Portugal, I think I love you!
Things always happen for a reason. Fate, if you will - a chain of events that inevitably lead you to where you're supposed to be - and it seems my travel fate brought me to Portugal - which is exactly where I was supposed to be this summer.
Very rarely I've come across a country that I could see myself living in. Sure, no one ever wants to come home from vacation, but Portugal has got it all - historic cities, incredible beaches, seafood galore, friendly people, fabulous (and cheap) wine - why would I need to live anywhere else?
Y'all know it'll take me forever to go through all the photos from this trip (I still haven't gone through all the ones from Spain in March!). So here's a quick peek of the 11-day itinerary > 4 days in the Algarve, 4 days in Lisbon, 2 days in Porto and 1 day in the Douro Valley (with plenty of exploring along the way), and a few photos to appease some peeps.
Perfect for road tripping around Portugal!
Day 1 - Algarve
Left to right: Enjoying the view from our apartment in Albufeira | Praia dos Pescadores, Albufeira
Left to right: Yes folks, that is an escalator that takes your lazy-ass down to beach level | What's the first thing we do? Drink wine. 6 for 4 euros. Pretty good start to this vacation.
Day 2 - Algarve
Praia do Beliche, Sagres - I won't show all the beaches in this post...but stay tuned!
Cabo de São Vicente (Cape of Saint Vincent) - the southern tip of Europe
Views from Fortaleza de Sagres
Celebrations in Old Town Albufeira the night Portugal won the Euro Cup
Days 3 & 4 - Algarve
These days were spent vegging out on Praia do Inatel
Day 5 - Lisbon
Lovely Lisbon!
Day 6 - Sintra
Checking out Sintra Palace
A tapas kind of lunch in Sintra
Day 7 - Évora
Visiting the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) in Évora
Day 8 - Obidos & Coimbra
In GINJA heaven - Óbidos
A quick stop in Coimbra on the way to Porto
Day 9 - Porto
Porto! My fave city
Port wine tasting in Vila Nova de Gaia (Porto) | A quick lunch (and more Port wine) before heading to the Douro Valley
Day 10 - The Douro Valley
The Douro Valley
The Quinta we stayed at
Day 11 - Porto
Back for one more night in Porto, but first a stop in Matosinhos for the freshest and tastiest grilled seafood
What a view of Porto (from Vila Nova de Gaia, above all the Port wine cellars)