The Weekend Starts Here!

O Luain's Irish Pub, in Cascais

Today is Thursday. Tonight I will be going down into Cascais for a few (overpriced) beers, some food and some laughs all under the remit of having a Boy's Xmas Night Out. We did the same last year on the Thursday, with the promise of an early start for work in the morning. We hit the Irish Bar in town and Put The World To Rights, and then moved on to another bar in the main square for some food. I think it finished up at about 1am. The plan is the same for tonight, except I'm hoping for a midnight finish! Why does the traditional Boy's Xmas Night Out happen on the penultimate working Thursday each year? Well, many of the expats here want to jump on the first plane they can back to England after work on the Friday, heading straight out towards the airport with images of cosy English Christmases with their families engraved in their minds.

Saturday is going to be a busy day, and, if the rain holds off, my eldest is due to be going camping with is Scout group someplace. The location is currently being held a deeply guarded secret, but I'm sure it will be a very exciting adventure. If my memory serves me correctly, I think it was the Xmas Camp that was his first ever scout camp last year, and they went on the ferry from Belém, across the river to a campsite in the Costa da Caparica. At this moment I'm not sure what time he will be due to return on the Sunday, but I'm hoping that it won't be too late into the afternoon because....

Belenenses' Stadium, in Belém, ovelooking the river Tejo

On Sunday Estoril Praia are playing away against Belenenses, just a few kilometers away, along the Linha (the train line) in Belém. An excellent opportunity for further adventures with The Boys and our kids to watch some footie. Of course the supporters Gruppo are setting out on a much earlier train than the one I shall be catching, but then they shall probably be alighting from the train at every stop along the way for a cerveja or two at the platform bar. Kick off isn't until about 7pm, so all being well, my son's Scout Camp will be finished in plenty of time for us to get to the match. Following last weekend's fantastic 2-0 win against Gil Vicente, I'm hopeful that "O Mágico Estoril" can put behind them their recent European losses and maintain their fourth place standing in the Portuguese league. (Gawd, I hope I haven't just jinxed it!)

All in all, a very busy weekend ahead. And it starts this evening. It's probably just as well there's no work on Monday!