Algarve

Day 6-Algarve (Portugal)

The Florida of Portugal, the Algarve region is where many in Europe go to have their beach vacation. For us, this stop was more about seeing and hiking the coastline. High waves unfortunately cancelled our boat trip, so we rebooted and headed out earlier than planned on our 8 mile out and back hike along the Seven Hanging Valley Trail. Rated as one of the very best hikes in Europe, this scenic route started just outside our condo. The walk which followed the top of coastal cliffs and was more varied then expected from the taller cliffs at the beginning to sculpted shapes, caves, sea stacks and arches towards the end. All along the path were a series of hidden surprises like deep gorges, secluded coves, forested patches, and huge sinkholes where it is possible to hear the ocean waves reverberating down below. I think I only caused Margaret 5 panic attacks as I tend to push it a little close to the edge to get that perfect picture! At Benagil beach, we were fortunate to buy a short boat tour to see these spectacular cliffs and caves from the sea level. My favorite was of course the large, light-filled dome of the famous Benagil Cave, just breathtaking!

On return, Thom declared that we might have undersold the difficulty of the hike just a tad as we did in fact do 9 miles and 1500 feet of elevation. After cleaning up, everyone was up for one more short hike to the beach below to the “0 Stop” restaurant. As the guys rehydrated with a few liters of beers, I figured we were trading ambience and a sensational sunset for food quality. Our tapas and seafood boil however were quite tasty. Thom took on the mission impossible to eat everything that used to move in our massive platter. Although we leave Portugal for Spain tomorrow, I am pretty sure we will all be back to the Algarve in the future!もっと詳しく