Southern Portugal

Adventures in the Algrave...or at least trying to stay dry!

Monday April 13

On my own! I said Goodbye to Dad this morning at 5:30 when he headed for the airport. I wasn't too far behind him heading for my flight south to Faro. It was only a 35 minute flight but of course I as able to fit in a little nap in the air. When I landed in Faro I picked up my rental car. Yes I am a spoiled traveler and at the last minute on Sunday decided it would be nice to be able to drive along the coast and not worry about trains or buses that seem to be extremely unreliable. And on top of that I have been carrying my GPS all week for my last portion with Lisa. Mise well put it to use!

The drive was beautiful and uneventful. 91 km from Faro to Lagos. The most exciting part was trying to find Dina's Guesthouse, the hostel I am staying at for the next couple of nights. The last turn was a tight squeeze and there was a period where I thought I might be paying for some scratches. But I cleared it, checked in and set out for Sagres and Sao do Vincente.

My first stop was Cabo Sao Vincente at the southwest tip of Europe called by the Portugeaus O Fim do Mundo (The End of the World) The only sight to see here is the much isolated Faro de Sao Vincente aka the St. Vincente Lighthouse.

The beacon is said to have the strongest reflectors in Europe. The views from the cliff were remarkable. I was starving at this point so I grabbed a Bratwurst and received a certificate certifying that I had indeed been to the most Westernly point in Europe.

On my way again. I drove along the coast towards Sagres stopping occasionally at ruins of churches and the famous Fortaileza de Sagres. However, I was feeling cheap and I think I have seen quite a few fortresses so I didn't actually make it inside. Instead I continued on to Lagos where I parked the car, hoping it will be there tomorrow, dropped off a bunch of stuff and headed out to explore.

I walked along a rocky / sandy path across the tips of the cliffs overlooking some amazing beaches. The way they have been formed and the beautiful surroundings got me very excited to lay out tomorrow.
I even checked out some postcard pictures to figure out where I should go for the best experience.



Along the way I came across a fort on the water's edge that was also the home of a small marina. There wasn't a ton of information as to what it's significance was but it sums up a lot of what Portugal is.


At about 6 I was hungry and by myself. Restaurants usually don't serve till 8 because of the culture of the aperitif time, so I choose an outdoor restaurant and ordered a beer to kill time before ordering another and a pizza. When the pizza arrived I again had the realization I was on my own and probably wouldn't be eating as well. Not because I wasn't willing to pay but rather I didn't want to go to a busy restaurant late at night and eat by myself. So I settled for an early dinner of a DiGiorno's Pizza or at least that is what it tasted like. With a full belly I made my way home to check my e-mail and I was fast asleep by 8:30.

Tuesday, April 14

Chasing the Sun or chasing the clouds. I am not really sure which I did today. After going to bed so early the night before I was up bright and early and extremely energetic. So I decided to take a run and explore the beach across the footbridge. I ran down the main shopping street that was completely deserted at 8:20 and also when I got back at 9:30. I was shocked that there weren't even people having coffee. Anyhow, the beach I ran on is probably the only beach in all of the Algrave that is not closed in by cliffs. It stretched for about 2 miles with flat land completely surrounding it. I was glad I ran it because I wouldn't be visiting it during the day with all the scenic options available.

Back at my hostel I got ready for a day at the beach. Purchased a towel, stopped at the market for some fruit and then on the road to Alrove and Portimao. Supposedly two beautiful must see locations. After 3 stops in Alrove, I finally came across a good beach in the cliffs. Walking down a steep path, past a snack bar and through two small beaches and caves I came out to an exclusive beach just for me!

There was a little sun and a lot of wind so I laid out my towel, opened up my book and tried to soak up the sun with my sweatshirt still on. About 45 minutes in the clouds rolled in and so did the rain. I packed up and headed back to the car for Portimao.

I had some hope because the clouds looked to be behind me. But that was not the case. As I sat eating lunch along the beach the clouds rolled in again this time with more force than a little shower. As all the showers in Portugal go, it was quick. Looking at the sky it looked clear over Lagos, so I headed west, hopefully towards the sun...again. Found a beach, read maybe a chapter if I was lucky and then it started. All out storm, and I got soaked!!! My hopes for sun had been drowned, so I gave up and went back to my hostel to drop things off before treating myself to Mint Chocolate chip ice cream and stroll down the center.

It was a sad night. I was home by 5:30 and I didn't go out again. I finished my book, watched a little National Geographic as the rain came down outside. I also finally broke into my Easter bunny from Allyson. It was a tasty dinner treat.

Wednesday, April 15

Easy to sum up the day. Woke up early to rain. Sun peaked out, got coffee, more rain. Sent an e-mail to Mom and Dad, saw hopes of sun...grabbed my towel, laid down on the beach with 4 other crazies, followed by rain. Sun for another 20 minutes, then full on thunderstorm where I found cover in the arch of a cave.


Chilled to the bone, I went and put jeans on before grabbing lunch and had 2 cups of coffee, while there were 3 showers. So I went back to the hostel, watched an old version of Cruel Intentions that I didn't know existed. At about 6:30 I thought I would grab a beer, but it rained. The streets were deserted and so were the bars. Home by 7:30 for a dinner of an orange and a viewing of Jaws!

A quality day all around!

Thursday, April 16

On the road again. I left Lagos behind, heading for Milan for the night, while meeting up with Lisa. Then we are off to Naples tomorrow!