Day Forty-one 24.4.05 Today we took a trip to Silves, about 10 kms north of Portimao. There was a Roman castle here and a cork museum. The castle wasn't as interesting as Obidos and it was also at the beginning of a huge restoration. It looks as though it will be fabulous from the artist impression. From the castle walls it was possible to see valleys of orange groves which were full of ripe oranges. A short walk down the hill took us to the cork museum which tells the story of cork production in Portugal. The original factory had only closed down in the nineties and it was a fascinating insight into the industry. This particular factory was a collaboration between an Englishman, a Spaniard and a Portuguise man. We had the museum pretty much to ourselves until the coaches started turning up which was are cue to leave. We thought we would do two sides of a triangle to get back to Portimao by visiting Albufeira on the way. We parked up and walked through the town towards the beach. The guide book had been too generous in its description and unfortunately much of the town has been taken over by tacky shops and English eateries. There was a pleasant square which was very popular with the hoards and the beach, although overcast and windy, was very busy. We did however find a super restaurant high above the beach built into the cliff. We had great views of the sea and beach and again we had it to ourselves. Probably because there were a lot of steps to get to it. We tried to follow the coast road back to Portimao, but this proved difficult and we kept ending up back on the by-pass. Will has also got a bee in his bonnet about buying some comfy reclining chairs. This involves U turns, sharp stops, and wild goose chases to various stores that look as though they might sell such a thing. Each time he is disappointed as James won't settle for anything other than what we are looking for.