Dunas do Alvor Apartments

... but did some paddling! for lunch we headed 5km up the coast to Luz. A wonderful sunny afternoon and towards the end of it Lym did venture into what turned out to be rather too powerful surf tho he is now feeling more confident about trying to get "out back" beyond the white water, albeit usually unsuccessfully... more pracise required. Still, another day spent in mid20s temperature, few crowds and stunning scenery. <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>

... demographic. As the kiwis marched forward I walked with Kirsten, a tall blond policewoman from Hanover. She laughed a lot, and spoke fluent Portuguese. I must admit I'm not the best traveler in the world, I often can't be bothered to learn the most basic of phrases in the local language; but I'm pretty darn good at traveling with good travelers. <br><br>We arrived at the hostel to find that it was A) 7 Euros more expensive than the ...

... though a little salty. She's visibly proud of it. As she prepares potatoes for roasting we talk about food. Its certainly not her passion, but somebody has to do it. I can see why they were so eager to have me in the kitchen for a couple weeks.<br><br>Daniella asks me why I decided to volunteer my time with them. I explain to her that I wanted to work with them because their website says that all of the meals are prepared by a chef, and I was hoping to learn about Portuguese ...

... a patch of wild fennel. Back in the kitchen I find some white beans and a nice chunk of chorizo, now we're on a roll.<br><br>In my mind the meal comes together beautifully. The grilled hake is joined with a dish of white beans, sauteed fennel and sausage. A delicious pilaf provides the starch and a bit of colour comes from roasted tomatoes and red peppers. I am ...

... the kingdom of Dom Manuel I, the headland already had a beacon kept lit all night by the Capuchin friars. With a range of 95 kilometers, the present-day lighthouse is one of the most powerful in Europe. From the fortress of Sagres a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean is unforgettable.<br><br>Night show at Hotel Algarve Casino was spectacular. The dancers and the light show were truly unforgettable.<br><br><br>

... br><br>The freezer and its secrets were waiting for me in an unlit room by the tool shed. I brought with me a flashlight and a few crates into which I unloaded the contents. What I experienced in that room, was certainly the most horrifying freezer I have ever seen. It was littered with empty plastic bags, frost bitten buns and unwrapped meat. A tray of open pork chops was so severely frost bitten that I'm really only guessing at its identity. One ...

... it was pretty tame until one of the toreadors almost got trampled by one of the bulls, the dude was lucky they dulled the tip of the bulls horns. <br><br><br>http://picasaweb.google.com /Jonny.D.Lawrence/20091016Albufeira?aut hkey=Gv1sRgCImA4oCXitDO5AE&amp;feat=dir ectlink<br>

... there, he was hilarious and exactly like a euro version of an American beach bum. <br>We also went to check out the lagoon, I got out for a couple tacks, the wind was super light and I crashed my kite and it deflated... fun. I had to walk my kite back through shallow water ...

The west and south coast of Portugal is pretty much a long stretch of beaches surrounded and separated by huge red cliffs and you can get from one beach to another by crawling through caves in the cliffs (I also think that's where the bums sleep at night...) We did some surfing at a small secluded beach that I had been to 4 years ago with my family. We&#8217;re ...

... to check out a restored church that features some unique architectural designs common to the area. Unfortunately it was locked (strange for Sunday) so we couldn't go in, but the externals feature numerous tiny windows and doors to supplement the main light sources, plus a skewed, off-centreline entrance and curiously exposed corner brickwork ...