Well, this was a beach vacation to remember since none of it could be spent at the beach after the first day :). The weather was extreme by Portugal terms. They had not had rain in a month and then the week we were there it rained every single day after the first day! So despite the beauty all around us, we had to find other things to keep us busy.  A few walks to the beach to watch the waves crash (sitting with some ‘all inclusive’ champagne) was a relaxing break the odd day when the rain let up.

Then mid-week we went go-karting and walked the old centre to meander the shops… it was an expensive day at the track, but the race was worth it.  Bri slammed into tires on a turn and Greg’s back took a beating, but it was certainly good fun on a rainy day. Afterwards, the kids refused to walk home in the rain with us and waved a taxi down, then dared to let it drive past us in the pouring rain as we walked the rest of the way up a steep hill to the hotel!  Shocking?  Not if you know them…they thought that was hilarious!   We were soaked and chilly when we arrived 10 minutes behind them, so we spent the next 2 hours at the spa.  Ahhhhh – beautiful!!

However, THE highlight to remember, on those rainy days was our day of four wheeling through the interior ‘hills’ of Portugal in heavy rains at times. We had to rent a car to get to the meeting town of Messines and find the fire hall.  There we met the lady who led us out to the farmhouse where the quads were.  It started to downpour sideways when we arrived so we had to stay in our car for 10 minutes and wait before running to the house! Through the mud and rain and wind we pushed forward and saw some beautiful countryside and local homesteads. It was a great eye opener. We stopped a few times for water along the way – once in a Eucalyptus forest, once to have lunch at a cafe and once to look at a school now flooded in the valley, built hundreds of years ago before water filled that area. You had to be 18 to drive, so Bri was the passenger on my quad and she was a terrific sport about it. Considering we had to shake the cocoons and spiders out of the rubber boots lent to us after a winter outside, and she had to sit in the rain on the back of a quad while mud splashed up all over her…she was a trooper! Especially since her brother was leading the pack with his own quad, crossing rivers and climbing hillsides – It was quite harrowing at times with the rain and rough terrain!

We were all very happy and energized though, because it was something we could do in the rain and still enjoy!  It was warm enough outside (16) to still have fun with it and take in the scenery and the experience of driving narrow, eroding paths and bridges over dams (just us and a guide!).  Chris had a bright vest because he was at the end of our convoy, so it was a safety measure they take.  At times during our adventure (the 3 hour tour!) the sky did clear up and we lifted our muddy visors to take it all in!

On the way home we went to the town of Silves because we had read about the beautiful Cathedral there. The streets were so ‘old Portugal’, that we loved the authentic feel of the city. Chris and I walked around while the kids waited in the car (wet and tired!). Here is a small taste of Silves: