AM. Last day in Tavira today. We are going to join a local history teacher to go for a historical walk through Tavira. We found the ruins today that are being excavated near the castle that are dated at 900 BC. These ruins show that Tavira was one of the first Phoenician settlements on the Iberian Peninsula. We both love history and are excited to hear more. It is also laundry day, visit the train station day (to scope out how all our train travel in Portugal will work), and eat good Indian food day. We usually try to eat local cuisine but we have walked by Dawat for four days now smelling the most enticing spices and hearing wonderful reviews and I LOVE Indian food so that’s today’s plan. We have no rules!
PM. The tour was good but you should never wait until the last day to tour the highlights. We had seen most of them and read much of the history. He offered a little more insight but his choices of interests and ours varied. You win some, you lose some! It was also very warm – hate to complain but almost too warm to climb hills and stairs and walk kilometres. The temps might have dampened the 2 pm tour interest as well. It was a great day to wear shorts and enjoy the sunshine but tours may have to be early morning activities.
The Indian food however, was the best!!! It may have been our top meal so far. We started with papadums with 5 different toppings, then vegetable samosas, then had a lamb curry, a butter chicken, a side dish of dahl, saffron rice and naan bread. I hated that I got full and couldn’t finish the delicious dishes. Oh my gosh they were good. I’m glad we waited until the last day to eat here or it might have been the only restaurant we went too the whole time we were in Tavira. Tejjevmay was one of the best waiters ever. He welcomed us, explained the menu and answered all our questions. When we asked him his name he smiled and said it, but then brought us a card with it written down and said “it is so special that you asked me my name.” He completed the dining experience and made it 5 stars for us!!
Two interesting happenings today. First I wanted to buy a small bottle of hand sanitizer for my purse. I’m out and touching lots of hand railings etc. I stopped at the farmaci on our street – asked for and was given exactly what I wanted. $7.00 Euro please. In this city where coffee and breakfast for two is 4E and where everything is sooo reasonable and underpriced for us – this little bottle that in Canada would have been 99 cents was 7 Euro??? I was so shocked that I bought it instead of leaving it there. Just an interesting share – bring hand sanitizer when you travel. Also a turn of events today is – a train strike was announced. We are to go by train to Lagos tomorrow afternoon? We are doing laundry and packing and we’ll see what tomorrow holds. Our schedules pretty easy so what will be will be – We’ll see where we can get to! Will let you know!!
