Algarvean Adventures – 1 #Portugal #Tavira #travels #Algarve

As some of you already know I had an adventure in Portugal beginning in October and lasting until the middle of December.

I’m now back in the UK and boy was that complicated what with pre-flight testing requirements and the like. Thanks to hubby for being great at doing it all.

I’ve taken the plunge and resigned from my job! Difficult to disappear for several months without doing so. Might have been easier if, cough cough I was still working from home. Lol.

My new home from home in October, November (and… just short of two weeks in December,) was the sun drenched Algarve – in a beautiful lesser known but up and coming Algarvean town – Tavira and what a stunning spot it is.

Three bridges cross the centre of Tavira with pubs and restaurants in ample supply. There is nothing more relaxing than drinking a glass of wine and admiring this stunning view! It really helps to soothe those ever present covid anxieties.

I began my stay in a typical Portuguese flat in the quaint centre of the town with hubby. Busy, quite noisy, (lol,) interesting, and great for nipping out to all the local amenities, bars, shops and… not too far from the train station and the all important library!

Here are some panoramic views of Tavira from the Maria Nova roof top hotel, where you can (covid permitting,) sample the drinks, music and bar snacks.

Early on my hubby and I went to Tavira beach via the Tavira Island ferry. How quaint is that?

I’ll be sharing more photos and news in my next instalment of my Algarvean adventure! Before I go, let’s take a trip to the beach!

You can reach the beach either by catching the ferry in the central town area, or by walking to the marina to catch it there – which we did. It was well worth the long walk.

On Friday before our departure we realised that no local places were open Saturday afternoon to do flight covid tests. EEK. A scramble to find anywhere. We managed thanks to my resourceful hubby and were fit to fly!

Best much love, I can’t quite believe my good fortune! I just hope covid fxxxx off so we can have total freedom of movement again.

I took the Christmas lights photo which heads this blog on my last night in Tavira, so pretty.

Hope your Christmas preparations are going well. Bye for now,

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December 15, 2021 30

Scrummy Food, Tulips and Cocktails #Food #Montreal #Canada #Holiday #Tulips

One of the things I discovered as we were sitting in the taxi on route to catch our bus to Heathrow was I’d forgotten my coat! So, I ended up borrowing my eldest daughter’s jacket when I could – this furry brown one was my favourite!

Here I am at Venice, Montreal, wearing her jacket and my woolly hat! And here she is when she grabbed it back on a later day outside Bevo Bar and Pizzeria!410 Rue Saint Vincent, Montreal QC H2Y 3A5

As you can see we stopped for a cocktail – the first of many!!! We went there on another evening to sample their fantastic pizzas. Yum…

I did buy myself a new jacket… think tulips and jazzy coat. I’m in the slideshow below. The tulips were stunning at the Botanical Gardens, Montreal. Talk about a field of colour…

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Getting back to cocktails. See the green one below? That was my favourite! We were on a rooftop bar, and it was the bizz!

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The food… Boy, was it tasty – my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Here are a few of the amazing dishes we tried… Look at this plate of beautiful food at Arthurs Nosh Bar… 4621 Notre-Dame O Rue, Montreal QC H4C 1S5 Not only does it look like a work of art it tasted like one too! It was well worth the wait. We had to queue to get in but this looked and tasted fantastic. A definite favourite!

And these two meals were from the same pub which was very near our AirBnB, Pub Bishop and Bagg 52 Rue Saint Viateur O, Montreal QC H2T 2K8 the food was amazing. See those potatoes they were cooked to perfection. Yum… And there vegetarian option was fantastic too. All very hearty but tasty food.

Then, we tried a vegetarian/vegan place called Lov. I chose the vegan burger and it was fab. 464 McGill Rue, Montral QC H2Y 2H2

https://www.lov.com/
At Taiyo we ordered from a tablet on our table and after a while we couldn’t quite remember just how much we ordered! Needless to say we ate everything but had less room for the amazing banana fritters. 1709 Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal H2X 3K4.

