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After much cajoling by our friends, we held our second Chinese New Year celebration, this time in our new (to us as of 2023) apartment. We hosted many people from last year with a few new additions. We lucked out with the weather which didn't rain, allowing us to use (at least for a while) our outside terrace. Like last year, one of the guests is a professional photographer, so we just let her do her thing, and she shot some wonderful photos. We all had a great time, even Ryder who for a time was put into a bedroom timeout for "excessive drooling."
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As you may recall, the builder of our apartment which is under construction posts regular video progress reports every 4-6 weeks. In the video posted in February, there are many seconds of video showing our unit. In the video below, our unit begins to be shown at about the 43 second mark and continues on until about 1:04. Our takeaways from this are: (1) the windows/sliding glass doors are installed; (2) the flooring is installed, and (3) the bathroom and kitchen tiling appears to be complete. We had noticed that the outside progress on the building (at least what you can see from the street) seemed to have slowed down, but it appears that the inside progress is moving along nicely. You'll see in video that the rooftop pools are mostly complete. Our ground floor unit has a pool, but it will be completed near the end of construction as it will be located where the crane currently is.
The building's official completion schedule is still for April, but that's seems highly unlikely. More possible is a summertime completion with a late summer/early fall move-in, depending upon when an occupancy permit can be obtained. Those can take up to 3 months. For Debra's birthday, we decided to visit the Spanish capital for a few days, since we'd never had a chance to spend time there in the past. Our journey consisted of a car drive to Seville and then a high-speed train ride (up to 160 mph) from there to Madrid. All in all, it took about four hours. We knew Madrid was not like Paris or London, with dozens of sites that could take a week or more to see. We focused our time on visiting the Prado Museum and the Spanish Royal Palace, neither of which allow almost any indoor photography. The Prado Museum is the main Spanish national art museum, and it houses one of the finest collections of European art in the world, including famous works by Spanish artists like Goya and Velázquez. The Spanish Royal Palace is the official residence of the Spanish royal family. It is Western Europe's largest royal palace, nearly double the size of Buckingham Palace in London or the Palace of Versailles in Paris. Three Kings DayAnd though we didn't know it at the time we booked, we were arriving near Three Kings Day, which is one of the most celebrated "Christmas" days in Spain. On this day, the Spanish celebrate the arrival of the Three Kings who come bearing gifts for the Baby Jesus. For this reason, Three Kings Day is the day when Spanish children open their Christmas presents. It is also a day of Christmas parades, with the biggest being in Madrid and Barcelona. DiverXOWe ate at several very nice restaurants in Madrid. Not surprisingly, the city offers a wide variety of cuisines, and we sampled dim sum, Mexican, and Asian/Latin fusion. But the highlight of the trip was our meal at DiverXO. DiverXO with its chef Dabiz Muñoz is one of the most celebrated restaurants in the world. It maintains three Michelin stars and is currently ranked as the #3 restaurant in the world, while Muñoz has been ranked as the best chef in the world for the past three years running. We will go into the meal in detail (so please excuse us!), but it was quite a unique experience. As you enter the restaurant, you immediately see a recurring theme of "pigs flying." This apparently refers to a statement attributed to the chef's father, who early in his career said his son would accomplish such lofty culinary achievements "when pigs fly." When we were seated, we found that all of the tables were separated (from each other and from the servers' areas) by sheer curtains. And each table had its own waving pig. At the sommelier's suggestion, we ordered a nice Spanish white wine from the Ribera del Duero wine region. As this river flows into Portugal, it is called the Douro River, an area where some of the finest Portuguese wines and ports are made. As the courses began, we received small written descriptions with each dish. (NOTE: click on the pictures for larger views) When we were served the fifth course, we received something new. The restaurant had decided to create an illustration that would give an idea of how Chef Muñoz had conceived of the dish and its ingredients. They did not have these illustrations for all courses yet, but they wanted to give us what they had completed. In truth, the illustrations were very helpful in understanding the dishes and their ingredients. They also gave us an inkling of the artistic and culinary creativity that is needed to be a chef at this level. (REMINDER: click on the pictures for larger views) The next dish was a little challenging. Elvers -- also known as glass eels -- are young Atlantic eels that are harvested when they are still small and transparent. Elvers are a delicacy in Spain, and due to their scarcity, their price has risen to over $2,000 per pound. For this dish, the elvers were cooked and put atop a crispy oxtail ravioli, which was then placed on top of a bull's horn which was filled with a Chinese hot-and-sour soup. We were told that after eating the elvers/ravioli to drink the soup directly from the bull's horn. At the end of the savory courses (12 of them), we took a little break and wandered around the entrance of the restaurant, before returning for the dessert courses. Our meal at DiverXO was an amazing experience. We aren't sure if it was our best meal ever, but it certainly was our most creative and interesting. There aren't many restaurants like this in the entire world, and we were pleased to celebrate Debra's birthday here! We truly enjoyed Madrid and look forward to returning one day.
