Day Six - Feartil - The Craft Fair

Most of this day was spent at the studio working on our projects and watching Micheal demonstrate some of his techniques.  It would be nice to have a huge room with lots of work areas to leave things handy to get to !!
Lunch at the little cafe next door is becoming a "dining experience" !!  We were given some hours of free time before dinner -- I couldn't remember if this was the day we went back to Cascais to shop or to the casino to check it out -- either way,  "free time" was always good !!  The casino was nothing like anything in Las Vegas other than there was an ATM machine and lots of slots machines.  The table games were nearly non-existent compared to what I am used to seeing !!  Card games seemed "odd" -there were no craps tables -- roulette wheels had no chairs for players - there was a poker room, however !!  The front entrance was probably the most eye catching of anything -- the red ceiling lights reflected on the black tile floors and made me feel as if I had entered another realm.  The evening was spent at the craft fair near the hotel looking at all the Portuguese arts and crafts, much similar to what I would see at home.   Another open air eating establishment for our evening dining pleasure was located on the grounds.  By the time we finished eating, the stage close by was filled with "Fado" musicians and a crowd had gathered...  The end of another perfect day !!

Day Two - The Adventure Begins

Everyday was jam-packed with a flurry of activities - tours, workshop, sight-seeing, workshop, shopping, workshop -- you get the idea ???  Two days of traveling - eight days of seeing the sights of Portugal, enjoying the new friends, learning creative processes from Micheal, watching how other artists approached their creations, and best of all -- getting to spend time with my daughter !!   I was slow to keep up with it all, but, everyone was most considerate in watching over me !!  To pick just ONE memorable thing of each day would be impossible.  Taxis picked us up at the hotel for the first tour of the first day -- the Ceramica De Bicesse tile factory -- awesome, with each tile being individually handled several times by different workers before it would be complete and ready for sale.  The artistry involved in the restoration of 18th century tiles -- another sight to behold.  Then, off to Margarida's art studio to claim our spots and get started on our projects with Micheal.  A short way down the street was Cuca's home, garden and ceramic studio.  This quiet, gentle lady had set up tables in that beautiful garden for our lunch and then gave us a little demonstration in her studio.  Evening meals always seemed to be a celebration of a delightful day - always late in the evening - always somewhere special !!