GREAT TO BE BACK IN TAVIRA 2 YEARS LATER

 This trip almost never happened several times as planning took a bumpy road through changing Covid rules not only in Canada, but especially in Portugal. I assumed once I was double dosed and had a booster shot, it would be just a matter of packing, buying a plane ticket …not so easy as Portugal refused to let Canadians in,  although all of Europe, USA, Britain, New Zealand and many other counties were welcomed with open arms. First we pushed our direct flight on TAP out 2 weeks, hoping all would be ok. But when the entry rules remained unchanged, we rebooked our flights on AC to enter via the UK. I was on a 4:15 pm flight from Halifax to Toronto on March 6, and our flight Via London and then Lisbon was scheduled for 8:30 pm. Obviously not much time but the only change I could make to that portion of my ticket was to 5 am, unless I was willing to pay another $ 1000 ( don’t ask but it had to do with an multi stop international ticket, even though it was sold as no fee changeable.)    Thankfully I live in the Maritimes and we all know what the weather is like there, so an AC weather advisory was issued for March 6 and I was then able to fly to Toronto the day before, at no extra cost. Another  rule of thumb in these days of flux is to be fully packed at least a week in advance and so I was ready to go as soon as the advisory was posted.  I will wind up my flying woes by saying we had a wonderful, smooth ride to London HRW and connected on schedule to Lisbon at 3 pm.  The best part of that story was I was able to buy some fantastic Boots #7 old lady foundation, only available in Canada through the USA for $60. At Heathrow I got 2 of the magic potions for 7 uk pounds, but alas no difference yet to my old lady face. From Lisbon we took the train to Tavira and arrived around 9 pm, totally tired but excited to be here.  

                                                                                           


I can’t remember how to insert and caption the pics yet, so bear with me.    Landing in snowless UK was exciting, but in Tavira, Orange trees are everywhere and I couldn’t resist picking some low hanging fruit, but soon discovered street oranges are not as good as ones that ripen in an orchard. They are extremely bitter. So now I know why there are so many oranges that are left on the  trees all over Tavira.  For decor not eating.  Spring also introduces the almond blossoms and another wonderful  aroma envelopes the town. 

                                                                

As well as the orange trees and Almond blossoms, the quince trees are laden down with fruit, ripe for the picking.

It took my body 3- 4 days to adjust to the 4 hr time difference, but slowly I’ve emerged from my foggy trance into sunny Portuguese time. Although our first week weather was cooler than expected at around 16 degrees, the sunshine warms the soul.

 We have met up with a fellow Canadian who is a great friend of my cousin Leslie and her hubby Bernard in Ottawa so we have had fun exploring the back streets and cafes of Tavira with John. He’s also a great chef so bonus. 





We attended an amazing fado performance last night in one of the churches. Jeanette and I wondering if we found a gold lame shawl, would our signing voices improve ?

One of 37 beautiful churches in Tavira

 



Flowers, flowers everywhere…


I deserve this after 10,000 steps today ! We didn’t think we ordered a whipped cream coffee, but ….it was delicious.



Comments

  1. LoisMarch 16, 2022 at 11:20 AM

    Looks like a wonderful time so far. Was that a mike in your hand in the chapel:-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 24, 2022 at 5:43 AM

    Awesome Cuz looks amazing enjoy!

    ReplyDelete

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