Sand Between My Toes

As I lie awake early in the mornings feeling the bed shake underneath me and watching the light-fitting swing to and fro above my head, I daydream about the beaches of Portugal. They're starting to build a block of apartments opposite us and the process of 6.30am pile-driving for the foundations isn't doing much to create a serene atmosphere at Govert Flinckstraat.

We've been back from sunny Portugal a week now and I'm starting to adjust back to Amsterdam noise levels. Friends Marielle and Salvador were tying the knot in a place called Setubal, just south of Lisbon, so we thought we'd make a week of it.

By observation, I learned several things about Portugal which I'll share with you now.

1. It's very warm and very lovely.
2. It's possible to get a tan there even if you're a pale English girl prone to burning.
3. There are (seemingly) no annoying 'Brits Abroad' north of the Algarve (apart from me).
4. There are about a zillion beaches and they're all great.
5. There are less mosquitoes there than in Amsterdam.
6. No one drives piles into the ground outside your bedroom window at 6 in the morning.
7. Ownership of a very tiny dog is compulsory.
8. Judging by the Portuguese people over thirty - the Mediterranean diet doesn't do much to keep you slim, but it does do much to keep you happy.
9. They barbeque the fish on the streets outside the restaurants.
10. It's not a good idea to stay in a hotel that has wooden floors, especially if there's a family of elephants in the room upstairs with a preference for high-heeled shoes.

All in all it was a lovely holiday and great to see Marielle and Salvador get hitched in such pleasant company and beautiful surroundings.

You can see photos of the holiday here. Enjoy!