I was determined to walk the beach on Christmas Day. At the beginning of the year, we'd holidayed in Gran Canaria so for the very first time, I'd enjoyed my Winter birthday in the sun & a Christmas beach walk would just top-off the year nicely.
Although Christmas Day was cloudy it was also warm & we headed to Faro beach. It was so great to wander across the sand with the dogs, before enjoying a beer & 'Pastel de Nata' Portuguese custard tart. I was very content & we returned home for our quiet Christmas dinner.
Our Portuguese friends drove down from Setubal on 30th December so we had good company for New Year.
On New 
Year's Eve, the moon was just one day from being full & had a dramatic ring around it. The night was cool, so we built a fire-pit in the back garden & sat round the warmth with drinks & the two drums (djembe & cahonita) that Rob had brought. At midnight, we stood on the roof terrace to watch (& listen to) the fireworks in the local towns in the distance all around us.
The stray black kitten which had arrived a few days earlier (& which we'd tried not to encourage), loved having some knees to sit on. We hoped that our friends would take it back with them (I know they were tempted), but in the end, having a number of dogs & cats already, they didn't & it stayed to beg & constantly cry outside.
New Year's Day was bright & sunny so we walked on Faro beach & it was obviously warm enough for sunbathing for some. One man in shorts only, was sat meditating on the sand. It was a lovely way to greet a new year which we hoped would be packed with adventure & new expeiences.
As mentioned, my birthday is at the beginning of January & we don't have space to acommodate physical gifts so I was keen to find something memorable to do. A Google search revealed Rooster Quad Tours just down the road.
Perfect!
We'd never tried quad biking so had the beginners tour with a German couple on a wet morning & loved it! The sun came out & we got muddy from the puddles left by the recent rain. Mark & Claire looked after us & a week later, keen to replicate the experience, we had another longer & faster ride with an English duo. The Algarve has a surprising amount of undeveloped green space with many off-road tracks through the hills so we saw beautiful views that wouldn't otherwise be visible from a car.
We explored the Algarve, re-visiting favourite haunts & finding new ones. We loved the beaches far East of Faro & even popped over to Western Spain on a couple of occasions, spending time in Huelva & Isla Cristina. I loved the expansive beaches, especially as dogs were allowed on those out of town during Winter. January's weather was generally dry & sunny so we walked the dogs up & down the coast most afternoons, finding beach bars to enjoy a beer or coffee.
We went further afield at the weekends, to the Monchique hills & the less developed West coast. This was actually the second time we'd driven up-to Aljeur & Odexeixe & the second time the weather was dull & cool. I liked the wildness, in particular the Ribeira de Seixe estury beach & Praia da Amoreira, but Rob wasn't too keen on the area the first time & the second visit still didn't impress. We've done it twice now, so no need to go back - plenty of other places to see..
Loule annual carnival was in February & was an enjoyable afternoon out. With a Brazilian feel, the music was lively & loud, the floats creative & bright, the dancers energetic & enthusiastic, the costumes colourful & exotic with little fabric & lots of flesh for some participants! The main street was cordoned-off with just a €2.50 cost to enter the party atmosphere. The bars & food stalls were doing a roaring trade & the procession went round & round the circular route with streamers & confetti soon filling the road. We thought it great that no barriers kept people back so everyone mingled together, the dancers posing for photo after photo, especially the scantilly clad girls.
