1) Wednesday I woke at 8 AM to pearly morning light over the marina in front of the hotel. Peeking out the back terrace, I heard the nearby church give a more rhythmic-than-usual morning chime.
2) Isn’t every American’s European vacation fantasy to sit at a little marble table on a balcony with a coffee overlooking the passing scene? And if not, why not? Lucky me, I got to do that both days over my breakfast in the hotel dining room. Just as charming in daylight as candlelight.
2a) Also, what incredible almond muffins. Not something I’m used to seeing everywhere.
3) Wednesday morning I wandered a little around the area near my hotel, including the exquisite little church in the Pombaline style. But my heart was not into shopping or wandering, really. With a little help from the nearby tourist information office, I found a general store run by a Chinese family full of darn near everything: Hallowe’en costumes, arts and craft materials, kitchen utensils, beauty products, and — happily for me — a small notebook and ballpoint pens. It’s the little things . . .
4) In the early afternoon I was driven to the hotel’s beach club where I spent lunch and most of the afternoon. White wine, chicken with lemon and thyme, mushrooms and potatoes, and a visiting kitty (see above).
4a) After lunch I lounged by the pool and made notes in that new little notebook with that new pen.
4b) I did actually get into the little infinity pool for a few minutes (“little infinity” — how’s that for an oxymoron?). The water was cold enough to make me wonder if they’d chilled the pool. But I hesitated stepping in; I couldn’t judge the depth of the step under the water and I didn’t want to slip. A nice sassy woman walked by with an empty bottle of wine and said “Go ahead, live a little!” with her big smile. I smiled back and said “Daddy’s gettin’ old.” And without a moment’s hesitation she shot back “Never say that!”
4c) There was a party of about a dozen young women — not bachelorettes, because they were all wearing matching athletic shirts at the start — who arrived midafternoon. They were trying to organize a “cold plunge” in the sea, and one of them on a lower step was going to take a group photo. “No!” someone called. “Taking a bathing suit photo from that low is cruel!”
4d) Later in the afternoon I switched loungers to get out of the shade, and I ended up one lounger away from that nice sassy woman and her friend. They’re from northern California and very nice indeed.
5) Back at the hotel, I changed into something less beachy and enjoyed a manhattan in the hotel sitting room, with its resident parakeet twittering in its cage. It was an evening to promote a feeling of splendid isolation. I entered the dining room rather late. The seafood risotto was unexpectedly full of shells. I should have suspected when a discard bowl was brought to the table first. Oopsie.
5a) I should mention, though, that the napkins here are extremely fine, like handkerchief linen meticulously pressed. They define de luxe.
6) I’m afraid that risotto ultimately did not agree with me, but Thursday morning’s delicate omelette with bacon made up for it. And those excellent muffins. And a window table overlooking the water.
Off on their next leg!
6a) On the waterfront, a group of young women assembled in athletic gear and a folding table with refreshments. As my synapses began to fire, I thought I recognized the same women from the beach club the day before. It became clear they were all doing a bicycle tour together — hence the matching shirts.
There's a lot of graffiti in Portugal.
7) Today’s weather was made up of bright sunlight and dark clouds, both without and within. After a little promenade through the town — in part to prove to my English friend that I could find the supermarket he found for me on the Gyygle — I settled on an outdoor café on the shaded side of the square. I’m sure the square is quite dramatic when it’s empty, with its central obelisk and fountain, and radiant black-and-white pavement. Today it was full of square white pop-up tents, groups of chairs, and schoolchildren in uniforms having a wonderful time. So instead of drama . . . liveliness!
8) An unexpected email and needed sleep restored me to some equilibrium, and I approached the evening in a better frame of mind. Shutting the curtains on all that Mediterranean sun — allowing myself to do that — reminded me of Julie Andrews as Gertrude Lawrence saying “What a delicious extravagance” on learning that she was paying for the time of the lawyer she was ignoring.
9) The concierge recommended a restaurant on the water a couple blocks away. It definitely reminded me of the Newport Officers Club in 2005. I started with creamy vegetable soup, and then “Steak style,” which turned out to be a steak topped with a slice of ham and a fried egg.
10) It’s no sin to have an early night, and since the car isn’t coming for me until noon, I have the morning to pack at my leisure.
