A Beach Holiday

'"What do you like doing best in the world, Pooh?'
'Well,' said Pooh, 'what I like best-' and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. And then he thought that being with Christopher Robin was a very good thing to do, and having Piglet near was a very friendly thing to have; and so, when he had thought it all out, he said, 'What I like best in the whole world is Me and Piglet going to see You, and You saying "What about a little something?" and Me saying, "Well, I shouldn't mind a little something, should you, Piglet," and it being a hummy sort of day outside, and birds singing.'
'I like that too,' said Christopher Robin, 'but what I like doing best is Nothing.'
'How do you do Nothing,' asked Pooh after he had wondered for a long time.
'Well, it's when people call out at you just as you're going off to do it, "What are you going to do, Christopher Robin?" and you say, "Oh, Nothing," and then you go and do it. It means just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.'
'Oh!' said Pooh."
From The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

So after months of stress, cold weather and clouds in England we'd finally had enough. Over a month ago we decided to go to Portugal once our dissertations were submitted.

The original plan included a group of about eight.  Not shocking, as the day got closer people dropped like flies.  By the middle of August, Anni and I were the last ones standing.  But we were going to take this vacation even if it was just the two of us.

After some recruiting we convinced Sandra,  Kanar, and Shapol to join.  But as August rush by and our deadlines snuck towards us,  we put off and put off booking.  The week before, calamity struck - Kanar and Shapol, who are Kurdish, weren't going to be able to acquire visas in time.

So we were down to three.  As soon as all dissertations were in we raced to the library and re-searched for the hotel + flight packages (we'd been stalking bookings.com for weeks) and in the the end we booked three in one room,  hoping for the best. It was four days before departure - something I'd never have been able to do at home.

After a weekend of parties and gatherings to celebrate the end of the year,  the day of departure at last arrived. Sandra lives in the UK with her sister so we got the luxury of being driven to the airport for free (something I totally took for granted in Minnesota but never will again!). 

We had an early flight so we met at Anni's at 4:45am. Not surprisingly, after only three and a half hours of sleep,  my eyes tried to reject my contacts but I won in the end. With hand luggage only we queued for check in,  then security and, after a bite to eat,  boarded our plane - now only two and a half hours away from sun and warmth.  We were too tired to be excited.

After figuring out how to get from the airport to the hotel, we arrived at eleven to check in. At this point we began to get suspicion that something exciting was happening.  Now, we only knew that there was a king sized bed - but three adults, all being from pessimistic stock (a German, a Pole, and a half German Minnesotan) we feared the worst (which would be finding one bed for all three of us). When we checked in, however,  the guy kept saying "because you booked a suite" and telling us all the perks - such as poolside breakfast instead of in the restaurant and a free day use of the 'wet' spa facilities - that we started to wonder what the suite was going to be like.  Again,  being - I'll call it 'realists' - we pictured a suite as a slightly larger room in which they squeezed a roll-away. Our excitement grew when we realized that our room was on the top floor - a new event for all of us, but we knew that the  best rooms were always put there. As we entered the room we all gasped - it was an honest to goodness suite. As in two bathrooms,  two stories,  a living space and a deck! I've never been so happy about a hotel.

One of the criteria for our hotel was that it had to be on the beach and we immediately made use of this by lotioning up and heading down to the ocean. The sun felt amazing. Settling in I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sound of the crashing waves mixing with the cries of seagulls and children's laughter. We planned to only stay in the sun for an hour, knowing our sun-deprived skin couldn't take much more than that. Ah, the best laid plans (pave the road to h-e-double hockey sticks). Almost two hours, and several ocean dips, later we finally headed back to the hotel and shade. I thought I'd done well - until I got a look at myself in the mirror.  Your guess is correct, I resembled a splotchy lobster. We spent the rest of the day lounging in the shade by the pool. Such a hard life.

The second day was just as lovely as the first. If you may recall "because we booked a suite" we got to have breakfast by the pool - a meal that included champagne!  I of course had to make a mimosa.  We took our time enjoying leisurely meal then began the main event - doing nothing in the sun (or in my case the shade). Sandra has this impressive talent - she can sleep, a lot! As in, of the eight hours we spent outside relaxing on our bean bag mattresses, she slept half - but still went to bed with the rest of us in the evenings. Me, on the other hand, achieved another goal: reading almost two books. My favorite kind of relaxation! When we got too warm we got slushies or ice cream, or went for a dip in the crystalline pool.

The next day it was rest and repeat - but with one major difference. Because it was really windy, they made us put down the umbrella. Since my skin looked like Valentine's Day cookies frosting and when exposed to the sun tingled like Pop Rocks were melting on it, I had no desire to lay out, fully exposed to the sun. My creative solution? Wrapping myself up mummy-style in my wrap skirt, towels and scarves kindly donated to the cause by Anni and Sandra (at times also topped by Anni's Philly's baseball cap), it was a sexy look if I do say so myself. 

On our final day we returned to the beach for a short walk and some pictures before we headed to the bus and a few hours in Faro. We ended our vacation the best way - wanting more.