Like yesterday, tonight still in Faro, still in The Algarve.
Today we went exploring. We drove west from Faro to Sagres, and to the Fort at the edge of town, and on for the next six kilometers to the lighthouse that is at the tip of the western-most point of land in Europe. We had a remarkable time, the scenery is spectacular and wild and beautiful. Words can't do it justice, so look at the pictures. We took thousands of shots, and a whole lot of video too. I will want to relive what we saw today as time passes so we took lots of images and footage. This will be as close as I will get to my 'lighthouses in the storm' images.
It was alternately cloudy and sunny, no rain, and a strong and steady wind coming toward shore from the open ocean. Swells were running strong, but not yet spectacular, and no whitecaps out there on the sea. But a strong warm wind, a lovely blustery day.
Cliff faces are vertical and a hundred or more feet high. Fencing is sparse and not to be trusted, and signs were posted everywhere about the crumbling cliffs and to take extreme care. We certainly did, but I can imagine the consequences for those that didn't listen.
We are early in the tourist season but there were a few of us around, and some French and German couples in the little bistro where we had lunch before setting out for home again in Faro. The fort waS open, and the gift shop and restaurant, as were other attractions in Sagres and in the other little Algarve towns we went through and stopped in. A lovely place, very scenic, pretty beaches. The Algarve coast is everything that we were told it would be, and seeing it without a herd of us tourists around, camera in hand, is a bonus. Of course, sunshine would be a bonus for us but at least the air temperature was good at 16 degrees Celcius.
We headed 'home' to the Ibis hotel in the late afternoon. We checked out this morning before we left in case we found something spectacular further west on the Algarve. But no, some nice places but we have become attached to 'home' which is this Ibis Hotel. On getting back here about 5:45 this afternoon we got lucky and got room 214 back again which is great. We booked it for tonight and for tomorrow night as well. Tomorrow we'll check out some local places, maybe go for a bit of a drive. And have a nice dinner somewhere. Whatever Jan wants, because tomorrow is her birthday. She is special, she is the Birthday Girl, and she gets what she wants. Last year her birthday was aboard the cruise ship, this year on the Algarve, she thinks she is pretty lucky. And I think that I am too, to be able to spend this time with her.
Tomorrow, on the road again this time planning to head for Cadiz, in Spain.
