I Spy Friday featuring Afternoon Tea

It's Friday and I'm heading off to Brit Mums Live! 

I can't tell you how excited I am and not nearly as nervous as last year.

They have a great line up of speakers including Kirstie Allsop and Katie Piper.

Tonight is the presentation of the Brilliance in Blogging Awards 

and I'm a finalist in the Travel Category.  (Have I mentioned this before?)

I'm not being trite when I say I have no expectation of winning,

but I'm really tickled to be a part of it all.

We got an email telling us to sit up close to the stage just in case.

I usually hide in the back.

I'm so glad that my dear friend Gina will be there with me.

On our agenda is champagne and giggles.

She always makes me smile and I'm so thankful for this blogging thing

or I might never have met her.

Inspired by this post by one of our favorite bloggers Aspiring Kennedy

Gina treated me to afternoon tea this week at 

The Drawing Rooms at The Ampersand Hotel.

We were immediately charmed with the tea room.

I love the bright, jewel-toned colors and the quirky artwork.

 I desperately need to have the giraffe in a champagne glass for our new place.

We decided to try both the Classic (£21.50) and the Chef's (£23.50) Afternoon Teas and share.

They also offer a Cream Tea (Scones and Tea) for £7.

We were there for a leisurely two hours and many people came and went.
(The place was never empty, I just managed to capture these shots throughout our visit.)

Everything was wonderful as you can imagine.

The best part was the company.

There is just something about meeting up with a girlfriend for a nice, long chat/rant/gossip/laugh to click everything back to where it should be.

I confessed to her that Matt and I had just had one of those weekends where

we were bickering constantly.  She said "But, on Instagram and Twitter it looked like you were having so much fun!"  We had a big eye roll and laugh about how different reality is from what we sometimes put out there.

I'm so guilty of putting only the good stuff out there most of the time.

But, it's not because I want to fool anyone or pretend I'm something that I'm not.

Trust me when I say that I have the same struggles as every woman,

relationships, body image, confidence, anxiety, PMS.

(And what the hell has happened to my neck?)

I think it's just the voice that has naturally developed as I've created this blog.

I want you to go away feeling uplifted and inspired to experience something new.

Just like I felt after having afternoon tea with my sweet friend, Gina.

 

Have a lovely weekend, dear friends!

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Gina was sweet enough to treat me.  We received no compensation for our posts.  

Sunset Walk on the Beach

Our next day in Portugal was spent much like the previous day, relaxing on the beach.

Lunch at the snack bar.

Afternoon glass of wine in the hotel.

A satisfying seafood dinner under the moonlight.

But the highlight of the weekend had to be the sunset walk on the beach with my love.

Promise

'From sunrise to sunset,
I want to watch it with you,
From sunrise to sunset,
I want to live it with you,
I want us to walk our sunsets together,
Love you forever.

Vizard Dhawan

Do you celebrate when the sun finally dips below the horizon?

Maybe with giddy applause?  Or a sweet kiss?

Do you strain your ears to hear the distant hiss of fire meeting water?

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A night on the Old Town

After our relaxing day in the sun, it was time to experience a little bit of Portuguese night life.

Albufeira has been a tourist hotspot since the 60's and it comes alive at night.

Our hotel shuttle dropped us off near the Old Town so that we could explore. 

The Old Town has all of the bars, restaurants and shopping that you want in 

a much more relaxed atmosphere than "the Strip" which is more popular with the younger crowd.  There is a central square surrounded by narrow, cobbled streets.

It felt so good to just stroll around, sit in the sun and have a cocktail.

As the sun set, it was time to find dinner.  We were eagerly enticed from both sides by attractive, young waiters to try their restaurant.  We eventually settled on one close to the beach.

Here is my most important tip for Portugal.

When the waiter asks you if you would like to start your meal with bread and butter, say YES.

We started every evening meal like this.  The little tubs are butter, sardine paste and yummy cheese.  I usually try to stay away from bread, but as we were on vacation we indulged.

The waiter then led me to the fish cooler to pick out my dinner for the night.

I had grilled sea bass all three nights were were there.  So amazingly wonderful and fresh.

After dinner, we took a little walk on the beach and soaked it all up.

Just writing this post, I'm aching to be back there in that place with everything that it had to offer.

As the evening wore on, things started to get even livelier and we weren't quite ready to go home.

Check out this Cosmopolitan that I ordered.  I'm completely spoiled now and expect every Cosmo from here on out to be in a big honkin' glass with a sparkler in it.

The live music was terrific.  But the people watching was incredible.

Instead of a Bachelor/Bachelorette Party, the Brits celebrate with a Stag Party (for the guys) and a Hen Do (for the girls).  This usually involves a weekend away and Portugal is a favorite destination.  The guys dress the groom up in the most humiliating costumes and pour drinks down his throat.  One groom on our flight home was in a playboy bunny costume, complete with fishnet pantyhose.  It's the craziest thing I've seen.

The ladies are a bit more creative and they all dress up together.

You can just imagine the trouble they all get up to over the weekend.

As things got rowdier, we decided it was time to get back to the hotel.

We hopped in a taxi, but not before one last free shot of neon green liquor of some sort. (cough syrup?)

I love the Algarve.  It has something to offer everyone, quiet relaxation or a fun party.

It was exactly what we wanted and needed that weekend.

And, Oh, the sunsets!  I'll show you in my next post.

(p.s.  I'd love it if you would click over and Like my Facebook Page.)

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