There are reasons for this unprecedented occurrence. We were out until at least 1:00 am on Thursday night which, coupled with being out until 2:00 am on Wednesday, made us very tired. Not only that, we'll need our strength for today.

Popeye is leaving us, and today is his Farewell Festival of Debauchery. Gotta make sure his memories of this place are good, or at least blurry. We're starting out at the pub at 1:00, and from there we're going to the bowling alley where we have lanes reserved for 2:00. We're going bowling because we've been threatening to do so for months ( as in, "We really ought to do that sometime!"), and because we thought it would be nice to do something different.

After the bowling, we'll head to San Jo�o for another thing we've been meaning to do: drink our way back into Cascais along the seafront. Between Cascais and San Jo�o they've built a promenade-- like a boardwalk, but made of stone. It's nice. It runs alongside the beaches, and the coastline between the beaches where the rocky cliffs drop straight down into the ocean. They've even turned a tiny little fjord type area into a seawater swimming pool that I keep meaning to go swim in but haven't gotten around to doing yet.

I have no idea how long this expedition of ours will take us-- I suppose that will depend on how many caf�s and bars are open. It's four km between Estoril and Cascais, and San Jo�o is another couple kilometers beyond Estoril, at least. Unfortunately, it's a grey day, and it's raining at the moment. Since this is Portugal, it's certainly well within the realm of possiblilites that it will clear up by the time we get started on this undertaking. If not, not: a little water never hurt anybody.

All the same, I'm thinking we ought to bring our anoraks. When the wind comes blowing in off the ocean and the waves start crashing on the boardwalk, it's going to take more than a mere umbrella to protect us.

Eventually, we'll end up in Cascais, at the pub, and I have no doubt that we'll end up in the Late Night Bar of Evil once the pub closes and they throw us out. All in all, it will make for a long, loooong day. And night. And, probably, morning as well.