Montreal is definitely a foodie’s paradise. This is just a sample of some of the amazing restaurants we went to and the cocktails… what can I say? Whilst on holiday, it’s imperative to let your hair down!

Time for a diet… and detox. Lol.

Do check out my other Montreal posts:

https://mjmallon.com/2019/06/06/notre-dame-basilica-montreal-canada-travel-holiday/

https://mjmallon.com/2019/05/26/grafitti-murals-montreal-canada/

And check out this post on Canadian travel:

https://noatech.travel.blog/2019/06/09/16-top-rated-tourist-attractions-in-canada/

Have you been to Montreal?

Do comment, I’d love to here from you.

Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime

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June 16, 2019 14

16 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Canada

Whilst I am missing Canada thought I’d share this from Noatech Travel Blog. Looks like I must go back one day. There is so much to see in Canada.

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June 9, 2019 7

Notre-Dame Basilica #Montreal #Canada #travel #holiday

This beautiful basilica is situated in Old Montreal, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The church is located at 110 Notre-Dame Street West and faces the Place d’Armes square.

It is a truly stunning church, perhaps one of the most beautiful I have seen. The colour and splendour of the interior is so dramatic that you can’t help but draw a breath of astonishment as you walk in. Moreover, there is a definite sense of calm in this church, a spiritual feeling which is apparent from the moment you arrive.

I would definitely recommend it as a must see location if you are visiting Montreal.
Here is a short extract from Wikipedia singing its praises:

The interior of the church is amongst the most dramatic in the world and regarded as a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture.[1] The vaults are coloured deep blue and decorated with golden stars, and the rest of the sanctuary is decorated in blues, azures, reds, purples, silver, and gold. It is filled with hundreds of intricate wooden carvings and several religious statues. Unusual for a church, the stained glass windows along the walls of the sanctuary do not depict biblical scenes, but rather scenes from the religious history of Montreal. It also has a Casavant Frères pipe organ, dated 1891, which comprises four keyboards, 92 stops using electropneumatic action and an adjustable combination system, 7000 individual pipes and a pedal board.[2][3]

I had the fortune to visit Montreal with my two daughters in May. Here they are in the photo below walking ahead of me taking in the spectacular view…

Approximately 11 million people visit Notre-Dame every year, making it one of the most visited monuments in North America.[4]

And here’s another image for you to enjoy.

Unfortunately my photos do not do it justice.

Find out more here: https://www.basiliquenotredame.ca/en/

I hope you get a chance to visit.

Do comment, I’d love to hear if you’ve been.

My previous post about Montreal: https://mjmallon.com/2019/05/26/grafitti-murals-montreal-canada/

Do check out this post about all the wonderful tourist attractions in Canada: https://noatech.travel.blog/2019/06/09/16-top-rated-tourist-attractions-in-canada/

Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime

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June 6, 2019 29

Grafitti Murals – Montreal Canada

I’m just back from a lovely holiday with my two daughters in Montreal.

Everywhere I looked there appeared to be Grafitti murals on the streets. Being a big fan of Graffiti murals I thought I’d share them with you.

See the one above? It’s the very first mural I saw on my holiday situated near our Airbnb in Laurier.

Eerie isn’t it?

Here are some of the other ones I came across… The girl in the mural below looks sad too…

I like how the next mural blends in with it surroundings. The real flowers joining the painted flowers in an unusual way! We stopped in this area for a coffee at Cafe Olympico.

The next one’s kind of exotic. But those bushes really need cutting back! We’re missing out on the bottom part of the mural in Quartier Latin.

This is also in the Quartier Latin. Very bright and vibrant like this area of Montreal.

Then here’s one from Mont-Royal

If you are planning on visiting Montreal and would like to find out more about their street art check out this post: https://www.mtl.org/en/experience/montreal-murals-101

Have you visited Montreal? What are you waiting for…

Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime

Unique Selling Point: Unique, Imaginative, ‘Charming, enchanting and richly layered this is purely delightful.’

