We are back from our trip where we did some independent walking in the Algarve and have come away being pleasantly surprised with the area. As usual, we tended to stay away from the beaten path if we could. But the beaten path does have its advantages, such as fish and chips!!!! Mostly though we ate in a Portugese restaurant that provided a 3 course meal and a drink (wine in our case) for 8.95 euros per person. The service was excellent and the food very tasty, and good portion sizes. What was good was that they also had a few vegetarian options.
The drive down was pretty boring mainly along toll roads, that cost us somewhere in the region of 35 euros altogether. Needless to say coming back we opted for the drawn out, explore Portugal, drive home. It took several hours longer as we were keeping to the speed limits (unlike everyone else!). We shaved off about 70 km from our journey, saved toll fees, and used less diesel. We also saw the changing landscape as we journeyed 288 km from the Algarve up to Central Portugal. We may be biased but as soon as we hit the "Central" area (just above Tomar) the landscape became more interesting, with its hills and valleys instead of miles of flat farmland.
The downside was that we arrived home in the dark. The house was very cold, but intact. It does not do to be complacent, and we had taken precautions to make the house look like it was business as usual, and taken care of securing any valuables.
The Algarve has stunning coastal scenery. We used geocaching to help us explore safely, and the guide to walks in the Algarve that we had taken with us. We actually saw the Portugese version for sale in the Albufeira tourist information centre in Albufeira Old Town. It was A5 size and was on sale for 7 euros. They didn't have an English version. We asked if there were any walking maps for sale but the staff told us they didn't.
Anyway, summary of our visit to the Algarve:
West Coast, geocaches x 2, on the "Trilho das Mares" or Trail of Tides walk on Page 15 of the Guide (see link above). We cut the walk short by going through Carrapateira to get back to the car that was parked at Point B on the map. It amounted to about 5 or 6 km. If we did it again we would reverse the walk so that we were doing the coastal part last on the return route (as per Walk 27 of the June Parker book "Walking in the Algarve") or just walk along the coast one way, and then back again. The route along the road was pretty boring. Alternatively, we would return to do the whole 19km walk as per the map in the Guide.
After the walk we visited Sagres. There was a geocache there that took us to the Fortaleza da Sagres that juts out into the sea making it the southern most point in Europe. The fort was quite an ugly building, and we had to pay 3 euros each to go in, but it was worth it as there were information boards inside and a few remains of the original fort built in Henry the Navigator's time c 1400s. The rest of the fort was mostly destroyed by Sir Francis Drake and by the 1755 earthquake. We took a pedestrian path from inside the fort that took you on a route around the promontory to the different points of interest (and info panels). There were "furnas" or sea blowholes fenced off. One furna in particular, that didn't look much as they had blocked it with huge rocks, gave a really loud roar every time the sea beneath the promontory entered the blowhole. So SCARY! It really did sound like a dragon or some monster was under your feet, and the grass around the blowhole moved visibly each time from the dragon breath. Filmed the noise and moved away FAST! If you play it back you must turn up the volume on your computer and your speakers, and this 8 second film still won't be anywhere loud enough. Hard to imagine what the noise would be like on a windy or stormy day. It's no wonder that it was a sacred place to the Romans and pre-Romans.
THE SLEEPING DRAGON
On the way back to Albufeira we passed a retail park with a large supermarket called "Continente" and we managed to buy Mature Cheddar Cheese! The block was 200g and we paid 3.09 euros. When we went back on Sunday to stock up on Cheddar cheese to keep us going for several months, the 3.09 cheese was all gone (bloody English people!) but they had Cathedral City, 200g for 3.19. So we had most of it...the sell by date is May 2010. We also managed to buy a block of Parmesan that we haven't been able to buy here (though we can get pre-grated Parmesan in packets from Intermarche and Ecomarche).
Tuesday 7 December we decided to visit the mountains near Monchique to do some walking. Again there were geocaches, and we had a map from the Guide for a walk in the area of Foia, that is the highest mountain in the Algarve. Unfortunately, as we drove up the mountain the fog and mist thickened. At some points we rose out of it, only for it to drift across again a few minutes later. Certainly no day to be out walking in an unfamiliar area on a mountain. So, we retreated to the coast, and using geocaching again we did a 7km circular walk between Lagos and Luz. Half the walk took us along the coastal path, and then it brought us slightly inland across a golf course, past ruined buildings, and then back to the coastal path. There was no fog lower down and the weather was perfect for walking.
Wednesday 8 December we decided to explore Albufeira, as we hadn't at this point, actually seen a beach in the resort we were staying in. We found the beach,a few hundred meters from our hotel, and began walking along what looked like a coastal path. And ended up walking all 4km to Albufeira Old Town where a lot of the main tourist action takes place. The Old Town is certainly worth a visit as it is very pretty. There are plenty of bars and restaurants, the tourist information centre (though it's probably the only info centre we've visited that does not have any info to give out apart from a map of the resort). Nearer to our hotel is The Strip. We wandered down The Strip a few times looking for somewhere to eat. Most of it was closed down but it wasn't hard to see that there is usually a panoply of bars/restaurants to suit every taste. Blissfully, we had the place almost entirely to ourselves. The advantage is, that though most places were shut down, those that were still open had quite good offers on. Though, having said that, we did pay a total of 22 euros for a fish, a cheese and onion pasty, 2 portions of chips, 2 portions of mushy peas, and two pints of Super Bock.
Thursday, we visited Pera, near Silves to do one of the walks in the Guide (link above). This was the Praia Grande Interpretation Trail, 5.5km. There were 3 geocaches on this route. It was a nature reserve, but really there wasn't much to see at this time of year. The section that runs along the beach was exhilarating.
Friday, we returned to the beaches of Olhos da Agua (Eyes of Water) that takes its name from the numerous fresh-water springs that bubble up both on the beach and off-shore underwater. We used geocaching to help us explore safely. Unfortunately, the tide was in to start with and we could not do the first cache. But we ventured in the opposite direction and managed to move along the coast on the coastal path. We were rewarded with more secluded beaches, fantastic views, and a structure that was built for pedestrians straddling the coastal landscape to protect it. The wooden structure was akin to something from Swiss Family Robinson. By the time we had finished in this area, the tide was going out and this enabled us to go and find the cache in the other direction. During our stay in the Algarve we have paid different prices for our Super Bock. Costs of beer - Olhos da Agua, being a tiny fishing village, was surprisingly, the most expensive with two small Sagres costing 1.50 euros each. In comparison, at the chippy, we paid 2 euros per pint for Super Bock. In Central Portugal we normally pay 60-90 cents for a Super Bock.
We visited a Chinese "eat as much as you dare" buffet place on Friday night. The meal was 9.50 euros per person, and the drinks were on top and were not extortionately priced. There was plenty of choice for meat eaters but less for those who prefer vegetarian fare.
Saturday was taking it easy day. We lazed, bathed, slept, read, watched Sky (couldn't get anything else).
All in all, a great break in a fantastic hotel at a budget price with wonderful staff and fabulous buffet breakfasts. The most we spent was on the way down there on toll roads and diesel. Apart from that the other main expense was eating out. With tips etc, the minimum we paid out was 20 euros per occasion, and the most expensive night out cost us 27.50 euros.
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