It has been oppressively hot today. We're glad we went somewhere today, because if we hadn't then we would have wished we had. But conversely, in hindsight, we probably would have been better off spending the day locally and going to the beach where there is a nice breeze and lots of sea to cool you down and distract you from how hot it is.
We set out on the bikes for Tavira at about 1pm. The ride there wasn't as hot as I expected as there was a bit of a breeze, but it was roasting in the town.
When we got there, we spent a while deciding where to have lunch. The first place we picked didn't take MasterCard so, much to their annoyance, we got up and went elsewhere, despite their pleas that we just go to the cash point next door.
I've spent quite a while in the past researching the cheapest way to spend money abroad, which is on a particular credit card that doesn't rip travellers off with countless fees and charges (Post Office MasterCard if you're interested). We always take some cash too, but we've spent most of that already hiring kayaks and bikes where cash was the only option. This is the first time that we wish we'd taken more cash, as normally we have to force ourselves to spend it in the last couple of days.
We eventually settled on a small cafe called Tavira Lounge which was by the river, opposite the place we ate yesterday, and accepted MasterCard.
This turned out to be a very good choice, and was perfect for lunch (but maybe not quite as good if you're going in the evening). We had to follow the shade round our table as it was too hot to be in the sun. We had a selection of tapas and salad and a couple of lunchtime beers, which was all surprisingly cheap.
There were a couple of English women eating a few tables down from us. I did a bit of eavesdropping and concluded that they'd come on holiday following the breakdown of one of the women's relationship with her husband, who had been abusing her emotionally for donkey's years.
There were no other interesting diners, and no weird man / thief lurking in the background.
By the time we'd finished lunch it was about 3.30pm and was stiflingly hot. We dragged ourselves up the hill to visit the camera obscura, which we went to last year. The same man was doing the commentary (as he has been for the last 8 years I think). He was just as odd as last year, if not odder. We didn't get as much camera obscura history from him this year but I think he let his stalking side slip a bit more than last year when he lingered on some people and buildings for a little too long, with a manic look in his eyes.
When the stalking lesson was over we had an ice cream and a glass of warm orange juice. It was very nice and orangey but would have been a thousand times better if it was ice cold. After that, Claire started peering hopefully into a gallery of some sort, until I flounced off, threatening to keel over. We lay on the grass under a tree in a park by one of the many converted convents for an hour, by which time I'd cooled down enough to walk back down the hill for a diet coke before the ride back.
I've come to the conclusion that on days like today when there's no breeze, I may be better off not wearing sunscreen, and just wearing a thin long sleeved shirt. It's been too hot to be in the sun, so I wouldn't be getting a tan anyway. Sunscreen has the effect of suffocating my skin, making me even hotter, really sticky, attracting dust and sand, and giving me a rash. I will try it one day.
We got back without getting lost, overheating, or having any bike mishaps. There weren't many birds to be seen on the way back, so we think we must have been a little too early for them.
We only realised after getting back that we haven't take a single photo all day!
Tomorrow we're getting up really early to cycle to the salt flats to see the sunrise, and hopefully see and hear all the birds waking up.
Then we're going to the beach to make the most of the cooling breeze and sea.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Tavira
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