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May 26, 2019 22

Colleens Weekly Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge No 112 – #Travel #Lisbon #Photography #HardRockCafe #Music #Accident #Trip #Fall

My hubby and I went for a long weekend to Lisbon. Unfortunately I had a fall on holiday and hurt my foot. I’d been out the night before at the Hard Rock Cafe, (indulging in cocktails and behaving like I’m one of the youngsters.)

My hubby and I were listening to a very good cover band. The next day I was feeling pretty good – no hangover! But it was raining heavily and the cobbled pavements were very slippery.

We arrived at this spot – we’d been there the evening before. This was taken when it was sunny…

The next day the band were there again. They were about to set up. Imagine those wet cobble stones, see that foot. It’s probably mine. Yes, you get the picture.

I felt a sharp pain

Hubby rushed to help me up

Good nothing broken

A hard rock holiday fall

A low-risk trip, groan get up!

So the band and my hubby rushed towards me to help. I felt like a celebrity!

It was my birthday but it was not quite what I had in mind for a birthday present. Lol.

Still the Altis hotel made up for it with this unexpected surprise.

Luckily no major harm done but I am still hobbling about a bit.

… Ouch.. I should have caught this instead…

If I had I would have admired this awesome graffiti… Which I did on another occasion.

I should have hugged a tree instead to stay safe. This one reminded me of an enormous, hairy gorilla with big caring arms!

Luckily the first two days were very sunny. Blue shades weather. I pinched my hubby’s sunglasses. He said they suited me!

We saw some wild life – this charming fellow caught my eye… He looks astonished doesn’t he? Camera shy perhaps? Or perhaps he heard about my fall.

All in all I had a lovely birthday break away in Lisbon. It’s a beautiful city, I’d really recommend a visit.

I LOVE PORTUGAL.

But watch out for those cobbled streets in the rain. I wish I hadn’t had that fall. But, it could have been much worse.

I’m grateful I didn’t get whisked away in an ambulance – this has happened to me and various other family members before…

We are very accident prone. Check out this post:

https://mjmallon.com/2015/02/15/an-unusual-valentines-adventure/

If you’d like to join in Colleen’s weekly poetry challenge you better get your skates on!

https://colleenchesebro.com/2018/11/27/colleens-weekly-tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenge-no-112-cold-safe-synonymsonly/

Have you been to Lisbon? Do let me know in the comments. x

Stay safe and out of the rain.

Bye for now,

I’m a contributing author in the Plaisted Publishing House Ghostly Writes Anthology 2018 with my story Ghostly Goodbye.

Ghostly Goodbye by M J Mallon

Ghostly Goodbye is a paranormal love story about a young woman called Iris who can’t get over her husband’s death. She is mourning him so much that she feels dead inside. Her husband Ed sends her a ghostly message from beyond the grave via an old forgotten garment in her wardrobe. She responds by dragging herself from her tomb-like bed and he draws back the curtain of death to visit her in a most unusual way.

Available on Amazon, Apple, Nook, Kobo, Scribd, 24S, Playster, Indigo, Angus & Robertson, Mondadori Store: Universal Buying Link

And in paperback on Lulu.com.

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December 1, 2018 12

Portugal Missing You! #Portugal #Holiday

Missing you Portugal! We stayed at this all inclusive hotel in Porches, the Algarve – Be Live Palmeiras Village. This is the pool area with a slide – there were two pools with bars – where you could wile away the sunny day with a cocktail in hand! I’d highly recommended this hotel especially for families with young children, the entertainment on offer to keep them occupied was excellent. The poolside activities such as Water Zumba were also great fun, and there was a daily program of evening entertainment too. There were two buffet areas included in the all – inclusive price plus three extra restaurants with a small charge attached. The food was diverse, catering for most tastes. In general I’d recommend Buffet 2 as there was an outdoor seated area to enjoy your food in the sun, rather than eat inside in the other larger buffet area within the hotel itself which felt like a food hall.

We discovered this wonderful cave cut through the cliff face linking two beaches near our hotel.

It was well worth it!

Here I am with my daughters about to explore what’s beyond the cave…

And here’s the reward – a beautiful beach on the other side.

