It's a nifty place-- Elvis and I have been there several times before. We stood around in a circle in what used to be a side chapel, doing some serious quaffing. The others agreed that it was weird to be there drinking in what, after all, used to be a church. They thought it a mite disrespectful. The only one who didn't feel that way at all was me, the only Catholic among the lot of us.

We never did eat dinner, although that was part of the plan at the beginning of the evening. So when they slung us out of the final bar at 4 or 5 am, we jumped in a pair of taxis to head for a 24 hour diner type place that Elvis and I like a lot. The cool thing about it is sitting at the counter. It's hard not to-- the whole place seems to be counter, with just a few booths. The counter itself is like a maze, zig-zagging around the restaurant, which is not small. I'm a big fan of the scrambled eggs with pickles and mustard, and Elvis loves their prego.

They all asked me if I was sure it would be still open. Sure I'm sure, says I, it's always open, 24 hours. We got there just as they were shutting the doors and shooing out the final customers.

It's a holiday in Portugal, you see . . . .

Speaking of which, our bags are packed and we're ready to go. In a little over 12 hours, we'll be basking in the Greek sunshine.

Well, actually we'll be at the airport, cooling our heels until we can get our flight to the islands, but hey-- it'll be Greece!

Calliope is taking a little nap on one of the suitcases in the hall. She's determined that we're not going to leave without her this time! Heh. Sir and Lady Jane will be looking after her, so I expect we'll return to find her more spoiled than she already is, if it's even possible.

I'll be back on July 7, undoubtedly with plenty to say.