It seems like every day we’re running some errand, to the grocery store, to the mini market, to the center Vila Baleira. Today was no exception, as we needed to make the walk downtown to pick up a few final groceries and get some money at the ATM. Noah, Eilidh, and I had a pleasant walk downtown before making the more efficient return trip via taxi.
Noah requested a photo by this tree along our walk downtown.
The island’s primary grocery store Pingo Doce is always busy and Sunday morning was no exception. A busy store meant long lines and our wait to check out was at least 10 minutes. At one point while we were waiting, a friendly local tried to point to a sign on the register; she was talking in Portuguese and only later did I see the sign. Apparently, there is a law in Portugal that requires priority service for parents with children under two. While I’m still unclear on logistics, I would have apparently been able to point to Eilidh, and the sign, and move to the front of the line.
Our Saturday lunch at Pizzeria Maramao was so good that we decided to visit the same place on Sunday. In fact, with just one exception, we ordered the same food. (I swapped the vegetarian pizza for a tropical pizza with ham, mushrooms, and pineapple.) We were equally satisfied with our meal and the service, and we were equally full when we finished eating.
Emmie poses for her own in-front-of-a-tree-photo before walking to lunch.
Eilidh helped push her own meal into her G-tube at the restaurant.
After some downtime at home for Eilidh to nap, we went back to the beach – where else? The tide was falling during our visit which left a little different beach landscape than we’d seen before. Emmie was super-happy to find a little pool of sun-warmed, wave-free water had been created within a rock formation, providing a fun place to play without the variables of the ocean.
I walked down the beach with Eilidh a bit, exploring and taking in the beach during our final full day on the island. While still uncrowded, it was a markedly busier beach with markedly younger people than we’d seen before. Noah and I made a brief reprieve to find some ice cream snacks, but we otherwise kept to our familiar area nearest our Porto Santo home.
We had no formal dinner plans so ended up recreating the setup from the night before: I walked to get takeaway for the girls and a bit later, Noah and I had another date night at the same restaurant. Our orders were nearly identical from Saturday except I topped my fried scabbardfish with banana and we asked for only rice as a side for Noah’s omelet to avoid an excessive amount of uneaten food. The meal we just as good as we’d remembered but service was a bit slower, and we weren’t out of the restaurant until the sun had set.
Before we left, Emmie posed for a photo looking out her bedroom window.
Noah and his omelet.
We attempted to pick up a few things at the nearby mini market but it had apparently closed for the night. We then made a scenic walk back to our house to take in the beach at night, allowing a few more minutes to chat, this time about the LEGO Ninjago series, and take in the sounds of the ocean once again.
