner together. It was all a bit sad and neither of us acknowledged this fact that blared out before us. We decided on the Mesa dos Mouros restaurant in the old town. This restaurant was tiny, beautiful and the food was divine. It specialised in traditional Moorish food and every morsel was delicious, a great place for our last dinner. After dinner, we went for a stroll through the old town, lit with fairly lights, cobbled, ancient, charming, romantic it was the perfect ending to our evening.

The next morning, way too soon and way too early it was time for Mac to leave and fly back to Dublin for Christmas. As Mac requested, I went down to the Marina and watched until his plane flew over and as it did Walking in a Winter Wonderland began playing on the loud speaker. I thought this a particularly cruel twist as he had been singing this to me for the past three weeks!

Feeling extremely lost and sad, I filled my day by arranging my train back to Lisbon the next day and then did what any woman would have done - I went shoppping. There is a huge new shopping mall about 10 minutes out of town and I decided it was the best place for me.  I wiled away many hours, ate junk food and purchased a few bargains and last minute gifts, the irony that Mac would have really liked this mall was not lost on me. It was a two level extravaganza, complete with large water feature in the centre and lots of room to accomodate the thousands that must flock here in the summer - and I explored every shop.

I spent my last night in Faro wondering around aimlessly, sitting in cafes and drinking coffee, people watching and trying to enjoy myself and not wonder every five minutes what Mac was doing. I went back to the hotel after dinner and blatently broke the 15 minute rule on the only computer in the lobby while I caught up on my emails.

My time in Faro had come to an end.