Talk about tranquil golden sand, textured with footprints of assorted humans, occasional dogs who have escaped from their owners – rolling in furry abandon on the sand, not to mention the crazy seagulls. One minute those seagulls were tranquilly standing on one leg, stretching their wings, doing a tai chi move, the next they were dive bombing us!

Striking cliffs and that sea……so rich with hues of colour. An artist’s dream.

These wonderful cliffs are everywhere in Portugal and provide a great backdrop for family photos.

A holiday to Portugal wouldn’t be complete without a boat trip. The four of us went via Albufeira on a well organised day out. We had a wonderful experience stopping at a beautiful bay for a barbeque of fresh fish, pork, salad and wine.
No wonder my hubby and I are smiling!

Here is the lovely boat we sailed on..

Perhaps I might have convinced you to visit Portugal. It is one of my favourite holiday destinations – I have been to the Algarve three times, and loved it each time!

Bye for now,

Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime

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September 11, 2016 21

Glasgow Inspiring City Award

As you’ll know from my previous post Glasgow University, Hogwarts and Kelvingrove Park I’ve recently been to Glasgow with my hubby for a few days away. We stayed near Kelvingrove Park and I was lucky to be able to get a chance to visit The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum which is ‘located on Argyle Street, in the West End of the city, on the banks of the River Kelvin (opposite the architecturally similar Kelvin Hall, which was built in matching style in the 1920s, after the previous hall had been destroyed by fire). It is adjacent to Kelvingrove Park and is situated near the main campus of the University of Glasgow on Gilmorehill.’ Wikipedia Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

‘Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum houses one of Europe’s great art collections. It is amongst the top three free-to-enter visitor attractions in Scotland and one of the most visited museums in the United Kingdom outside of London.’ Glasgow Life Kelvingrove Museum

So I thought I’d share with you some of my photos of my day out.

I walked through the park and came upon this guy on the bridge.

Then I saw this very fine path leading up to this magnificent looking building.

And then a little sculpture within the grounds .. The Vital Spark Puffer by George Wyllie

And this one too..

And I walked round to the Argyle Street museum entrance too. Here it is standing proudly like a jewel of beauteous splendor on a hill.

Closer it doesn’t disappoint. Look at this! What an imposing building.

Inside it is just as magnificent. I arrived in time for the organ recital – do you see that tiny dot of a man in the middle of the photo wearing a white jacket playing the organ?

Take a look at these white floating heads There’s something quite eerie about them!! …

And this…

There are 9,000 pieces on exhibition or thereabouts, don’t expect me to count them all individually – this is what I read somewhere. Judging by what I saw I could well believe this. My advice is don’t be a tight Scotsman! Pop some money in the donate box – this really is an amazing art gallery and museum, and a few pounds wouldn’t go amiss to show your appreciation! At the moment there are three exhibition on too:

Then it’s time for a coffee.

There are two options for cafes. Either you can grab a quick sandwich in the centre hall of the museum gallery, which is fine if you’re in a hurry. But if you’re not, I’d advise you to treat yourself to a drink, cake or lunch in the KG Cafe in the basement. That’s what I did and I didn’t regret it. Here’s why… beautiful views…

Glasgow is an inspiring and welcoming city. I’m leaving you with my final photo of these beautiful flowers which adorn various places of interest in the streets of Glasgow.

Have you visited Glasgow? Do let me know if you have. Perhaps you might want to take a look at this: Newsquest Scotland Inspiring City Awards

Bye for now, stay cool…

Marje @Kyrosmagica xx

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July 24, 2016 21

Glasgow University, Hogwarts and Kelvingrove Park

I’ve been in Glasgow for a few days, with my hubby – for a short holiday. Like my dad he’s a keen golf fan. We’ve been to the Golf Open at Troon. We had a day there together – practice day – and the next day I had a day to myself in Glasgow to do whatever I fancied. Not being the type to fuss too much about shopping I decided to have a wander in Kelvingrove Park – which happened to be very close to our hotel, The Lorne Hotel. It was quite a sunny day so I stopped for a treat, my favourite: a chocolate wafer which is basically a tasty chocolate covered wafer filled with marshmallow sandwiched together with vanilla ice-cream. What a supreme feast!

