Portugal then London

Algarve

Once the coldest winter I can remember set in we were off to the Algarve again.  We rented the same apartmento as last year with a great ocean view.

Mike and Liz from the marina came again; this time for four weeks so we spent some good days with them.  The owners of the unit next door were in this year and we got to know them quite well.  David and Mary are from Norwich in England.  Being owners we got some of the inside scoop on what has and is going on behind the scenes at Rocha Brava.  The main change has been the purchase of Rocha Brava by Home Property Bond who now run the place and own about 50 properties on site.  They are supposed to be building a new covered swimming pool and other projects.  On the surface nothing has changed, but we'll see if that continues.  HPB owns vacation properties from Madeira to Turkey to every part of Europe and the UK.  We have heard nothing but good things about them, but financially it doesn't make sense for us to join.

Party holders Ron and Bonnie from Peterborough cancelled out in early February for health reasons so Mary and I decided we would hold our own party.  We have made friends over the years and our little party ended up with 22 guests.  Good time!  In the end Ron and Bonnie decided to come and they threw another party.

The highlight of this year's stay was a visit by our son Mike.  Mike is a geologist and has been working on the North Sea project for his company for a few years now.  As a result he flies to Aberdeen about four times a year.  This year he took one of his vacation week and spent it with us. We had a great time touring and showing him the sights.

London

This year we had decided to spend 5 weeks in the Algarve and then fly to London for a week.  We left on April 3rd via Easyjet and Gatwick airport.

We stayed in a hotel near Victoria Station so transportation was handy.  We purchased City passes and we used buses many times per day.  The subway is good for long distances but we found the 'new' London double decker buses wonderful with their three doors and electronic touch entry.  Very quick and extremely frequent.

We have been to London a few times before but this time we wanted to explore new sights.  Camden Market and the Camden lock (canal) are both fascinating as is Notting Hill, Portabelo Road, etc.  The Sunday food market on the canal is the most international I have ever seen with hundreds of stalls and zillions of people.  It's not hard to see why people love London.   Covent Garden was full of entertainment and delightful restaurants.  One afternoon we decided to take the #11 bus to Hampton Heath as I had read about it years ago.  We arrived at the end of the bus line in a typical little London shop area and decided to have a coffee, scone and clotted cream.  The locals soon filled us in on where to go and we soon found ourselves on the heath which is far larger then anything I would have imagined.  From the top you can see downtown miles away.

Another day we took a coach from Victoria Station to Windsor and thoroughly enjoyed a gorgeous day.  In spite of being April we had a sunny and rain free week.

One of the great thrills of doing London is doing it at night.  Piccadilly Circus is overwhelming and touring the South Bank from Westminster to Tower Bridge is a stimulating if tiring experience.

We stayed in the Premier Hotel which is very nice (not pricey in London terms) with a great staff and it really helped that we bought into their meals which were great.  That week cost us about $3,000, but what an end to a great time in Europe.