Just to let you all know I have posted a total of 61 new photos on my webspace

http://thomasallen.spaces.live.com

Mostly of Albufeira civic works but half a dozen or so of more general interest, like nice beaches in the sunshine, but it was ^%^&% cold!

We are coming out on 15th January to stay at the Porto Bay Falesia for a week. We love the old square in Albufeira - it is a few years since our last visit - but is it a place to be avoided at the moment? Albufeira looks a mess just now with all the works going on.

Looking forward to hopefully a little winter sun - even if the temperatures are not that high!! Recovering from a bad bout of flu at the moment so our winter break will be much needed I think!!

Pippa

The work is taking place mostly in the little streets just off the square and there is only a small part of the square itself
directly affected, outside the Millennium bank. The 'worst' area at the moment is Rua 5 de Outubro, the road leading to the tunnel.

The locations will vary as the project continues so I will be posting some new pictures certainly early in January so keep an eye out for them.

For the benefit of those visiting over Christmas and New Year I have uploaded a collection of pictures taken yesterday, 14th December, around the old town of Albufeira.

The present phase of work is scheduled for completion this Friday 19th December when work will be suspended for two weeks. However the project as a whole is a long way behind schedule, so there will be considerable disruption in other parts of the old town during the early months of 2009.

Usual place http://thomasallen.spaces.live.com

Many of you will be pleased to see that the work in and around Rua 5 de Outubro is now completed.

A few pictures taken there on Sunday 21st December can be seen at http://thomasallen.spaces.live.com

I have some new photos, after a day's delay due to wet weather. These will be on my webspace some time tomorrow, Thursday after I have sorted them out.

There are 45 new pictures taken around and about Albufeira now available on my webspace at http://thomasallen.spaces.live.com

Hi Cubsur, I take it the roundabout at Guia is not the main one on the EN125,still waiting for the figure of the Chicken to land we are out in 4 weeks I will check again then is the Marina development for the football piches etc ? and have you found out what the concrete roadways are for at the new fishing dock area.

No, it's not the same roundabout. The new one will take you by surprise at the bottom of the first hill as you leave Pateo going towards Guia. It's just by the industrial estate.

Unfortunately the Marina development isn't for anything as useful as football pitches. It's called 'Farm Village' and is yet more luxury tourist apartments. I wonder who's going to buy any of them? It's not exactly a thriving area even in summer.

There were three or four football pitches on the original plans but who would use them? There isn't any 'park' football here as we know it in the UK.

The mysterious raised roadway along the back of the fishing harbour is, apparently, the first stage of a new 'promenade' which will be extended round the headland and come out by the new lift on the Peneco beach. This will replace the existing rough footpath along the rocks and provide a flat walking route between the Marina and the centre of town.

I don't know when this will be built, but the construction process (loose rock, rough seas and high tides etc) should be interesting.

thanks for that cubsur, we thought originally it was for a walkway but it seemed too wide to be just that, i suppose they think it will encourage pedestrian traffic between the beach and the marina. i am dissapointed to learn it's another building project, hope it' not too tall as that will spoil my view through the valley to the sea, c'os when i am over we stay with freinds on the hill on the road up to sao raphael and arrifes beaches.

Nosivad - there is of course a lot of building around S Rafael as well. Can't escape it!

I have uploaded some recent pictures of the various holes being dug around Albufeira. Usual place, http;//thomasallen.spaces.live.com

Just added a few pictures by way of a small update taken last Wednesday (during a rare dry spell!) around Rua Candido dos Reis, Rua 5 de Outubro and the new lift.

http://thomasallen.spaces.live.com

Just to let you know I have uploaded a new album of photos of the progress on the various Albufeira civic works projects. These include the works in the old town centre, on the beach and pier plus the new work started on the old river bed near the Health Centre.

Usual place - http://thomasallen.spaces.live.com

Cubsur

Your photos are amazing. So helpful to those of us going to Albufeira soon. Now we know what to expect thanks to all your efforts.

De nada.

Cubsur, voce diz o portuguese muito bem, um credito a sua profisao

I've found out what's going on with the river. It's being culverted - boxed in.

Here's what's being delivered:

Latest blog entry at http://thomasallen.spaces.live.com

Just a quick photo snapped this morning while I was waiting for a bus at the health Centre.

I have uploaded a few pictures to show the latest activity on two main areas.

First is the tunnel being made for the river between the Health Centre and the roundabout (traffic circle) at the entrance to the old town. Second is the Rua Candido dos Reis - Bar Street.

Usual place http://thomasallen.spaces.live.com

Discovery - if you are running the Firefox browser (or any other browser in all probability) with JAVASCRIPT turned OFF, the pictures will not display via my spaces front page.

You can click on the 'Photos' link and go to the album index that way. You will get them as a set of thumbnails which you can work your way through - I have just tried this without logging in as myself.

I know that a lot of security and safety minded people operate with javascript off. There's not much I can do about that except to say trust my site and turn javascript on for a short while!