Portugal

Portugal 10/11-10/19

We spent 8 fabulous sun-filled days in the Algarve, Portugal. The Algarve is the Southern tip of Portugal and we stayed in the town of Carviero. The area is filled with wonderful picturesque beaches—most of which are coves accessed by long staircases down to the beach. It seemed that each cove beach was filled with wonderful rock formations, caves, turquoise water and golden sand. The area was very family friendly and the locals were very welcoming—especially to children. It was very easy to move around with our “large” (by UK standards) family. Besides the beach, we took a day long jeep tour of the area and up to Monchique, learned how cork was harvested (Portugal’s largest export), tasted the local moonshine and the local honey. We ventured out on our own to Silves to see the local farmer’s market, the roman bridge the castle (from the 10^th century), and the churches. We also took a boat tour of the area in a restored 1800’s wooden ship. From the large ship we took an excursion into the water caves, which was amazing. It was a perfect vacation and we all came back feeling rejuvenated.