Até Mais (see you soon) Portugal! Our last few days in Albufeira and Portugal have been bittersweet - we're torn between (selfishly) wanting to stay and getting excited about returning home to see friends and family - especially Adrian, Kate & the best dog in the world - Indy. We really do miss you all! Most days we've spent quite a few hours relaxing on the beach - storing up on its sights, sounds and smells - gritty sand, sparkling (chilly) ocean and wa...

A weekend in Albufeira & Lagos revisited After hearing about a couple of beaches that are a few km out of town, our interest was tweaked. We researched the timetables for a local bus to take us there, but as it was a Sunday, there were very few - so off we set, on foot, to find the closest beach - Praia dos Arrifes. We frequently walk the 2.5 km to the Marina, so we decided that a further 2.4 km was do-able.......and we knew that there would be a beach-sid...

Lulé and Albufeira One of our well remembered and favourite places in Albufeira is the Marina area, so this week we decided to spend some time there. At a distance of 2.5km from our apartment, it also makes for a good walk. After passing through one of the Old Town's main streets, the way to the Marina leads upwards to the top of the cliffs, away from town......and the crowds are left behind. This is a place where the narrow, winding streets are filled with ...

Tavira & more days in Albufeira The beaches of Albufeira have been calling to us - but not the crowds who occupy them. Detemined to find somewhere we could have "elbow-room," we scoured the length of the beach...... from high above on the the cliff tops we looked for some potential spaces below - eventually choosing an area of the beach about 15 mins walk from our apartment. Although the walk takes us through some busy streets and the main square of the O...

Arrived in Albufeira + a day in Lagos We'd pre-booked a direct train from Aveiro to Albufeira, so with no changes in either Porto or Lisbon, it was worth the early morning alarm! After a quick taxi ride to the station we were (promptly) on our way at 6.20 a.m. - arriving in Albufeira 5 hours later - after stopping at only 4 or 5 other places, we were just 25 minutes late. Our journey southwards was quite interesting for the first couple of hours, but after we'...