GAME BACK ON! In "holiday mode" once again

Hello beach. Hello restaurants, museums, friends...SO nice to see you!

We have eaten out 8 times in 14 days...
All that money saved during lockdown...well spent!

Phase 2 of de-confinement got us back to "good". Yes, masked everywhere but home, the beach and when entering restaurants, but we are making up for lost time and once again revelling in what this incredible country has to offer!

On Monday May 18, Phase 2 of de-confinement kicked in. We were now able to enjoy:

• unrestricted beach and water access;
• restaurants (restrictions on number and physical distance of customers); and
• museums open in limited numbers (minus any information points that require touch e.g. interactive screens and dress-up stations).

During lockdown, a family with kids the same age as Gabi and Jonty moved into the building across from us. What started as chats from our balconies (about 6 meters apart), has now blossomed into joint outings, pizza on the beach, dinner parties and playdates. It has made all this fun that much sweeter!

Bright and early on May 18--enjoying pastry and coffee at "O Caseiro".
The county's President urged the Portuguese to get out and stimulate the economy.
We are doing our best!

Trying our hand at traditional Portuguese tile-painting.

This little Portuguese artist did an amazing job with her tile.

Barefoot and shirtless in the middle of Azeitao village.
They get this from their dad! Ok, it was 35C...

Queluz Palace - the Versailles of Portugal
Portugal holds the title for best country to visit 3 years in a row now.
Possibly the best time to sight-see: no lines, no crowds, JACKPOT!

Cooling off and making our royal selves at home in the Palace gardens

Wine touring and tasting in the Alentejo Region
We were the first visitors to Cartuxa Cellars since lockdown.

Olive oil, presunto (cured ham leg), and full bodied wines...
I drew the short straw and had to drive!

The Alentejo is in the interior of Portugal, close to the border with Spain.
Our car registered 40C...thankfully the cellars were cool, and the restaurant air-conditioned!

Months with no "R" are the best to eat snails:
"Maio", "Junho", "Julho" and "Agosto".

Positive peer pressure is a powerful thing!
Not our favourite gastronomic delight,
but with beer, sun, and good friends, snails hit the spot.

Beach season officially opens June 6, and with it, a self-regulated, nationally 

organized traffic light system to control physical distancing on the beach.

Time will tell how well it works!

Staying cool and floating easy in salt water.

Jonty, the gondalier, paddle boarding with Gabi and their new friends.
It's a hard life, this...lol.

June 1: Phase 3 of de-confinement starts. Pre-school opens!
Catarina was excited until she saw the beach...
We have become beach bums: 6 hours/day, most of May.

COVID19 Update

Despite being on week 4 of "de-confinement", Portugal's numbers (pop 10 million) seem to be OK (May 31, 2020). Naturally, they are expected to go up with the heat and the mass flocking to beaches, but here's hoping they don't spike too high! 

• in the last 24 hours: 297 new cases and 14 deaths (2 weeks ago it was 227 new cases and 13 deaths)
• 32,500 total cases, 1,410 deaths 

Canada (pop 35 million), comparatively:

• in the last 24 hours: 757 new cases and 222 deaths
• 90,947 total cases, 7,295 deaths