Summer has arrived!!

Despite what the newspapers say, as far as Im concerned the Algarve has been quieter than usual.  Although I dont live in the big resorts of Albufeira or Lagos, it is normally still reasonably busy for our small resort areas, but this year it seems the visitors are not coming.  In the East Algarve, the main visitors are the Portuguese and Spanish and for the Portuguese I know who holiday in the Algarve, many are not taking holidays this year with the crisis. 

But guaranteed August will be mad, even if numbers are down, the huge numbers which still remain will flood the area. So with that in mind, I have been preparing myself for the influx Im sure will come from next weekend, but apparently it started early. 

Yesterday, I went to the supermarket, expecting it to be a bit busier, but it was full.  And this is a large supermarket.  Summer has arrived and from now it will only get busier until the beginning of September when it seems like overnight everyone disappears, its the strangest thing!  So now, it will be wall to wall people everywhere, traffic queues at beach leaving time.  But it is such a contrast, around here, it is quiet in winter, steady the rest of the year, nothing is too busy, no traffic (ever) unless there are roadworks.  But summer becomes something completely different, an unrecognisable place, which makes me want to crawl into a cupboard but on the other hand, it is good to see so much life and activity in an usually laidback, peaceful place.