Monthly Recap: March 2023

Destinations Visited

This was a busy travel month.  I finally got to visit The Algarve region of Portugal and the town of Tavira.  I went to visit my friend, Christie.  We decided to take a 3-day side trip to Seville, Spain since it's only 2 hours by bus from Tavira.

At the end of the month, I went back down to The Algarve to visit Christie again, who had moved to another town called Lagos.

Being a Local Tourist

I was so busy traveling and doing pet sits this month that I hardly had time to do any local sightseeing.  In fact, I only managed to fit in one local sight, Panaramico do Monsanto - it's an abandoned restaurant in the middle of this huge park (called Monsanto park) that is full of graffiti and fantastic views of Lisbon.

Expenses

My budget was over by €1241 in March (this doesn't include my two trips - travel is a separate budget).  Most of that was in the Health area having to pay the remainder of my sunglasses (if you will remember they were €730 and I only paid half when in February when I ordered them).  I also renewed my Serenity Health Concierge for another year at €180.  The other biggies were my microscopic root canal (€150) and Rx (€100) for specialized creams for my face as the dermatologist wants to treat my Rosacea.

I spent €287 on food at the grocery store.  I ate out 14 times while in Lisbon (several of those was while I was pet sitting) for a total of €169.46 for an average of €12 per meal.  Not bad!

I spend €20.00 on entertainment - more specifically, three times at the movie theatre.  I saw Creed, Living and John Wick 4. 

Highlights

I hope to get to some of these posts soon.  When I do, I will update this page with the links.  So check back from time to time.

Visiting Tavira (click on the link to see my post about Tavira.)

Visiting Seville 
Seville Cathedral
Real Alcazar
Paella Demonstration Class (click on the link to be taken to the post).
Triana
Torre de Oro

Visiting Lagos
Hiking Ponta da Piedade (check out my photos by clicking on the link).
Forteleza da Sagres
Breathtaking Boat Tour Through Ponta da Piedade (click on the link to be taken to the post)

I also did two pet sits this month (one for a weekend the other for 9 days) so I definitely got my kitty and doggy fix.

Challenges

Traveling after having a microscopic root canal.  Ouch!  And swollen.

I had the microscopic root canal (my dentist recommended this way, even though a bit more expensive, but it would be less in the long run because it would avoid having to have the crown replaced) on March 29th. I left for Lagos the next day.  The pain and swelling weren't so bad then -- perhaps the novocaine was still in effect since he put a lot in.

By Saturday, the whole left side of my mouth was painful and swollen. I was beginning to wonder if I got an infection from the actual root canal.  I knew I had an infection in the tooth - hence the reason for the root canal - and the Endodontist put medicine in there. 

We stopped at the farmacie and got a dental spray (similar to Orajel) which helped a bit with the pain but not the swelling. 

My Favorite Colorings This Month

Sadly, I haven't had time to color this month.  Actually, not since mid-February. I'm starting to have withdrawals.  Hopefully, I can get back to it next month.

What I Read This Month

On the Way to the Church by Julia Quinn 
The Bridgertons:  Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin 

New Recipes on the Blog This Month

Just click on the photo to be taken to the recipe page.