Storks, Jazz and Faro

Amoret
Sat 25 Oct 2008 15:05
The last couple of days have passed very pleasantly. After a fairly horrible day of wind and rain the fine weather has returned. Highlights (apart from the usual eating, drinking and laundry). We finally caught up with the storks, the 'signature' bird of the Algarve. Actually they caught up with us when we noticed a couple f'lying over to settle in a nest on a building across the marina. Closer inspection revealed another nest in use on the top of a disuse factory chimney. Appropriate bird in view of Jenny's arrival - here are a couple of pics: 
 
Yesterday was Liv's birthday and her last day with me on this part of the trip, so we warmed up with coffee and cake, did some shopping, had a light lunch, sorted the boat and packing, then had a pre-dinner drinks party for six neighbours icluding another birthday girl. This led on to all eight going for dinner in a good but notoriously slow restaurant, from which we escaped after more than two hours in order to reach a concert by the Orquestra do Jazz de Lagos. This was surprisingly enjoyable - big-ish band stuff doing a nice selection of numbers quite competently.
 
This was not ideal preparation for rising at 0540 to go to Faro to catch the train to Faro and send Liv on her way. However, we made it despite the ancient trains and put her safely in a cab to the airport. I've been to Faro before on a sailing trip with John & Marian, so decided to spend a couple of hours looking at the old city centre surrounding the cathedral and the salt-marshes beyond (pictures below). I'm now back in Lagos with a week before the next crew arrive (Jacqui, John and Chris from Port Solent YC) so I'm busily making lists of boat jobs, shopping needed etc.