We decided to do some pre-Christmas traveling this year. We took a direct flight from Faro (our local airport here in the Algarve) to Basel, Switzerland. From there, we took the train to visit Mark's niece, Lindsey, and her family just outside Zurich for a couple of days. After that, we traveled back by train to Basel and on to Strasbourg to see their famed Christmas markets. Lindsey and her two children Chloe (6) and Owen (3) visited us in Tavira in May. We returned the favor by visiting them and Lindsey's husband Mike in their home in Wollerau. We came bearing gifts for both Chloe's recent birthday and the upcoming Christmas holiday. Our visit was short (and we failed to get many pictures), but it was wonderful to spend time with the whole family and look forward to seeing them in 2024. Strasbourg Christmas MarketsChristmas markets are popular throughout Europe with the most famous ones probably being in Germany. But Strasbourg, France has a close history with Germany, so it maintains many of their traditions (while having better food in our opinion). The history of Christmas markets in Strasbourg dates back to the 16th century with the earliest recorded market, known as the “Christkindelsmärik” or “Market of the Infant Jesus,” taking place in 1570. Our AirBNB in Strasbourg was pretty funky. The design was very retro, and with a spiral staircase to the second level, it took some acrobatics to get around. But the location and the views (over Place Kleber, one of the main Christmas markets in Strasbourg) were fantastic. Place Kleber was the location of the official Christmas tree of Strasbourg, and every hour (from 4-9pm) there was a music/light show in the square. We must have watched it ten times and never seemed to tire of it. Petite FranceThe Strasbourg Christmas markets are primarily in the older section of the city. But the very oldest, best preserved original buildings in the oldtown are in the quaint neighborhood of Petite France. The MarketsThere are a total of 13 different Christmas markets in Strasbourg. The markets run from late November through Christmas, opening from 11:30am - 9pm each day. The markets sell just about everything: gifts, decorations, and food including lots of vin chaud (French hot mulled wine).
