EPISODE 7 - Portugal
Tonight’s episode, albeit shortened was pretty good, all in all. It started out tonight with Chris meeting up with the guys in a town square and telling them that there will be 4 dates instead of the normal 3, and that the first date card will be waiting for them in the hotel room......As the guys get to the hotel, they open the doors to find a very posh and stylish hotel room waiting for them. As the date card is read out, Roberto gets the first date: Come be the king of my castle.......

ALI AND ROBERTO – Come be the king of my castle
As Ali comes up to greet the guys and welcome them to Portugal, she and Roberto head off for their date. The two of them start walking through the town squares and village streets all the while taking pics of each other goofing off. It is obvious that they are having fun on their date as they dance in the streets to the music being produces by one of the street musicians. They then take a cable car which Ali comments it reminds her of San Francisco with the hilly streets and the cable cars running up and down.

Back at the hotel, the next date card arrives and it is for the 2 on 1 date with Frank, Ty and Ali.........Let’s find our future in the past.

The next that we see of Roberto and Ali on their date is that Roberto is carrying a picnic basket and they are walking hand in hand up a staircase on the outside of a castle for a picnic. As they sit having their picnic, drinking wine and watching the sunset, Ali admits in a PI that she at first thought Roberto was too good for her.....Now she admits that Roberto could be the one for her.

ALI, FRANK, AND TY – Let’s find our future in the past
As Ali stands waiting on the tarmac in front of another heli (geees, I thought this girl was scared of flying), as she waits for Frank and Ty to show up. When they take off, they head out on a tour of the area around Lisbon, by the way, the country side is just amazing(pun intended here as this seems to be the most used word again this season). As they tour over a few castles and the villages on the edge of town, they settle down next to another castle. The three of them walk up to the castle, finding a deer in the trees along the way........they then sit down at a cozy table for 3.....
Just after they finish dinner, Ali takes Ty aside to have a chat.....she questions him as to his divorce and to find out a little more on his feelings of marriage, divorce and what caused his. After a little chat time with him, they go back to the table.

Back at the hotel, the next date card arrives.......it is meant for Kirk. The card reads: Once upon a time......

Ali then takes Frank outside to the courtyard. Frank finally admits to Ali that he is actually still living at his parents house. In a PI later, Ali admits that she understands him wanting to wait till now before indulging that info versus saying it before. After some smooching and some quality time out there, they come back in and the date is over.....Again, another shortened disjointed date to make room for Jake and Vienna.

ALI AND KIRK – Once upon a time
As Kirk and Ali meet up together, they are seen walking to a local patio restaurant where they have some lunch, a beer and some conversation.....as Ali questions Kirk how he is feeling this week, she begins the questioning about him taking her home to meet his family. As they head off through the streets and countryside around Lisbon on their carriage ride, they come up to the palace where they will spend the rest of their date at. As they sit and watch the sunset at the top of the palace, they are talking about the hometown dates and how nervous they are because of what a big step it is. Kirk hasn’t taken anyone home to meet his family in 3 yrs. The next you see of them, they are sitting down for a romantic dinner at the top of the palace. Ali lets him see that she has concerns as to whether he will be by her side years from now or will he wander to newer relationships or think of past ones. She admits that having the more serious conversations with Kirk is easier than it might be with the other guys.


Back at the hotel once again, the next date card arrives for Chris which reads: Love gets better with age........

Back at the palace, Ali and Kirk are done with dinner and head out of the palace to find a street musician and singer waiting there to serenade them. In a PI, Ali admits that she has such a great emotional connection with Kirk that is so rare.

ALI AND CHRIS – Love gets better with age
In a PI at the beginning of the date, Ali admits that she is nervous as she doesn’t know how the date will go and she is having a difficult time understanding where her feelings are going with Chris. She says that she is really digging him as a friend and also admits that she really needs him to open up to be able to take him home for a hometown date. As they walk along, Ali shows Chris that they will be using the scooter to get where they are going......as they take off on the thing, both of them are laughing uncontrollably. As Ali states, their relationship seems to be going as slowly as the scooter ride is so she has to jump into the driver’s seat and take off......literally, she starts driving the scooter.......As they drove along the Oceanside, they found a place to pull over that was overlooking the ocean to have a chat. In a PI, Ali states that she is glad that Chris’s walls are coming down and he is able to open up, but she didn’t know if it is a little too late.....she states that their date is going really well and they have finally picked up speed and the winery is a great place to loosen up and take some more great steps forward. As the two of them are sitting down in the winery talking, drinking wine, Chris says that he has something for Ali called the Dennis Bracelet.......As he is putting it on her, you can see that she is visibly overwhelmed and is totally happy with the gift......as she states in a PI, she is glad that he waited till now to give it to her as it was very meaningful and sweet. Several kisses later, you see them walking around outside the winery, arm in arm. In a PI, Ali states that the walls have come down, Chris has opened up and even though they have taken small steps until now, she feels that they could start taking huge leaps. As they are laying on the grass together, she states that Chris would be an amazing husband and that they have had a great day.....

ROSE CEREMONY:

The guys awarded roses are: Chris, Frank, Roberto, and Kirk. Ty is sent home tonight.

Next up is Hometown Dates.