I'm back after a long weekend in Chicago. I had a great time exploring the city. It was a relaxing trip mixed with a lot of sightseeing. The weather co-operated and we had sunny skies almost all weekend and it was hot but thanks to the wind it was bearable to walk around the city. 

I can't wait to upload more photos and share my stories.

How was your (long) weekend? 

After spending a whole weekend in Oporto, it was time to head back to Lisbon to pick up our rental car. It took longer that we expected to get all the paperwork and the car ready at DS Car Rental in Lisbon but we got our little Fiat Punto. It's a really small car but it was perfect for us. I had to put my suitcase in the trunk and that was all that could fit..everything else went to the back seat. Getting out of Lisbon was easy but putting gas in our car was another story. We couldn't figure out which gas to use and it took us forever to leave the gas station. And of course the cost of gas was astronomical!!! I don't even understand why some people drive an SUV in Europe. The parking alone is a nightmare. We crossed the Abril de 25th Bridge and headed down to Algarve. We we're going to stay in Faro for 2 days. We took a toll road and it was amazing! The drive was easy and it took us about 2 hours to drive from Lisbon to Faro but we payed 20 euros worth of toll (yikes!). We arrived in Faro late in the evening and the next day we drove around the region. Our first stop was Albufeira. We passed by orange trees everywhere and pottery stores. A lot of people were selling oranges on the road side for 2 euros. It was really really good. We ate a lot of oranges that day. We stopped by the marina in Albufeira to explore and to stretch our legs. I can only imagine how nice it is here in the summer time. We saw a lot of vacation homes. It must be nice to live there for a couple of months. I can only imagine this region in the summer time full of tourists.

Every year in May, we get to experience the Japanese cherry blossoms here in Toronto at High Park. It was a circus especially this year since the weather co-operated and gave us sunny skies and hot temperatures. Every single Asian person I know descended to High Park with picnic and camera in tow. I have never seen that park filled in every square inch with people and cars.

I was one of those eager cherry blossoms fanatic. It never gets old year after year. I always make it a point to go although every year I always curse myself from fighting the crowd for space.

This time, we went to a quieter side of the park away from the blossoms so we could enjoy a picnic. We had our Portuguese grilled chicken from Costa Verde (much better!)and potatoes while people watching the crowd making a walking pilgrimage to the blooms. After our picnic, we joined the pilgrimage and walked to the site where the cherry blossoms trees are located. It was sooo beautiful but a little hard to digest and find a quiet space to relax. I wish I came so early in the morning when it's more peaceful.

Across the river is Vila Nova de Gaia or for short Gaia. We walked across the bridge again but this time using the lower deck. Now, we can see the full view of the Ribiera in the day time. 

Spent the whole afternoon walking around this side of the waterfront and admiring the beautiful boats docked on the river. The boats are just a decorative touch for tourists and he bigger boats are for tours. I opted not to take the tour, it was way too packed for my taste.