TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

Surprising things in Portugal: 1. The Portuguese speak good English. Even the waiters and shop girls will speak English to you which is an amazing thing since if you head eastward to big neighbor, Spain, you won't survive there without mastering a few Spanish phrases. The only Portuguese word I knew was: OBRIGADA/OBRIGADO which means Thank You. 2. They have great coffee. I didn't expect it but the coffee there even in those tiny cafes were pretty good. I was impressed. 3. The region of Algarve is pretty much organized. And clean too. Dutchman noticed it and had to make a remark. Now that is something coming from the obsessive organized Dutch. 4. Everyone thinks I am Portuguese! So naturally they all speak Portuguese to me and I always end up saying, NO I AM NOT PORTUGUESE! They apologize and say they thought I was a local. Though a few Portuguese guys asked me if I am Portuguese or not. They were unsure. Funny. 5. Algarve is windy. Ack, just like Holland, but surely the weat...

PRAIA DA OURA BEACH Praia da Oura where we had our hotel is a relatively busy developed touristic area filled with English and Dutch beach holiday goers. If you are looking for sun and fun, the place won’t surely disappoint you! Getting ready to hit the beach in Praia da Oura! Coastline of Praia da Oura where Dutchman baked himself until he was red. Café/terras by the Praia da Oura. A villa at the corner of our street, 20 meters away from our hotel. CAPE ST. VINCENT The “ End point of the world ”, as they say, borders the Atlantic Ocean. Its nature preserves, the sheer rocky cliffs were just breathtakingly amazing. To the eastern stretch of cliffs is the renowned Sagres Point , where Henry the Navigator did most of this voyage launches in the early days of exploration, called “ The Age of Discoveries ”. While Dutchman and I were awed at the amazing rock formations, we noticed this small tablet in the rock floor, written in both Portuguese and Deutsch. It s...

PRAIA DA OURA in Algarve is LOVELY! But a tad expensive than Greece or Spain. Dutchman and I have been nightlife-ing the past 3 nights and during the day, strolling, sipping our fave drink by the terras, relaxing, and laying down in the beach. And what is really cool, they have this popular long road stretch in Praia da Oura, Albufeira called THE STRIP that is full of bars, restos, cafes and such, all filled with blasting neon lights in the evening. I feel like I am in the middle of the Casino strip, hehe. The nice thing, we are only a few minutes away (and also a few minutes from the beach). Simply fantastic. TODAY MONDAY Dutchman and I are going out of Albufeira and are headed WEST of Algarve . We will try to locate this " end of the world point " they say, which is called CAPE ST. VINCENT . We will also check the charming and ancient villages along the way, and perhaps the other resorts and touristic places. TOMORROW TUESDAY is our trip to the capital LISBOA (Lisbon/...

We are off to our summer B-E-A-C-H holiday! Our plane leaves around NOON in Holland and will arrive in Faro , Algarve (southernmost tip of Portugal) in the afternoon. Portugal time will be the same as the UK, so it will be -1 hour on our Dutch watch. From Faro, we will have a transfer service that will bring us to Albufeira right in the central smack of Algarve . We chose Albufeira because it is a busy touristy place with a banquet of happenings to offer, and as such being, promises us the holiday we desire. We love the party and buzzing atmosphere… it makes us feel blood young and alive. Map of Algarve, see Albufeira in the center? Above are two maps of Europe and Portugal showing where Algarve is. Nature wonders of Algarve... Here’s a little bit of history... The Phoenecians were the first settlers in the area establishing trading posts in Algarve’s coastline, circa 1000 BC. The Carthaginians followed, then later on, the remorseless but civilized Romans. In the coming centuries, th...