All change!

It´s been a period where many things have been changing here, and today really brought that home to me. We have a new road just opened, which will increase the ease we can all access keyparts of the central algarve (but won´t reduce accidents as some of it is terribly designed), new planning regulations with regard to construction (PROTAL)(bad news really, beacuse so few people are correctly informed and it creates false effects within the property market), a new name (ALLGARVE) which is a bit of a joke really, as no-one seems to know about it (or care about it either). It is also clear that, on a general scale, there is a drive towards quality, sustainable tourism and development, and this is an excellent thing for the future of the Algarve.

Strangely enough, it was none of these things that really brought home to me the changes occurring around us. I skived off work early today, and went to the beach with the family. We have always gone to a certain part of the beach, just off the beaten track, and with a family run beach bar (a little shabby, but with excellent food, and well priced). There was a small car park, with no charge to park there. It was never too busy, but just busy enough.
So, today we arrive at the beach, 2 kids and about 500kg of plastic buckets, spades, etc. etc and the car park has been removed (we have to take a ticket from a machine, where an old bloke used to stand and say hello, give you a ticket and wait for you to leave and settle your account). the beach bar has been demolished, along with the massive palms that used to stand next to it (definitely now in someone's garden) and replace with a new hi-tech looking bar, with a sister restaurant nearby.

It all looks very nice, and inviting. So we went to the beach, dug holes, nearly drowned the kids, saw some pink people sunbathing (WHY?) and then went for a snack and a drink. Service was good, food was poor, and by jingo it was expensive (3 times the price of a coffee anywhere else).
We came away a little sad that a tiny piece of the real reason we love to live here has disappeared for ever. The tourists and new people will never know about Raffy´s bar, but it is a crying shame that it only exists in our memories and photos. Onwards and upwards I suppose, but I miss it. Am I getting old?