Fine Dining in StrasbourgWe snacked at the markets' food stalls, sampling potato pancakes, sausages, cheese, and vin chaud. But we saved room for a couple of nice French restaurants, which was after all the reason we chose Strasbourg in the first place. Colmar Christmas MarketsThe town of Colmar is a 30-minute train ride south of Strasbourg. We stopped here for one night to see their very famous Christmas markets. Being a smaller town, the markets are more intimate and weave throughout the streets, making it into a Christmas fairy tale. The City of BaselAt the end of our trip, we had an early flight back to Faro, so we stayed one night near the airport in Basel. As it turns out, we have friends who live in Basel part-time when they are not living in the Algarve and playing golf with Mark. Markus and Jenny were nice enough to show us around the beautiful city of Basel, located on the Rhine River, including a bit of their own Christmas markets. We crossed the Rhine using a boat with no motor. It is connected to a cable that spans the river, then uses the current to move across. Some entertainment while having gluhwein and bratwurst at the Christmas market
In 2021, we hosted a Thanksgiving dinner. This year, we were invited to another American's apartment to celebrate the holiday. Our host, Janice Woodard, is a good friend we met through the weekly beach dog walks. Like us, she bought an apartment in Tavira this year. However, due to her small kitchen and her being a vegetarian, we offered to roast the Thanksgiving turkey and transport it to her place. It was a bit of a logistical challenge, but it all worked out. The attendees who were mostly Americans, with a few international folks thrown in for good measure, enjoyed the foods and traditions of this most American holiday. Happy Thanksgiving to our friends and family! Work on our next apartment continues and a new video was just released. The projected completion date remains April 2024 (though we take that with a grain of salt!). There are a couple of interesting things to note in this video. At about the 0:45 mark, there is a picture of our kitchen with the backsplash tile being installed. The reason we know it is ours is that we chose those specific tiles, which are not standard. The second thing to note is the central air/heating system which is shown at about the 0:51 mark in the video. Central HVAC is exceedingly rare in Portugal. We continue to keep our fingers crossed that construction on this new apartment proceeds as planned!
Mark celebrated his 65th birthday in late October, and what better place to do it than Paris! We hadn't been to the City of Light for a number of years, though we have been lucky enough to visit it several times. So we decided to do just a quick trip -- just two nights -- to celebrate the big day. We landed at Orly airport, and on the Uber ride into town, we came upon this lovely sight. It was nice to be back in Paris again. After a quiet first evening, we did a little walking around the city on the next morning, before going to the Musée d'Orsay, which houses the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings in the world. In addition to their permanent collection, the museum had an exhibition entitled, Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise: The Last Months. The small French town of Auvers-sur-Oise, just northwest of Paris, is where Van Gogh painted his final works before taking his own life in 1890. Other artists are also well represented at the Musée d'Orsay, and the building itself -- a former Paris railway station -- is architecturally spectacular. But let's face it. The real reason we were in Paris was to eat. While walking through Paris, we happened upon the first three-star Michelin restaurant we ever dined at, Lucas Carton. It was founded in 1880 and has hosted a wide range of luminaries including General de Gaulle and Winston Churchill. Though no longer a three-star, it reminded us of where our fine dining adventures began. For Mark's birthday, we dined at Epicure, a three-star Michelin restaurant in the Le Bristol Hotel. The food and service were wonderful, one of our best meals ever. We truly enjoyed our birthday jaunt to Paris!
Mark's sister, Karen, and her husband, Steve, visited us shortly after we returned from our Barcelona trip. Karen's daughter, Lindsey, along with her two children visited us in May from their current home in Zurich. Karen and Steve's first European trip since the pandemic allowed them to visit family in both Portugal and Switzerland. We planned a full itinerary to introduce our guests to the attractions of the Algarve. Introduction to Tavira via Tuk TukOur current neighbor, Joao, owns the largest tuk tuk tour company in Tavira, so we thought this would be a great way to introduce Karen and Steve to our town. Our niece, Lindsey, had enjoyed the tuk tuk tour in May, though this one was to be even more special as it combined a stop at our local artisanal chocolate shop. We also toured the salt flats (salinas), a local oyster farm, and the hilltop historical area of Tavira. A Ver TaviraIn late October, Mark will have his 65th birthday, so Karen and Steve insisted that we celebrate while they were here. We decided to go to A Ver Tavira, which is a one-star Michelin restaurant on the historic hill overlooking the city. The food was delicious, and the setting was lovely. Off to SevilleThe Spanish city of Seville is less than a two-hour drive from Tavira, so we decided to take a quick jaunt to see this fascinating city. Our two-night visit included a private tour of the Alcazar and of Seville Cathedral, a walk around the Plaza de España, a flamenco show, and dinners at some lovely Spanish restaurants. On the Way Back to Portugal...As we drove from Seville back to Portugal, we stopped off at the small Spanish town of Sanlúcar de Guadiana, which is on the east bank of the Guadiana River, separating Spain from Portugal. A unique attraction in this town is a zip line which crosses the river, taking you from Spain and into the Portuguese town of Alcoutim. It is the only cross-border zip line in the world, and effectively allows you to go back in time, since Portugal is one hour behind Spain. The zip line is 720 meters and take about 45 seconds. Lots to Do in the Remaining DaysOver the remaining few days of Karen and Steve's visit, we tried to show them several different aspects of the Algarve. Steve and Mark ventured off the coast of the Central Algarve to visit the renowned Benagil Cave, while Karen and Debra went shopping in Tavira. We all went wine tasting at the Quinta da Tor winery. And we had a grilled steak dinner at our apartment, a Portuguese tapas dinner at a waterfront restaurant in Tavira, and our final dinner at an intimate French restaurant in nearby Santa Luzia. It was great hosting family, and we had a wonderful time showing them the reasons we love living in Portugal. We can't wait for Karen and Steve to return to Portugal. Lisbon, Porto and the Douro Valley await!
