Lost in Portugal

Train Tracks leading off to where???

Our first night in Olhao. We arrive a the train station after a 6-hour train trip, and I dig out our stack of papers to find the one with the address of our apartment on it. What?!?!?! It's not there??? Open suitcases and dig frantically … no go. It's gone. Dang … now what?
Trundling around with suitcases on the cobblestones is not an option, so I left Pete sitting on a park bench with all our worldly goods while I go in search of an Internet Cafe. Little did I know how very lucky I was to find one within 8 blocks!
Hmmm ... the address is not listed on the advert on Holiday Lettings. My email that I ported over to Gmail doesn't include the one that I had printed. This is looking bleak. I troop back to Pete empty handed except for a Google map that shows a dot where the apartment is supposed to be.
We head in that general direction. I mean ... how bad can it be? It's supposed to be 2 blocks from the railway station, right?

The graffiti looks nicer in the daytime

Ok, it's getting dark. Where the hell ARE we? The walls are covered with graffiti, and it seems that we're in some kind of commercial zone ... suddenly a small cars careens to a stop in front of us. A couple hops out and asks if we're lost. The answer is a resounding "yes"! Turns out it's a Russian/Latvian couple who have relocated here to Olhao. They proceed to study the map and argue about where exactly the little dot is indicating. I tell them that it's #24 something, and they order us into the car. They will take us there. They have no idea where "there" is, but they're game!!

#24 from the train station
Art is standing on the balcony

Approximately 20 minutes later, they have given up. I tell them that it's fine, and to just let us out at a hotel, then I mention to Pete that I wish I had Suzanne and Colin's phone number. "Susan y Colin????" (the rest is in Portuguese)???!!!! They're excited! They KNOW these people! Well, they know some fellow named Nick who knows Suzanne and Colin. Close enough! We're saved! Cell phones are whipped out and messages are passed. Mere moments later, Suzanne and Colin arrive in their car to deliver us 'home'.
Get out the wine, Art … we're here!