Portimão Portugal # 6
We drove into Portimão across the new bridge that majestically spans the River Arade. It's actually quite attractive and you get views of the river but it's not easy to take photos in a fast moving car!
It's a pleasant enough little town but the main attraction for us was to see if the little restaurant that served sardines was still there (I know I keep on about sardines which many of you don't like so sorry about that!)We parked and walked along the marina, there were lots of touts trying to get you to book one of the many boat trips that are on offer. Last time we were in Portugal we had a disastrous trip where nearly everyone on the boat was sea sick so we decided to give it a miss this time~ much to Dillon's disappointment!
Below is the view across the river. There are always a lot of boats to be seen and some fairly large boats still use the river.
We passed a statue of the poet but I haven't been able to find out anything about him! Found a link
It was then time for an icecream Mollie enjoyed hers as you can see from the picture. 
I'm not sure what Dillon is explaining in this picture!
Ben decided he didn't want to pose! The shop in the background is the one called 'Miscelania'.
However, he couldn't escape me for ever.
Close to the square is a pretty little shaded area with trees and seats where you can sit and watch the world go by or just enjoy the scenery.
Or you can capture a few shots of the family enjoying themselves!
Just a short walk from the park is the entrance to the restaurant under a little archway (it was a lot smarter than on out last visit). 
Everyone must have been anxious to eat they didn't want to stop and pose for many photos!
The restaurant itself had not changed at all. We got there early because we had remembered how busy they get later. This was the scene as we left when people were queuing to be seated.
You might just manage to pick us out below!
I haven't included any photos of the food. This is where Sam tried 'Cuttle fish" I wish I had taken a photo they are ugly little things and tasted a bit bland...she should have had sardines like Beccy and me! Someone had clearly worked very hard to create this piece of art that was on display just outside the restaurant!
As we left to walk back to our cars the sun was setting. You can just see the old bridge that is still in use to the left of the picture. If you walk under the bridge there are many more restaurants situated all along the river. 
One thing I didn't mention was that there are a few nice shops and some of us did buy dresses and shoes~not me though as the shops only seem to cater for ladies who haven't piled on the pounds...such is life!
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posted by ChrisB @ 8:00 am
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