FORTALEZA DAY ONE

MONDAY 11th JULY

  After a breakfast that bore an uncanny resemblance to that on offer at the Astoria, even down to the scrambled eggs and sausages in tomato sauce, I tackled the receptionist.  I asked her if they had a map.  She replied in Portugese, the meaning of which was totally obscure to me.  And that seemed to conclude our interchange.  I couldn't think of anything further sensible to ask, and she clearly dismissed me from her thoughts, returning to the much more interesting computer screen in front of her.

  I had a look on line and there was mention of the sea nearby and a centre with restaurants not far away.  I donned suncream and set off exploring.  I found the sea relatively easily - it's about a quarter of a mile from the hotel, straight down the road.  I took a paddle in the sea waters, which I have to confess were warm.

There was a statue on the sea front of, I assume a female judging from the size of her boobs, bending a bow, more than that I cannot tell, judge for yourselves.

It was certainly a warm morning and I wandered around a bit and spotted the odd cafe/restaurant.  I purchased a can of Skol for 2 r. in a shop and replaced the one I had drunk from the firidge last night which was priced at 5 r. After a bit of a siesta in the afternoon, I retired to the courtyard for a read, and then with dusk approaching wandered off in the opposite direction to this morning.  I came across a pizzeria and had a small salami pizza - albeit I must admit I thought I was ordering a prawn pizza - shows how bad my Portugese really is.  However a pleasant surprise was getting a 600ml bottle of Skol for 2.99 r.

  I returned to the hotel in the dark and did some work on the computer before calling it a day.