The final week of our European Christmas holiday break was spent in in a beautiful private resort in the Algarve, on the southern coast of Portugal. (see previous two posts for Lisbon and Amsterdam) We rented a car in Lisbon and made the two and a half hour drive south at our leisure. Empty roads, beautiful surroundings and being together made the journey really enjoyable, and before we knew it we were arriving at our resort. It was a spectacular cliff top location with sea views from both balconies, an elevator down the cliffs to the beach, and beach towels provided fresh on every visit and dropped in a laundry basket as you left the beach. Best of all was a wonderful fish restaurant right on the sand with the ocean crashing just feet away from the open air balcony dining area. We picked the central location close to Albufeira, and during the week travelled both east and west exploring the spectacular coast. The main image below shows us doing our thing on the Farol da Albufeira and the captioned gallery gives some indication of our roaming to the west. Heading east we visited the small town of Tavira. After enjoying lunch in the beautiful town, we hiked the short 1.5 km sand path and bridge out to an island where an unusual art piece covers a large area of beach. The Praia do Barril is about 5 km from Tavira and has a spectacular array of anchors named the Cemiterio das Ancoras (Anchor Cemetery) as a memorial to the abandoned fishing community that was based there historically. The anchors are placed throughout the sandbanks where the fishing vessels were once hauled and moored. There are two nice restaurents and clean public toilets here and a small train to take you to and from the mainland if you don't fancy the walk. We walked out there and then took the train back for the experience. TaviraThe town of Tavira lies close to the border with Spain but is worth the 45 minute journey east from Albufeira. The Gilao River cuts through the centre of the town and has wonderful riverside spaces on each side. We walked for a good distance on the north bank heading east, before crossing the river by bridge and returning along the south bank heading west. We made our way through the cobbled shopping streets to a beautiful town square with restaurants aplenty, and stopped for lunch overlooking the square and the hundreds of people passing through it. The main shot below shows a typical colourful boat on the Gilao River in the town, the gallery has captions showing more of Tavira. We ended this wonderful 3 week holiday by driving back to Lisbon and meeting up with Cec, Arlene and Devon again. We went to their apartment overlooking the beach and watched the surfers from the window while enjoying a nice cuppa and a good long chat.
We followed that with a walk along the beachfront to a restaurant where we all sat talking, eating and laughing before we said our goodbyes once again as Sarah and I made our way to the airport hotel at Lisbon and returned the rental car. We flew home via Amsterdam and arrived back in Humberside in no time at all drawing a close on a wonderful Christmas break.
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After a week in Amsterdam in December 2023 (see post below) we moved on to Lisbon, Portugal where my best buddy Cec and his family were taking a break from the misery of a Canadian winter.
It was great to meet up with Cec, Arlene and Devon on the streets of Lisbon and spend the day exploring and dining alfresco in the warm near Mediterranean climate. We stayed in a stunning hotel in the heart of the old town and walked the myriad of tiny twisting streets daily. It was a wonderful week capped off by spending the day with Cec and co before we departed for our final stop, the Algarve. I hope to write a little more on Lisbon and link it back here, but for now there is a captioned gallery below to get a flavour of this wonderful old city. The main shot shows an average street with patterned sidewalks and the ubiquitous tram clattering its way through the ancient city. For over a year now, I have been working on our retirement property in North Lincolnshire, without respite of any kind. It has been a 'full on' experience taking all of my time and energy since July 2021. This has meant Sarah flying up and down from our home in Scotland every other weekend making her life just as hectic over the same period.
So, its pleasing to close the page on that particular event and start living our life again. The house still has some small finishing touches to be done (lets not mention the garden). But we are in a good place now and we're well ready for a holiday. So we decided to meet up with Canadian friends in Portugal over Christmas, and before that to spend some time in Amsterdam rather than just changing planes there. We really enjoyed this beautiful city, and just 45 minutes from Humberside Airport it's one we will likely return to before too long. The main image below shows an area directly in front of the Central Railway Station where tour boats whisk you off around the city on its maze of canals. In future I'll write more about the city and link it to this post, but for now, there's just the gallery below with captions to provide some insight into life in the city. |
AuthorWe arrived in Calgary, Canada on 29th December 2011 to continue our journey. This blog is intended to keep our family and friends informed whilst we explore Canada.You can use the RSS feed below to stay updated. Categories
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