The Best of Portugal Day 4

Day 4 – September 6, 2002 – Algarve Excursion

During the night, the temperature of the area went down into the high 40's – COOL!We slept with our door open and we could hear the bars down by the beach with their music.

We got a wake up call at 7:30 and went down to the nice breakfast at 8:15. Fruits, eggs, all sort of breads, cereals, just about anything. We were to leave at 9 for the tour but two ladies were late. At 9:20 the tour director decided not to wait and we left. Second time this has happened on this trip. We enjoyed a drive along the Algarve to the Sagres Peninsula.

We went through a lot of small and larger cities where the resort business has been booming. Some great facilities but we were glad to be here now instead of June, July and August. Still lots of people.

We were inland a bit so could not see the coast too well. We drove east to the furthest western point on the European mainland, Cabo de San Vicente by the city of Sangres where the explorer/teacher Prince Henry the Navigator sent all the ships out to explore the world. Vasco da Gama, Pedro Alvares Cabral and others.

We were able to admire the view across the wild beauty of Baleeira Beach and finally reached Cape St. Vincent where the sky was very clear but the wind coming of the water was about 60 degrees. We then drove back by way of some of the resorts and stopped at several locations to see the sights and the beaches.

We returned to our hotel via the cliff top resort of Praia da Rocha. We got back at 2:30 and will go out for a light lunch and then email this letter. With the afternoon at leisure perhaps relax before we go out on an evening tour and dinner with the cataplan as our main course.

Lots of people on this tour are interesting – some very loud, and some very late. Most are nice and we try to eat and sit with different couples or ladies during the days.

Some things that I thought were so unusual were huge nests on the tallest chimneys – storks! And we have seen cork trees along the roads where they harvest the bark which is actually 2 to 3 inches thick. They peel it off then cut out the corks and make many crafts. Then after 9 years the bark grows back and they do it all over again. We've also see lots of interesting pottery and ceramic tiles. Great – Gennie even bought a set of numbers for the house.

Tonight we left the hotel for the Optional Dinner at 6:45 and went to the very upscale city of Villamoura where we walked by the marina. Very nice boats and yachts. There were 21 of us and we got along well.

We then got back on the bus and went to Quarteira where we went to the Piteu Restaurants for dinner. First course was appetizers and we were served lettuce and fresh tuna on one plate, another had lettuce and octopus, and then two dishes of crab cakes and shrimp filled pastry. We had bread with sardine paste/patte, then they brought out a plate of beans and rice and bread.

Bottles of red and white wine were on the table. Once we were done then they brought out the grilled sardines – two each and both were at least 6 inches long (head to tail). Very good also. Then the main meal called Cataplana which was either pork or seafood dish (baked in a covered pot) like a stew – had muscles, clams, potatoes, big shrimps, little lobsters, green pepper, onions, tomatoes, and carrots . FANTASTIC. Pieces of shrimp as long as my hand. Clams, cod, etc. Very tasty and delicious.

Four of us at the table consumed 3.5 bottles of red wine and another LARGE gentleman had over a bottle of white. Gennie had water and a Coke! We then had dessert of two pastries and a cafezinho. After dinner we had an Amarguinha (bitter almond liqueur) that was quite good. It has cyanide so one cannot have too much. We then came home at 10:30. Very nice evening.I must say that the red wine here in Portugal is as good as we have had in Italy or Greece.

Day 10: Mediterranean Navigation

Antonio, Our Guide

Gardens at the Alcazaba

Roman Theater

Visiting with Picasso

Gennie & Vic, Malaga 2004

Previous Next

Day 10 - Tuesday, March 11, 2025 –Ship Docked in Málaga, Spain; Costa del Sol; Andalusia

The Clio docked at the Port of Malaga just before midnight enabling us to have a very calm night’s sleep. The alarm went off at 7:15 and we had...

Continue Reading Day 10