We rented a car and drove a couple of hours to the southern province of Portugal, The Algarve. We stayed in the small beach town of Burgau. Just minutes from our AirBnB we took a cliff top walk along the ocean.
The view from the beach in Burgau. It’s a quarter-mile long beach bracketed by rocky cliffs.
We made a few stops at the Beach Bar to enjoy some vinho verde.
A half-hour drive west to Sagres took us to the southwest corner of the European continent. We first visited the Sagres Fortress which dates from the 16th century (though it was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1755 and rebuilt in the mid 20th century).
We each enjoyed the “last bratwurst before America” (OK, I had two) before hiking around Cape St. Vincent.
Looking north along the rugged and beautiful coast.
Cape St. Vincent lighthouse.
Back in Burgau, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the cliff above town.
We drove 15 minutes east to Lagos the following day and walked the cliffs above the ocean in an area called The Grotto.
We took a late afternoon boat ride to catch the views from the water.
So long Portugal! We really enjoyed our three weeks exploring the country. The Portuguese are very nice and welcoming, and though language was occasionally a challenge, it’s not too hard. Everyone makes the effort to understand and help you.