Exploring the Local Beaches, February 24, 2023

Had a good nights sleep and woke up to sunshine and blue skies.  Headed out to the local supermarket for supplies of food and wine that would last us for a few days.  Returned home to have breakfast before heading out to explore some of the local beaches and viewpoints that are famed for their dramatic scenery.   The soft sandstone cliffs were carved out and artfully shaped by centuries of pounding surf, creating steep and stunning formations just offshore.  After walking the cliffs and several beaches we headed home to change as we had made a reservation at Pepperino Pizzeria known for its wood-fired pizza.  It was quite casual but did not disappoint in the taste department.

                                                        Breakfast on the Roof Top Deck

Fort Ponta da Bandeira, built in the 17th century to protect the city against pirates and Spaniards is located at the entrance of Lagos on Praia da Batata Beach (Potato Beach).

                                                    Praia is the Portuguese word for Beach 

We walked along "Potato Beach" at low tide to get up close to the rock formations and walk through the tunnels to explore small coves that are inaccessible during high tide. 

After walking "potato beach" we climbed up some stairs to the top of the cliffs and made our way to  beautiful Praia do Pinhao.  We walked down to the beach to explore the several carbonate rock formations scattered along the beach.    

Climbed back up to the top of the cliffs and a short walk led us to Praia Don Ana.  We walked down and along the beach then headed back up to the cliffs to take this image of where we had come from.  Stunning.

The next beach was a bit of a walk but definitely worth it.  Praia do Camilo is a very small beach but to access it you have to walk down and back up 225 steps, which deters a lot of people.  But it is well worth the effort, especially at low tide as you can further explore through the tunnel on the left. 

One  of the naturally carved tunnels in the sandstone rock formations at Camilo Beach.  A tourist boat is slowly making its way into the tunnel.    

Digging into a very tasty pepperoni and mushroom pizza at Pepperino Pizzeria.

 








  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Geoff and Rita's Return to Portugal

Image
Its been 2 years, 11months and 25 days since Rita and I made a hasty and early departure from our Portugal vacation due to the Corona Virus Pandemic.  We had tried to go back to finish our tour of Portugal in 2021 and 2022 but sadly were thwarted due to the continuing outbreak in 2021 and then Rita's Dad's illness and passing in 2022. However, we are finally back, ready to explore the rest of this amazing country.  We will spend our first two weeks back in Lagos as the Algarve has the best weather this time of year.  Our next stop will be 3 days in the resort town of Cascais, then onto the surfing capital of Nazare for 7 days, 3 days in the university town of Coimbra, 5 days in the port wine capital of Porto before heading to the capitol, Lisbon for 7 days.  Can't wait to finally get our Portugal adventure started again. 
Read more

Rota da Laranja or Orange Tree Route

Image
It was a windy and overcast day as we headed into the heart of the Algarve to explore several small towns but it cleared up in the afternoon and ended with a stunning sunset. Our first stop was Almancil, a totally undistinguished town except for Igreja Matriz de Sao Lourenco or Saint Lawrence Church in English.  It was built in 1730 in gratitude to Saint Lawrence who answered the towns desperate prayers for finding a water well.    The church's interior is a masterpiece of decoration in Portuguese glazed tiles known as "azulejos".  The blue and white tiles cover the entire interior of the church and depict the life of Saint Lawrence.  On our way to the next town we had to stop the car for a shepherd and his flock as they cross the road heading for another pasture.  A very rural experience. Loule is a market town and this is their massive indoor market.  Of course by the time we arrived the market was closing down.  So we ...
Read more

Why Portugal?

Image
It all goes back to March of 2019 when we were in Maui staying at the condo we had rented at Hoyoshi Nikko for the past nine years.  We wanted to renew for 2020 and received our new rate which had gone from US $175 per night to $300!!!!   We loved our time in Maui but decided it was time to rethink where to spend our winter vacation.  Also, Rita's parents are not getting any younger and if something happened to one of them we wanted to be able to get to Germany relatively quickly.  After taking a couple of months to review several destinations based on winter sunshine, mild temperature, cost of living and air access we overwhelmingly chose Portugal.  We have never visited Portugal and so this is also another big plus.  We will fly into Lisbon, pick up a rental car and drive to Lagos for a 24 day stay, Evora for an overnight, Nazere for 7 days, Lisbon for 5 days and Porto for our final 4 days in Portugal. Let the adventure begin.   
Read more