Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

Dear reader, you might be wondering where I’ve been hiding. I’ve actually been experiencing as much of life in the Algarve as I am able. Editing photos and blogging sort of fell off the table! In any case, Tuesday March 22, I had the opportunity to travel to Portimão courtesy of Marc and Randy. It’s a very practical port town west of Estoi and Faro and its name has become a bit of an inside joke. The first time I heard I heard the name several years ago, to my untrained ear, it sounded like Portimeow and it lovingly became that for some of us. My theory was that is the home base of all the cats in the Algarve. Well, it turns out, there are actual cat houses…cat refuge houses in Portimão. I was really happy to see this project.

Despite its very modern urban aspect, there are some lovely areas in the city including a large open square with a fountain that bursts up out of the paving. Luckily, we weren’t walking in that particular spot when it happened.

The arts play a significant role in the life of the city including a school with that focus. I should add, the point of our trip was to pick up Marc’s remaining painting from an exhibition from earlier in the season.

We did our usual walkabout to see the sights.

And then it was time for lunch.

The interior and exterior of the restaurant we chose was more interesting than the food, I think!

The tiles of Portugal are eternally fascinating! And then it was time to return to Estoi.