Decided to spend some of the day in Albufeira, a little village about 30 minutes outside of Faro. Right on the water.  The town square is full of shops and restaurants.  It was a sunny day. I guess I didn’t read the memo about the dress code.  I was wearing a t-shirt and skirt, and to say I was overdressed would be an understatement.  I saw various stages of undressed, that I probably shouldn’t have.  I guess people wanted to enjoy as much sun as they can get.  Went to a Portuguese Irish Pub to have some Sangria, and had a great conversation with a couple from Leeds.  They own their own business, and hadn’t taken a vacation in about 3 years.  They were going to be there for 2 weeks.  When we left, we gave the lady that manages the place money for their beers, with the message: “From the Americans, have a relaxing time.”

When we got back to the hotel we went down to the pool to spend some time in the sunshine….under an umbrella…..with sun screen.  It was a relaxing way to spend our last day in Portugal.

Came back to Cardiff where I already miss the sun.  I am here for a few more weeks, before I head home.  It was such a memorable birthday trip.  

One of the things I forgot to mention that I experienced in Fatima, was the candles and the fire. I received 2 candles, a nice lady next to me lit them off of hers.  I prayed for my family, my friends, those who are going through tough times, basically everyone.  Then I threw them in the fire.

For my birthday, we went to a restaurant that was recommended to us, Tia Alice.  And being a typical place on a Sunday, they close at 3:00.  We had a late lunch at 2:30. Which was fine because we did not get out of there until 4:00.  They served typical Portuguese food.  All in a clay pot.  They love there cod here.  I am not a big fan, but when their specialty dish is cod, shrimp, potatoes au gratin what is there to lose.  We ordered one for 2, and literally 6 people could have eaten that casserole.  And it did not disappoint!! 

We left Fatima and drove the 3 hours back to Faro.  The scenery reminded me a lot of the drive between Phoenix and San Diego.  A drive I have done hundreds and hundreds of times.  We are here for a couple of days.  A great day to relax.

It was the bells and the singing.  We were a 5 minute walk to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, but you could hear the sounds and the music all the way to the center.  I did not think I would get as emotional as I did, but the place is overwhelming, well at least for me.

Our Lady appeared to 3 Portuguese children from May until October, always on the 13th of the month.  Except for in July when the government threw them in jail for lying.  She waited until the 15th. This was in the year 1917.  My mother had just been born.  She was dressed in white with a gold crown holding a rosary.  The village people were skeptical of these visions, some believed them, some did not including their own family members.  They wanted a sign….so on October 13th she made “the sun dance.”  She gave them 3 secrets.  All were written down by the children.  The first 2 were divulged pretty quickly, and the last one was read by Pope JP2 in 2000.  I first heard about all of this when I was a little girl.  Portugal and Fatima seemed very far away.

Yesterday, on my birthday, I attended Mass with 1,000’s of other people.  The entire service was close to 2 hours long.  The processional in was a sight to behold.  First the altar servers with the candles and incense, then about 75 priests who would be distributing communion.  Then came the men in “the party hats” as the big guy calls them, the bishops.  And then the statue of our Lady came in.  The mass itself was sung in Latin.  Had to go to the corners of my brain to remember the words.  Sister Mary Antonita would be proud.  It was extremely moving for me. After wards, when everything was finished, I actually found a nice quiet place and said my rosary.

This being the 100th anniversary of her appearing to the children, a lot of pilgrims are here.  They do a rosary every night at 6:00 and a candlelight procession at 9:30.  The one thing about mass yesterday, was even with all those people….it was quiet.  

I am truly blessed to have been able to come here and experience this miraculous place.

We drove to the Alentejo wine region, specifically to the Herdade Do Sobroso Wine and Country House.  We were here in April and fell in love with this place and the area.  And we were warmly welcomed.  Sofia greeted us with a smile, hugs and kisses on the cheeks.  It is quiet, peaceful and acres and acres of vines.  Their grapes had already been harvested.  They began the process on August 1st and finished 4 days ago.  Felipe the wine maker told us he planted some Petite Syrah that will be ready to harvest in about 4 years.  And as we promised we brought him a bottle of Oonapais from Benzinger.  He had read up on this winery and was very interested in how they grow their grapes and make their wine.  He and Sofia really enjoyed it. They gave us 2 of their bottles in return.  The staff here will do anything for you.  Julio and Tiago are the best.  But now we must get on the road and go to our next destination…..Fatima…..a place that I always wanted to go and visit.

We decided to come back to this country because we fell in love with this place last spring.  One of the perks of Tom working/living across the pond is that we can visit the different countries for a small price.  We are taking advantage of this whenever I am over here. 

This time we are in Faro.  Which is on the Mediterranean Sea, almost to the point where it meets up with the Atlantic.  It reminds us of San Diego.  Actually, La Jolla.  We are staying at the Hotel Quinta Lago.  Right on the water.  We had a relaxing day, after flying and driving to get here.  The people here are wonderful.  Last night we went to their outside bar, because we knew the way the sky looked we would experience a beautiful sunset.  We were not disappointed.  My, oh, my, God took out the big crayons.  What a sight to behold.  And the best part was sharing this with the other people out there, and especially the big guy.  

Today we are driving to the Alentejo wine region.  Going back to the Herdade Do Sobroso.  We were there last spring.  A great country inn smack dab in the middle of their vineyards.  A quick antidote about this place and there.  I always ask the waitress and or waiter what wine they would recommend.  When the big guy mentioned that we would be going to Sobroso, she mentioned that her colleague had a nephew that works there.  Saul comes out, says his nephew is Julio.  I told him that he was the fine young gentleman that waited on us for three days, and whatever we asked for, we always got, “of course.”  He was going to call him, and I said: “Tell him 2 of the Americans are coming back.”  Small world, indeed.  On the road..