Portugal ~ Algarve

Portugal is a beautiful country to visit. Now I get to explore the Algarve region. The Algarve, Portugal’s southernmost region, is known for its Atlantic beaches and golf resorts. We will not be doing any golfing, but I am sure my Mom and I will find some adventure along the way. We are ready...and probably have packed way too much!

Another visit to the amazing country of Portugal. I am very excited because I have not visited the Algarve Region, and that is where we are headed on this adventure. Sometimes the start of a trip can dictate the way the trip is going to unfold by setting a tone immediately. Today....drive to the airport - no traffic. Find my preferred parking spot - no problem. The terminal tram pulled in at the precise moment I walked onto the platform. My mom met me at our meeting place a few minutes after I arrived in the Terminal. We had an Air Canada agent help us print off and attach the luggage tags - that almost never happens. The luggage was whisked away at the electronic bag drop area - no issues! Nexus helped us jumped the queue at security - again, winning! Security was a snap. Once we arrived at the Plaza Premium Lounge, there was a huge line....oh no! The wheels have fallen off. Or have they??? No one in line actually had a reservation and it was quite busy - hence the line up. But I had a reservation, so in we went - research pays off.

Our flight to Lisbon was on time in departing and arrived on time.

Air Canada? Ok....I like it. Once into the terminal, we needed to pass thru immigration...and so did the other thousands of passengers who seemed to be arriving at the exact same time as us. The line was moving and it took about 20-25 minutes or so. I was getting a little concerned because our arranged pre-paid airport transfer driver would only wait for one hour after the designated pick up time...and we still needed to pick up our bags from bagggage claim. Yikes....our luck was starting to turn...or was it??? Our bags arrived with about 10 minutes to spare and we found our driver, Paulo, and away we went. YES!

Our hotel rooms were not ready when we arrived, but that was expected, as check-in time was 3 p.m. and we got to the hotel at 1:00 p.m. So not too bad of a travel day. It was all pretty smooth.

We were able to leave our bags in secure storage at the hotel and set out to sweat our asses off in 31 degree heat!!! I am not complaining, as I know we will be shovelling snow before we know it. We stopped at the cafe that had the cod cakes and the Madeira wine...great way to start off the food portion of the trip. So yummy! It was 25 euros for both of us...a little pricey, but it's one of those things you must try when coming to Lisbon.

We walked up to the Miradouro de Santa Luzia, which had an amazing view of the ocean and the surrounding area which was covered with terra cotta rooftops. It was a very popular spot so it was near impossible to get a photo without someone else in the picture.

What a great start to the holiday!

We had a bit of a late night last night, as we wanted to try to adjust to the time difference...and we went our for drinks with Christopher and Thomas, friends from home, that I had found out two days ago were going to be in Lisbon on the weekend as well - so of course we had to get together. Good times!

The next morning we checked out of the Rossio Plaza Hotel @ 7 a.m. and ordered an Uber to take us to the train station (Entrecampos). This was the longest time I had ever waited for an Uber pick up...it took 20 minutes for our driver to get there. However, there were many road closures this morning that could have contributed to the long wait time since there was a marathon race happening later in the morning.

It took us about 20 minutes or so to get to the station and I asked a transit worker which platform we would be departing from, just to be sure. No one wants to get on the wrong train. This train was a high speed train that could reach speeds of 220 km/h. I had purchased first class tickets last week, since there was an online deal...and likely the only first class travel I can afford - so why not!? The cost for the train (one way) was 18 Euros for me and 15 Euros for seniors. The first class carriage offered big comfy seats with lots of leg room. Assigned seating meant we didn't have to jockey for a place to sit. Travel time from Lisbon to Albufeira (Ferreiras) was 3 hours...good time for a wee snooze while watching a movie on my iPad.

Once we disembarked the train, we grabbed a taxi to our apartment which cost just under 12 Euros. Our suite was not quite ready as check in was 4 p.m., but we were able to leave our luggage in the rental office and head out to explore the town on Albufeira on foot. Our apartment is so centrally located - in the heart of everything.