Mark's cousin, David, and his partner, Kathy, made their first visit to Europe since the pandemic. After spending just over a week in London, they wanted to meet up with us, so we chose Barcelona because it is a great city and one that neither of us had been to for many years. We stayed in a fantastic AirBNB in the Gothic Quarter, the "old town" of Barcelona. Our goal for this four-day trip was to see some of Barcelona's major sites and to eat some excellent Spanish food. We began our sightseeing with a tuk tuk tour, which gave us a quick overview of the city. We drove by a number of Barcelona's sites, and even went up to Montjuïc, a hill that overlooks the city and that was the main site of the 1992 Summer Olympics. A view from the tuk tuk Sagrada FamiliaAfter our tuk tuk tour, we decided to visit the most popular sightseeing spot in Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia. The church was designed by Antoni Gaudí, who took over the project at just 31 years of age; construction began in 1882. Gaudí was one of the most sought-after architects of his day, and we planned to visit several of his Barcelona works on this trip. At the time of his death in 1926, the Sagrada Familia was less than one-quarter finished. Construction on the church continues today, and it is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. Construction is (very tentatively) scheduled to be completed in 2026. Palau GüellNear La Rambla, the popular pedestrian boulevard of Barcelona, is a mansion designed by the architect Antoni Gaudí for the industrial tycoon Eusebi Güell, which was built between 1886 and 1888. There are several lavish rooms and a rooftop which could only have been designed by Gaudí. Casa BatllóThis unique house is in the center of Barcelona. Antoni Gaudí redesigned this previously built house in 1904, and it is considered one of his masterpieces. After the original redesign, it has been refurbished several times, making it into more of a tourist attraction (video room included) than an historic dwelling. Casa VicensBuilt between 1883 and 1885 as a summer house for the Vicens family, this house is considered to be the first major masterpiece of Antoni Gaudí. The work was widely discussed when it was built and caused a great sensation among the general public at the time. Museu PicassoBarcelona art is not just about Gaudí. The Museu Picasso was the first museum dedicated to the great artist's work and the only one created during his lifetime. Picasso and his family moved to Barcelona in 1895, when he was almost fourteen years of age, and where he would live until 1904. The museum houses over 4,000 of his works. The Foods of BarcelonaOn our trip, we were able to sample a wide range of wonderful food in Barcelona restaurants. We had Catalonian tasting menus, Spanish-Asian fusion, and lots and lots of tapas. The wide range of available foods was on display at La Boqueria, a large public market in the old town of Barcelona and one of the city's foremost tourist landmarks. Its main entrance is off La Rambla, only about a five-minute walk from our AirBNB. La Boqueria had a wide selection of Spanish delicacies, including meats, cheeses, sweets, and spices. We loved the food of Barcelona! We had a great time in Barcelona, and we look forward to meeting up with David and Kathy both in California (soon) and on their next European trip.
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Debra & MarkUS Citizens, we have escaped to Southern Portugal to live the European lifestyle Categories |
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