Day 1 - Portugal

After a big trip to Australia, we’d planned to keep things low key this summer — just the three of us heading off to Vilamoura for some sun and simpler adventures. Of course when you are packing to go on holiday you must pack all your essentials, including Granny and Grandad Kilgore as well as Anna’s sister Amy, who would be stepping into the role as Nanny for the week. This trip is shaping up to be a full in-law immersion experience…

It was a very early start. We woke Alexander up in the middle of the night and were out the door by 2.45am. Amazingly, things went pretty smoothly at Belfast International. We arrived in plenty of time, got the bags and car seat checked in, and glided through security thanks to the upgraded airport.

Alexander got felt up by a blonde security woman (standard), and Marshall got the full search treatment, but we were allowed through with the milk — the main thing.

Alexander and I went for a walk while Amy ordered breakfast… the wrong one, obviously, and before we knew it we were ready to board after a quick nappy change. We spotted another couple with the exact same pram as ours which we just knew would cause confusion later.

Alexander was overtired and cranky even before takeoff but eventually nodded off, and we thought we were winning. He woke up after an hour though, so we had two hours of creative in-flight entertainment. He played games, wandered the aisles, tried out new light-up toys (Anna definitely had more fun with these than he did), and of course, he timed a poo perfectly — leaving Anna to tackle the impossibly tiny bathroom.

He didn’t get back to sleep but seemed to enjoy his “air play park” well enough. Overall, not a bad flight.

We sailed through passport control by skipping the queue with Alexander but our relief was short-lived. As we waited for our bags, we found that our pram was missing a wheel. Turns out it had been packed inside the other identical pram we’d seen earlier. Thank God for small miracles.

Alison and Amy got a taxi while the rest of us waited for the shuttle to the OK Mobility car hire. Despite having both a sat nav and Google Maps to get us there, it was a truly immersive experience being alongside Marshall, who relayed and repeated every instruction and direction just to be sure. We eventually arrived in Vilamoura at Anna’s great aunt and uncle’s lovely holiday apartment in the Old Village, which was really lovely. They’ve all been here before, but it was my first time.

First stop: the shop. We stocked up on essentials — pre-mixed cocktails (which were surpsingly far too good), cheese, ham, and baguettes. Louis and Alexander had a much-needed nap before we all headed off to the pool.

Apparently it was busier than usual, but Alexander was in his element — splashing around, playing with his new ball, and loving the water. We even ran into two of the girls who sing in our Thornhill Choir! Shoutout to Kiera and Grace!

Alexander went for another nap, and the timing was perfect - Happy hour! Although it was tiny beers and not cocktails on offer, we still soaked up the last of the sun, then Amy and I went for sangria and chips while Anna and Marshall stayed poolside.

Eventually, everyone made it back, showered, and got ready for dinner at the restaurant just around the corner — surprisingly brilliant vegetarian options!

We rounded off the evening with drinks at Jakks Bar, just around the other corner. I won a very tense game of pool against Anna, despite a questionable cue and a wonky table. At one point, I mistook another pram in the distance for a third duplicate of ours, only to realise it was actually Anna… with our child. Eyes on the pram, not the woman — just to be clear.

A solid start to Portugal.