We walked in a few stores...ok, many stores...haha. No purchases yet. We headed to the beach and walked along the boardwalk to check things out. Today was a beauty day of 29 degrees...with loads of sunshine. We also stopped at a tourist booking office to book some excursions for later in the week. We found a grocery story near the apartment to stock up. Once the apartment was ready, we were able to unpack and get settled. Cocktails on the balcony only seemed fitting.

Later in the evening we headed out for dinner. There are amazing venues everywhere with live music - great place for people watching. The pizza and sangria was amazing too...it's no turkey dinner - but still really yummy. Happy Thanksgiving!

Today's plan was to go to Lagos. It is known for its walled old town and rugged cliffs over looking the Atlantic. My initial thought was to inquire about getting a rental car for the day. I sometimes like to wait and see what weather conditions are going to be like, or else I would have booked in advance. No worries...until Buddy at the rental counter tells me the price of 140 Euros for the day. Uh, no. Off to the bus terminal we go! The bus ride took just over an hour and we scored the front seats, so we could watch where we were going.
Once to Lagos, we enjoyed a late breakfast/early lunch at a cafe in the Old Town. We were going to have gelato, but figured a real meal would make more sense.

The views overlooking the various beaches were stunning. All the rugged coastline makes for some great grotto inlet beaches. I couldn't help but take off my shoes and enjoy walking on the warm sand. And there is nothing more soothing than the sound of crashing waves.

The various beaches we got to were:
> Praia dos Estudantes
> Praia do Camilo
> Praia de Balanca

The hiking trail is situated high above the cliffs. Caution definitely must be taken at certain places, so definitely obey the safety signs. Yes, we did all of that!

After our hike, which was crazy hot, we walked through the Old Town and explored a bunch of stores. We even had to stop for some gelato at this point...our count is up to 3 now.

We took the bus back to Albufeira later in the afternoon. The bus stops at the main terminal in the centre of town. From there, we grabbed an Uber (less than 4 Euros) to get us to the location of our apartment.

We had one some problem that we had to fix once back to town and before we returned to the apartment. Ice. We needed ice for the drinks. Crisis adverted...we found some!

What kind of adventure can we get into tomorrow?

Another beauty day in the Algarve. What are the girls to do? A little 3 hour tour of doing something a little different...at least for my mom. Today's adventure:
> 4 x 4 Side by Side Buggy Tour
Time to do a little off-road'n up in the mountains/hills of the Algarve. Let's go!

The company we used was "Algarve Riders" - and they were great! They picked us up right near the apartment and whisked us to Base Camp where we were outfitted with helmets and goggles. Luckily I had packed my neck tube thingee which did a great job protecting me from dust and dirt...sort of!

The drive was incredible! I am pretty sure my Mom really enjoyed being a passenger. (We definitely did not need another "Bermuda Incident"...) I think I was a racecar driver in a previous life. I like to go fast and negotiate the hills and turns along the varied terrain - so amazing!!! Luckily the tour guide recognized that Buddy in front of me was "driving Miss Daisy" and moved them to the back of the pack at the first rest stop. It was so much better after that. The dust flying around was crazy - we were a completely different colour at the end of the tour. Dirt and dust found its way everywhere and into everything. (Glad we have a washing machine in our apartment)

Such a fun time! Highly recommend if you are looking for some adrenaline adventure in the Algarve.

Back to the apartment for a quick snack, then it was off to the beach to bounce around with some waves. The water temperature was 71 degrees, a little 'fresh', but you quickly got use to it, especially if a wave came in pack'n a punch. It was 30 degrees Celsius today - so hanging out next to the crashing surf was just what we ordered! Sand ~ Sun ~ Surf!

Time to open the bar once we returned to the apartment with a little stop for gelato along the way. Gelato count is up to 4 or is it 5?