Our morning routine

Now that we’ve settled into a routine of sorts the morning routine we’ve adopted is to sleep until we just wake up (after all, it’s called vacation for a reason)! Wake-up time has progressed from about 2 AM when we were still jet-lagged (after 38 hours door-to-door travel), to now which is about 8 AM. Keep in mind were staying up much later, not drinking or dancing, but just because it stays lighter later than we’re used to in Hawaii. Also it’s quite hot -we’ve rarely seen a cloud in the sky, and with all the bright-white buildings, the glare & reflected heat is brutal. Bottom line, it’s nicer and more comfortable to go for dinner later.

But back to the AM routine – since we’re basically old, beat up and decrepit we try to go for a short walk first thing, sticking to the shady streets. Once we get the parts moving and working more smoothly we make a pit-stop at the Pingo Doce (the local super-mercado) on our way home for our daily dose of pastry or maybe a fresh-made sandwich for later.

Next we head home to our Airbnb on Rua De Santana in Olhão and make a coffee at home. Then we plan the rest of the day and are on our way.

Aloha, Mikie (just a blogger, fighting like a girl)

Forget about the current exchange rate

When we left home the exchange rate was 1 €uro = $1.09. But our experience is that it doesn’t matter a bit what the rate is, the Combios and ATMs charge whatever they want. The first time we changed US dollars for Euros at an ATM their exchange rate was 1.23 US$. We changed $200 with a markup of 13.25% resulting in a cost to us of $246.94. Wowser! We did not expect that, but we have only been able to find minor variations of these rates.

You can change money at a Combio (money changer), or at one of many ATMs

As a general rule, the more convenient the place, the worse the exchange rate. But all the rates we’ve so far encountered are very high, one might say onerous. I almost wish we’d bought traveler’s checks before we left home, but I’m not even sure you can even get them anymore.

Oh well, just mark it up to a learning experience. We will survive. Maybe it’s just their way of leveling the playing field between our dollar’s value & cost of living, and Portugal’s Euro value & cost of living.

Aloha, Mikie (just a blogger, fighting like a girl)

Hooked on sea bass

It always amazes me. Even the smallest restaurant in Portugal has a menu of several pages running the gamut from appetizers, peixe courses (fish), and carne choices (meat), followed by desserts & coffee selections. And of course several drink choices. But before you even decide what you’re going to eat they automatically serve you small plates of cheese/bread/olives and other goodies collectively known as “couverts” that you have not ordered. But beware, they are not complimentary, costing anywhere from 1-3 Euros each, so you need to decline them or you’ll see them added to your bill.

These are the converts, tempting but not free

Serving sizes so far are very generous (we usually split a salad) and there’s really no need for the extras before the meal. This also leaves room for an after-dinner for Gelato!

I’ve been stuck on Sea Bass. I’ve had it at three different places and it never disappoints.

Eat the delicious meat off one side, pull the bone out and start again!

But there are so many other choices I’ve had to force myself to try other selections. For instance, the salads are great and large enough to share. A plate of grilled vegetables or an antipasto go down quite nicely too.

I don’t know what I’m looking forward to more, another stab at sea bass or the Gelato that follows.

Aloha, Mikie (just a blogger, fighting like a girl)

About those roosters

Okay, back to the roosters. I have no idea where the affection/obcession/fascination came from, but I just really like roosters. When you stop to think about it each rooster is unique, sorta like snowflakes. So let’s check ’em out.

This guy is from Ravenna, Italy. Ravenna is known for one of the most dazzling collections of early christian mosaic artwork, but obviously it’s not all christian themed.

The Delfware-style specimen above was one of my garage sale finds. I say was because he got tangled in a hose one day when Mickey was watering plants on our lanai and unfortunately and is no longer with us.

We came across these colorful cocks in Thailand where the former and now deceased King Bhumibol Adulyade, was known to be a great admirer of roosters. Adulyade a was most beloved King, so the people honored him by mass producing them all over the country.

And this brilliant specimen replaced the blue ceramic one lost to the hose as mentioned above. It’s made of sheet metal so should live a long and healthy life.

The beloved rooster appears in all sorts of advertising here in Portugal as seen on the label of a popular olive oil, “Azeite Virgem Extra” (extra virgin olive oil). And I’ll tell you the taste is far superior to what I’ve ever found at home. Maybe it’s because of the roosters or maybe not. I just don’t know.

And finally we end with our old friends, the Barcelos Rooster above and the community of roosters & chickens from Waimea below.

Obviously, in my book they’re all something to crow about.

Our digs in Portugal

We don’t like big cities which is why we live where we do on the Big Island. But it’s a challenge when you’re going to be someplace for 3 weeks, you want enough in that area to keep you interested and busy, but not so much that there are a lot of crowds, traffic or noise. (I know, picky-picky). But believe me we’ve experienced the noise before. In Santiago a few years ago we were in an Airbnb in a building above a plaza with a late-night restaurant & bar below at street level. Keep in mind most other countries eat & party late into the night. We’re wimps and are usually horizontal by about 9 PM.

Long story short, we paid for that night and the cleaning fee, and then moved on. The owners understood and maybe should have been a little more forthright about the setting. But you live and learn.

We’re very optimistic about our digs in Portugal but so far we’ve only seen pictures and read reviews. I’ll fill you in once we get there on July 3rd. Mickey chose the location. It’s a small town called called Olhão. It’s on the southern coast of Portugal, in the Algarve Region.

The southern coast of Portugal

You can see it’s on the right (east) side on the map. And Spain is just a hop skip and jump further east if we really get adventuresome.

Here are some photos of the house/apt, whatever you want to call it. The owners actually call it “A stunning townhouse renovation in the historic town of Olhão.”

The house from the street, Rua D’ Santana

The main living area with the kitchen in the background

A look at the surrounding neighborhood

The rooftop lanai

An as yet unknown beach presumably close by

The first thing we have to do is learn how to pronounce the name of the town because from the little Portuguese language I’ve studied, you do not pronounce the letter “H”. Next we’ll probably crash and recoup from the long flight.

Aloha, Mikie (just a blogger, fighting like a girl)

Test post -Portugal

Ok, this is an experiment. We’re going to Portugal soon and I want to document the trip with interesting stories, photos, etc., but I’m having to use the mobile app on my tablet and the learning curve is steep for one not so tech savvy.

The Barcelos Rooster is one of the most common souvenirs you will see in Portugal. The above rooster is a stray I captured in Waimea recently because I love roosters and they seem to be a growing population around here. They are so beautiful, if you don’t mind their crowing that is.

This is what the Barcelos Rooster looks like. It is said to be the embodiment of the Portuguese love of life. Here is the Legend of the Barcelos Rooster.

Aloha, Mikie (just a blogger, fighting like a girl)