Hibernating turned out to be a festive December month with happy family reunions. Skiing in Italy and Norway where we visited our son and more family members and visiting even more family in Madrid and Extremadura. Time to get back to Kabaal and rest I thought. This was not the case however, it was rather time to do some major maintenance and so we had Kabaal lifted out of the water and started to live on the hard for a week. After sanding the hull all day long with a mask and glasses I emerged with a nice moustache and small beard. That night we rewarded ourselves and our tired limbs with a romantic dinner in an old windmill. Some days afterwards a nicely groomed and shiny Kabaal could go back into the water and we set out happily to new adventures.
In November, before going to the Netherlands, we thought it would be a nice idea to invite our loved ones for a stay on board in the new year.
The first ones to arrive were my (Aleid) parents, long time Algarve fans. They stayed in a nice B&B and came to spend a few nights on board. With their rental car papa drove us around to see some beautiful places off the coast. In Tavira we visited an old church to admire the blue and white tiles and happened to be present at a piano concert which took place at that moment. A magical way to enjoy the old and beautiful interior. We had a lovely time and the parents were happy to taste a bit of sailing life again.
Slowly we find our way through meandering fairways by means of red and green boys. We are heading for Olhão which is situated in an estuary with many islands and flooded sandbanks and we certainly want to avoid those. The charming town has narrow streets full of flowers and bordered by white and tiled houses. At the waterfront two large red brick buildings stand out, the market halls of Olhão. On the outside the many terraces are full with locals and tourists sampling the Portuguese coffee or wine, both of high quality.
While inside the Kabaal I hear a familiar voice talking to Robert Jan and when I put my head out of the hatch I see him helping a sailing yacht coming in with Marie Antoinette, a Soroptimist from my club at Goeree Overflakkee. A real Sorpresa to find her here! She is cruising arround with “De Zeezeilers” to do a sailing course. On board three pupils and an instructor. We spend some nice hours with them on board Kabaal and in a restaurant.
As good as the wine and coffee you will find the food in the restaurants. From a simple meal of fresh grilled fish to more interesting dishes in a romantic old windmill, dining in restaurants never disappoints us in Portugal.
