Ciao, Algarve!

Our time in the Algarve could not have been more perfect. Yes, it started a bit rough with all of our misadventures and Parker’s ouch reports, but the past three days have been pretty spectacular. Here's a sample itinerary of our four days there:

1. Wake up and make breakfast in our room.
2. Head to the beach for a few hours.
3. Head back to our room for lunch.
4. Put Parker in his stroller and walk him around the resort’s cobblestone sidewalks for 10 minutes.
5. Parker falls asleep, and then we head to the pool to relax until he wakes up.

Parker's naps have been fabulous here. It must be the fact that his noise machine (which normally plays the sound of waves) has been replaced by real waves. He has napped so well that I have even had the time to read a book! Since Parker was born, I've done a lot of reading for school, of course. But in terms of reading for pleasure, I have only read Lean In. And to be honest, while I really loved a lot of what Sandberg was saying in this book, it felt more like a book I was actually reading for school in many ways, mostly because it made me think long and hard about how I would like to structure my career. And isn't that all we do in business school? Think about working?

For vacation, I wanted to read something that would make me laugh. (Honestly, I really just can't bring myself to read 50 Shades of Grey.) And because I was afraid I wouldn’t get much time to really do any reading on this trip, I selected the latest David Sedaris, Let’s Discuss Diabetes with Owls. I’ve been a Sedaris fan forever, but I’m really loving this book. So many of his anecdotes are incredulous, and yet they make me crave having a large, crazy family one day. But this Portuguese wine I’ve been drinking tastes too good to think about being pregnant again, let alone being pregnant 4 more times…

Back to the Algarve. We decided to visit a nearby beach, Marinha, on our last day here. Jeremy read some travel magazine article that said this beach is one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. I can’t produce the citation, but here are some pictures. I think you’ll agree it’s gorgeous.

The View at Marinha Beach

Parker fell asleep during the 10 minute drive to this beach. (We should have walked, but there's too much to carry when you go to the beach with a baby.) Parker has been having a tough time in the car lately -- I think he is getting too big for his car seat. So we were surprised that he fell asleep during such a short drive; moreover, we were floored when Parker stayed asleep down the 100 or so steps from the car to the beach. So while Parker took a snooze, yes, Jeremy and I hung out. We even did a little more reading!  

Parker Living the Life 

We headed back to our place for lunch, when it was clear that Parker had tired of eating sand and was not interested in swimming in the ocean. I think that this year, the waves are just too loud and confusing to him. He enjoyed splashing around with us when we held him past the breakers, but since he was still clawing at my neck and climbing up my waist with his feet, we thought it would be better to spend the rest of the day at the pool.

Back at our apartment for a quick bite to eat, Parker made it clear he was very thirsty when we found him drinking out of the bidet. Clever, clever, child. (And #UnforgettableParker Item 11.)

Parker Takes a Drink

So Pleased

And now for the video:

Parker Bidet Fountain from Nicole Bolton on Vimeo.

After our last relaxing afternoon, we finished the evening with a typical Algarve meal: grilled seafood. I have to say, Jeremy and I have been a little disappointed with our food since Amarante. We have been searching for good seafood high and low, and tonight we scored. Finally. Jeremy had a soup filled with every type of fish swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. Parker had omelet, and I had sea bass. It was good, once I got passed the fact that my meal showed up still wearing its head.

Guppy Face

The bill was less than 40 Euros, inclusive of a two glasses of wine (Nicole) and two beers (Jeremy) which was also especially nice. So long, Algarve. We will miss you.

Parker Grunting Ciao!