It’s always stressful on the last day but as we had done most of the packing the day before it wasn’t too bad. I managed to empty bins and clean around but sadly no time to use the dishwasher today! It has been a lovely apartment, one I think I could actually live in although rather irrelevant as it’s not mine!
We left the keys on the table, packed cases in the car and after recycling headed to our favourite cafe next to the fish market where we had not one but two ‘galao’ coffees and chatted with a British couple on the next table called Barbara and Graham who live near the Pennines and are travelling around in a motor home. It was nice to have proper chat after two days of monosyllabic comments and Barbara was singing (literally) the virtues of seeing the Abba concert in London which I really want to see. We thought we’d get some lunch as eating at the airport is usually rather depressing and always overpriced. I found our way to a little place in the streets of the town (most are closed on Mondays) called Oro Verde which we had spotted a while ago. It was excellent - only local there and the menu of the day - bacalou cod with potatoes only 6 euros. It would have been rude not to have a dessert although rather amusingly Colin was refused a rather sugary pastry which he had hoped to take and have with coffee later as the man told him he would be consuming too much sugar!!
Then it was a final walk through the town to collect the car by our apartment - strange not to be able to go in. The drive to the airport is only twenty minutes or so, car drop off was very easy, check in was very easy and the plane was on time and half empty. We had a spare seat between us and we landed early. We actually flew over here we had stayed and I can see our apartment in this photo! Straight through the e-gates and our luggage was in the first few cases to tumble on to the conveyor belt. The train arrived ten minutes after we got to the platform. A quick change by crossing the platform at Clapham Junction and I was walking to collect the car by 8.20pm, stopping via M&S for a pizza on route.
It was probably one of the quickest and easiest journeys we have done. It was a lovely break, at least the first half of the week was anyway.
