Cliff Richard in the Algarve

For the past couple of months, we have been lucky to find ourselves in the same campsite as Hans & Mireille, a Dutch couple who recently bought a caravan and decided to do some exploring. We've had plenty of good times together and when they asked us to join them for a day trip out, we didn't hesitate.

First stop was the beautiful church of St. Lawrence in Almancil whose origins date from the 16th century. The whole of the interior including the domed ceiling is decorated with famous blue and white Portuguese glazed tiles known as 'azulejos', in contrast to the highly gilded alter piece and woodwork. The tiles depict the life of St. Lawrence, who became the patron Saint back in 1722 when local inhabitants, desperate for water, implored the Saint for help while digging, vowing to build a temple if only they could find water. You can guess at what happened next.

From here we headed into the town of Loulé, to see the art-nouveau building of the market with its Arab-influenced cupolas and tiles. It was in here that we had a bit of a shock to see Cliff Richard stood behind a counter selling wine! Doing a double-take and upon closer inspection, it turned out that it wasn't the man in person but a life-size cutout peddling wine from his vineyard nearby!

A cup of coffee and a pastel de nata later and we went down to the coast to check out the famous Praia Falaise, a stretch of beach between Albufeira and Vilamoura where the deep terracotta cliffs and rock formations took our breath away. We walked along the beach and then up and along the clifftop marveling at nature.

We had a great day out and added to our collection of good times with our pals.Read more