Sunny, Sizzling, PORTUGAL?

Interesting Murals give Portuguese buildings a cool texture.

For our bye week, Christie and I headed to a place I had never considered before to be a tourist destination: PORTUGAL!  Yet after doing some research, I discovered that the Algarve region along the sunny southern coast of the continent has developed into a fabulous new spot for tourists!  (Plus, after having so many "whirlwind" trips as of late, we were looking to slow down our pace a little!)

The Southern Coast of the Continent: The Algarve region of Portugal and the Costa del Sol of Spain.

We found a cheap flight non-stop from Munich to Faro, a small beachside community with an interesting old town and large harbor.  However, we didn't waste much time there, instead renting a car and heading west towards our hotel in Albufeira.  We did however, make a quick stop for a cappuccino at Isla Faro (Faro Island), and happened to run into the biggest beach bum ever... literally.

BEACH BUM!

After that (disturbing) site, we traveled the half hour to Albufeira.  What we found was an interesting dichotomy: a bustling old town of white washed buildings, tiled walkways, and cool cafes, and outside the city a sprawling complex of modern hotels clinging to the picturesque cliffs.  We spent the morning in the city, then headed to our hotel in the afternoon for some pool & beach action!

Shopping in the Old Town

White Buildings with a hand-made "Champions League Final" poster

WHAT THE HECK IS GOALBALL?  WHERE CAN I SIGN UP?

Finally the beach in the old town

A great cafe for lunch - 2 euro handburgers and tuna sandwiches

Using Tripadvisor.com and a number of other sources of information, I settled on the Porto Bay Falesia hotel about 10 minutes outside of Albufeira.  It sits on a cliff overlooking the sea (or is it ocean?  can never be quite sure here...) and has big pine trees that give it a sort of Monterey feel.  Now this is what I call vacation!  (Sorry no information on cathedrals or historical sites!)

The pool

A happy wife is a happy life

Champagne to mark our 2nd honeymoon

Christie next to our rental car, aka GOLF CART.  If your rental car tells you anything about a country, then the CITROEN is a far cry from the BMW & Mercedes that we rent in Germany

At night, the city comes alive with a warm, atmospheric old town bustling with people, live music spilling out from patios, and the mouth-watering smells of paella, fresh fish, and surprisingly, many different ethic foods.  We found a place to watch the Champion's League final, where home-country hero Christiano Ronaldo could not help Manchester United against Barcelona.  The 2-0 win was disappointing for the local fans, but soon they had forgotten, instead soaking in the great atmosphere of the Algarve.  Who would have ever thought this region would be so great! 

A palm tree filled square in the old town

Neon signs

Great promenades - this is the Europe 

~ J. Twice