MIA = Meandering In (the) Algarve

Oops. Did I forget to mention that we were going away?

Contrary to what the top entry on this blog for the past gazillion days might have led you to believe, we have not actually been snowed in here for the past week and a half. Instead, last week was Half Term (British-speak for school vacation week) and we have been gallivanting about Portugal with friends from the States who flew in to join us on one of our little European adventures.

Doesn't that sound fabulous? Uh huh. Most things do in print. But in truth, it is a good thing that said friends are good sports, because as our European adventures go, I must confess that this one was slightly less than stellar. We all had visions of postcard Portugal... little cobblestone streets meandering through charming villages, stunning scenery and sardines grilling on every corner. What we found? Well, it looked a heck of a lot like Florida, truth be told.

I can see why the Algarve is such a popular short haul holiday destination for the British. Just two and a half hours away, the southern coast of Portugal offers miles of oceanfront property and plenty of holiday attractions; beautiful beaches, grand resorts, lots of golf, a theme park or two, a water park or twelve and all the mini golf a child can play. All of this adds up to fabulous vacationing for all of the same reasons that Florida is so popular. But quaint European charm? Eh.

A certain amount of charm can be found, to be sure. We did eventually locate a bit of picturesque Portugal, and I'll try to post photos later in the week when I get around to downloading them. But it took some work, and the lack of adequate road signs or coherent directions to assist us in our hunt did not bring out the finest in any of us (picture Paul's head about to explode with frustration and me picking inopportune times to laugh at the futility of the situation and the kids whining and fighting over a pinwheel in the back seat and you've pretty much got our Portuguese adventure in a nutshell). Portugal may not have lived up to our mental picture of old world Europe, but we certainly lived up to the Portuguese people's mental image of ugly Americans at times, I fear.

Clearly, this was not the best travel destination I've picked to date, and yet, I think this was my favorite trip we've taken here so far. Why? Quite simply, there is just nothing like the pleasure of spending time with true friends. After five months of working to tentatively forge new friendships, of always making an effort but not too much of an effort, of constantly trying to appear friendly but never truly letting down your guard, a person can almost forget how comfortable and easy it is to be with people who know your true selves and yet like you anyway. Our time in Portugal was spent laughing and drinking and eating and relaxing in the company of people whose presence we wholeheartedly enjoy and have greatly missed. The kids fell in with each other like they'd never been apart and spent the week happily attached at the hip to 3-year-old Kerry, Paul and Steve spent the week chatting up the locals in any and every watering hole they could find and Steph and I just kept opening more of that fine Portuguese wine and snapping a few more photos. Good times, all of them, even if some of that time was spent wandering around a bizarre, overcrowded gypsy market that looked like a cross between a Floridian flea market and a New York City street full of vendors hawking the stuff that fell off the back of a truck rather than the stalls full of local artisans showing off their handiworks that we'd envisioned.

We'll never go to Portugal again, I suspect, but we'd happily travel with these friends just about anywhere else they'd be willing to accompany us. We had a great time vacationing with them. And in my mind, that makes this trip a rousing success. So what if we took an exotic trip to Portugal and my kids' favorite part was the mini golf? A good time was had by all.