Enough of this city stuff - time for the beach! And, the Algarve region provides amazing stretches of beach, with tons of historically-rich towns up and down the coast. We are staying in the town of Quarteira, in a small apartment with amazing views of the wide pedestrian walkway, the beach and the ocean.
The afternoon of our arrival, we walked along the waterfront pedestrian area. We eventually found a local bar, and sat for a quick beer. Within minutes of our arrival, a burly Englishman walked up, talking on his cellphone, obviously arguing with someone. He hung up, turned to us with a snarky comment about his daughter, and then proceeded to grab a chair, introduce himself, and sit with us for a chat. We ended up sitting with him, his adult daughter, and his ex-wife (yes, the all travel together), talking for close to an hour. It was hysterical.
Quarteira is a great central location, allowing us to drive along the coast and explore the many nearby areas. Our first stop for exploring was the city of Faro.
Faro is a larger city along the coast, with lots of important historical sights. Tons of shops, restaurants, churches, and important buildings.
On a busy pedestrian road, we found a cute little cafe for our favorite lunch: a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and a cold Fanta. Living large in Faro!
A short drive east, towards the Spanish border, is the stunning town of Tavira. This may be our favorite village on the entire Portuguese coast. It is absolutely beautiful, and I would love to return to this place for an extended stay. If I asked you to sit back, close your eyes, and dream of a coastal Portuguese village, you would be dreaming of Tavira. This is a place that is already beckoning us to return.
We took the hilly and scenic highway back to our apartment in Quarteira. Not ready to finish our exploring, we walked along the pedestrian waterfront, checked out more of the town, and found a small Spanish tapas place on the waterfront. We indulged in some of their local specialties.
We strolled back as the sun was setting, and enjoyed another amazing view of the ocean.
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