Christmas in The Algarve.
No Jack Frost's icy fingers.
No gaudy house Christmas lights.
No door-knocking carol singers.
No last minute Christmas rush
In shops with elbows knocking.
No Wizzard, Sir Cliff (thank God!)
Or Slade a Christmas rocking.
No 60 TV channel choices
Just the good old BBC.
Nothing from home we miss at all,
It's an Algarve Christmas for me!

Our Christmas villa, splendidly set
Atop the gentle hill.
With sea views, and sky an azure blue;
No sign of winter's chill.
When we arrived and turned the key
And opened up the door,
Our jaws dropped in unison as we uttered
Blimey! Bloody hell! and Cor!
A villa past our wildest dreams
Beheld our roving gaze.
A Lotto winners' dream abode . .
And ours for ten whole days!

But now our time here's nearly up.
Tomorrow we leave here.
Our final words to you, our host, are
Thank you very much. Happy New Year.

Michael Crane
01/01/04

Christmas in The Algarve.
No Jack Frost's icy fingers.
No gaudy house Christmas lights.
No door-knocking carol singers.
No last minute Christmas rush
In shops with elbows knocking.
No Wizzard, Sir Cliff (thank God!)
Or Slade a Christmas rocking.
No 60 TV channel choices
Just the good old BBC.
Nothing from home we miss at all,
It's an Algarve Christmas for me!

A while ago we chatted on this forum about what Christmas is and means for us as individuals and whilst for some the idea of a warm christmas with none of the above appealed (obviously as it does for you MC), for the rest of us everything that has a "no" above along with midnight mass, the chance of snow, masses of friends and family (for those fortunate to have them), etc was what we wanted

And that is what makes the world go round, different strokes for different folks - a wonderful melting pot

Maddi

Well--we didnt get to the 'warmer climes'as planned and instead had 6 days in Northern France!
Though we had a good time doing something a little different--I have to be totally honest and say I really missed being beneath blue skies and lovely warm sun--to be able to dress glam,sitting 'outside' in the warm night air sipping our drinks watching world go by---instead (although still dressed glam) huddle in big coats & boots --trying to get out of chill winds and under lead grey sky!
But one thing I did do --which I haven't done for years--and that is --I went to ' Mess Minuit' (midnight mass) --in a beautiful French cathedral--Im not particuarly religious and though Cof E --I dont really have any religious persuasion and do not attend church--but this service I did enjoy
I was there with my son who is adult--but what I enjoyed most was seeing parents with their little ones and it had a wonderful family atmosphere.There was also a small childrens orchestra which added extra charm to the whole proceedings and to me this is what Christmas is really about--little ones, celebrating the birth of that special baby
Hope you all had a lovely one

My hubbie and I had a wonderful time in CVO at Christmas (kids free ) - have not got the skills to spell it out MC way

We arrived at our villa on Christmas Eve - put on the log fire and then went to stock up with goodies from the Intermarche. It is so good to go back there and has improved since our last visit - you can even get samosas! Had a great meal at Bon Bon on Christmas Day and then spent the next week driving to parts of Portugal that we have never seen before. Driving up to Odemeira and back down the West Coast was fabulous and we took plenty of pics of the devastation the fire caused for our relatives that lived here for 10 years but now live in Canada. The house they had built years ago in Cumeada has suffered from the fire.

Interestingly we met up with some friends staying at Quinta do Lago - yuk! Nothing compared to CVO!

One night we 'chased the waves' on the beach and then passed a happy hour (or two!) in Jailhouse watching our favourite Eagles DVD A perfect Christmas for two people who hate the trimmings of the traditional British festival!!!

What we did notice was the amount of stray dogs - and the noise they make at night - this seems to be more of a problem than previous years?

Glad you enjoyed Xmas and new year Michael, nice poem

I enjoyed it so much I've already booked the same period this year!

Mind you, arriving in the village at 9.30pm on Christmas Eve wasn't a good idea (Sharen's fault - she couldn't get the 23rd off from work). This year we'll try to get there in time to go to Intermarche.

Aren't I a nice guy? I took my Christmas tree for a swim on New Year's Day!

Presumably that swimming pool was heated ,Micheal
or are you trying to live up to your 'big ego' title

Cracking photos Michael, I thought you said there were only 4 of you!

What a sight, wheres the arm bands.

Michael!
The pic on the right?
Didnt know your whippet was green
Does it bite

Cracking photos Michael, I thought you said there were only 4 of you!

'Tree' as I call him was smuggled through customs in my hand luggage . . . as was a 4" bladed kitchen knife, but that's another story!

What a sight, wheres the arm bands.

They're around my waist, can't you tell?

Didnt know your whippet was green
Does it bite

It's an early whippet; Tyransaurus Whippetus. It doesn't bite but it does give you a nasty lick!

Helenp
Nice round Odemira isn't it. Our house is near there (close to Reliquias). The restaurant by the Shell Garage next to the roundabout with the metal tree (yes really) is highly recommended (O Barro). Good food, friendly staff. Supposed to have been renovated just before Christmas, but at a guess, they might not have started yet.