I sat down in the park and watched these guys – aren’t they fabulous? It warms the heart seeing young people out enjoying themselves having fun. Really exhilarating!

Isn’t it nice to see such a lively park area? With youngsters doing flips and star turns on their bikes and skate boards.

I also popped over to the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery which is a must if you’re ever in Glasgow. Do not miss the opportunity to visit. I will be doing a photographic feature about this wonderful museum soon…

To round off the day I found a pathway of steps via the park that led to Glasgow University. No wonder people tend to think that this beautiful University resembles Hogwarts, (even though Harry Potter wasn’t filmed there.) The view is certainly magical. Not too far away from the University is Ashton Lane, a hidden alleyway lit with fairy lights which is packed with pubs and cafes, supposedly author J.K. Rowling’s inspiration for Diagon Alley. I happened to have an evening drink and meal there with my hubby and a couple of our friends. We started off our evening at a very quaint bar and restaurant called The Ubiquitous Chip. Only in Scotland can the humble chip be elevated to such a grandiose name!

http://www.ubiquitouschip.co.uk/

ubiquitous

juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/

adjective

present, appearing, or found everywhere.

“his ubiquitous influence was felt by all the family”

synonyms: omnipresent, ever-present, present everywhere, everywhere, all-over, all over the place,pervasive, all-pervasive, universal, worldwide, global;

Here are a couple of photos of the Ubiquitous Chip and its wee sister The Wee Pub at The Chip:

Perhaps when my youngest is University age she might consider going to Glasgow University! What a magical place to study.. I wish I could have studied there.. I did study in Glasgow many years ago now… but I went to the then Polytechnic which is now known as Glasgow Caledonian University……

I felt such a fondness for Glasgow returning for this short holiday all these years later. Student days are truly one of the best moments in our lives. I just wish I could turn back the clock and relive them all over again. If only…

What about you, have you been to Glasgow? Or are perhaps studying at Glasgow University? Is it a magical place to study?

Bye for now,

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

My fun (totally not serious but nevertheless 90% true,) author bio on Wattpad – Link below.

Marjorie Mallon was born in Lion City: Singapore. She grew up in a mountainous court in Hong Kong. Her crazy parents dragged her spotty soul away from her exotic childhood and her much loved dog Topsy to the frozen wastelands of Scotland. There she mastered Scottish country dancing, haggis bashing, bagpipe playing and a whole new Och Aye lingo.
As a teenager she travelled to many far flung destinations to visit her abacus wielding wayfarer dad. On one such occasion a barracuda swam by. It stopped to view her bikini clad body, longing to take a big bite. With dogs' fangs replacing barracudas' teeth, she returned to her mother's birthplace: Kuching, Cat City. There, Blackie, a black-hearted dog sniffed her frightened butt, whimpered and ran away! Shortly after this extraordinary event an angry female Orang-Utan chased her unfit ass out of the Malaysian jungle believing that she was a threat to her babies! She still monkeys about, would love to own a cat, or a replacement Topsy but refuses to entertain murderous dogs, or over-protective monkeys.
It's rumoured that she lives in the Venice of Cambridge, with her six foot hunk of a Rock God husband, and her two enchanted daughters.
After such an upbringing her author's mind has taken total leave of its senses. When she's not writing, she eats exotic delicacies while belly dancing, or surfs to the far reaches of the moon. To chill out she practises Tai Chi and Yoga on the crest of a wave. If the mood takes her she goes snorkelling with mermaids, or signs up for idyllic holidays with the Chinese Unicorn, whose magnificent voice sings like a thousand wind chimes.

She is a child of the light and the dark. Her motto is simply this: Do what you love, stay true to your heart's desires, remain young at heart, and inspire others to do so, even if it appears that the odds are stacked like black hearted shadows against you...

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July 18, 2016 11

Broke? Travel Anyway.

Think you can’t do something, think again. I admire the adventurous spirit so had to reblog this: Travel with Storytime with John – a guy with such a can do, positive attitude, whatever he has I want to steal some!

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January 20, 2015 0