Saturday, December 15, 2007

Sunday, December 2, 2007

The Algarve-the second time-23rd-26th of November 2007





My dear ones,

I didn't get to go to the Algarve during the summer, most people would consider this a loss - me too, when I think about the warm water that I never got to swim in in Portugal although I got to see it in November twice (what luck) and this time during a long weekend. I usually try to make a selection of the pictures I put on my blog but sometimes I get too emotional and just can't make any reasonable choices - which is the case now, so please don't get angry. I could post 10 pictures only with the sky that I photographed on our way to the Algarve, wondering if it would rain or not, but I stopped when I realized my memory card was running out. So... we stayed in Portimão. We got to see the beautiful São Lourenço church in Almancil (XVII century, with walls covered completely in azulejos), drove through those snobbish resorts (I know some of you might hate me for this, but NO, I am not a fan of Villamoura, Quinta do Lago or Vale do Lobo-you can google these places easily and you'll find these perfect artificial resorts, full of four-million-euro houses, beautiful golf courses, magnificent boats etc....but so empty of life) and I prayed we would go to Cabo de São Vicente (km 0) and Sagres - and guess what, WE DID!!! :-)) - this is where I felt free, I looked at the waves, the rocks, the ocean, imagined what is on the other side, thought about all the conquerors, imagined sunrises and sunsets (I was lucky to be able to photograph one sunset in the Algarve and I kissed the sky for the magic it offered me) and wished I would go there again and have the same feeling. I also loved Albufeira, which is a delicate and humble sea village where we ate cataplana (hmmmm…this is a really yummy fish dish), we got to see the first black slave market in Europe - that was in Lagos - and of course, I had to take some pictures with Tweety and other children's toys for the "connoisseurs". Hope you enjoy the pictures and get to visit some wonderful places yourself. Hm....they should pay me for advertising Portugal so honestly. What do you think?

Beijinhos (kisses),

Monica

Portimão in the morning - Praia da Rocha










Albufeira















Tweety and the company - what a sweetheart, isn't he? :-))








Cabo de São Vicente







Lagos





Sunset in Portimão









1st time in the Algarve-18th of November 2007

This is sunny November in Faro (Algarve)-just a fast stop in a nice city....