Well it is November the 4th and we are on our last few days of having a home base for a while.

So I will take some time to give a quick overview of Portugal since really for the last 2 weeks we have been drinking and sitting in the sun.....

First of all the North of Portugal is much different from the south. In the north it is the real Portugal, meaning although there are still tourists running around, you know that you are in a different country.

Here in the Algarve you donºt have to speak anything other than English. It really is a resort for the English and the Germans so you feel that you could be in any country that has nice beaches.

Overall I find the Portuguese friendly and easy to deal with. It is cheaper here in Portugal then the other countries we have visisted so far BUT even then with our Canadian dollar it can still be pricey.

Gas is over €1.00 per litre and more like €1.07 once you are in popular areas. Going to the grocery store is your best bet for eating as the restaurants are pricey in the tourist areas unless of course you hit a McDonalds.

The road system on the toll highways are in good condition and you just have to watch the speed of the other drivers and stay out of their way. We were passed when we were doing 120 kms like we were standing still. The side roads and smaller highways do need some work and the road signs are a little confusing to say the least. We also saw the damage done by the fires this summer and there is a lot of cleaning up that will have to be done in those areas.

We have had fair weather during our stay but not the best. We actually had quite a few days of rain and storms off the Atlantic ocean and people are saying that this is not the normal weather for this time of year. We didnºt mind too much since itºs not snowing and doesnºt get below 9 degrees.

The way we ended up getting our 1 bedroom apartment was through a tourist agency in Toronto. So we booked through the internet and phone and payed in Canadian dollars. So we ended up paying €40 per night for this place called Pateo Villiage a new aparthotel in the Algarve. Our private patio is bigger then the living room and kitchen combined which we are calling high luxury but I would say itºs about a 3 star.

During our time here we met some great Canadians also from B.C. so hello Evelyn and Allan. I also dragged Patrick on a BUS TOUR - I know it almost killed him !!, and we met Ken and Deb from Ontario who we will hopefully run into when we head back home next year.

Banking in Portugal is a little tricky. The ATM´s here want a 6 digit pin number not 4 and will only give you €200 euros at a time. In order to master the pin number you put in your pin and hit the continue button. PLEASE NOTE that not all machines like this and if it doesnºt work then try a different machine so that you donºt lose your card.

So we are now trying to figure our route through Spain and southern France in order to get to Italy. We are also doing laundry and sending out the mail to my parents of maps and such get the luggage down to the bare minimum. I also had to buy a thermal undershirt and wool leggings for my motorcycle gear as I was getting quite cold up north.

So next update will be from Spain..........