Southern Portugal

Ponte do Piedade

We sought out the cooler temperatures of the southern coast of Portugal and were rewarded with gorgeous, rocky coastlines as well.  The winds and waves of the Atlantic have carved the rock into dramatic cliffs and grottos.  

Here are our photos.

We camped in the Turiscampo Yelloh Village outside of Lagos. The campsite was packed full of amenities such as multiple pool areas, a spa, and even scheduled yoga classes. 

Square in Lagos

The afternoon we arrived we rode the bus into the city of Lagos and followed the self-guided walking tour.  Later we had a nice dinner of two kinds of fish in a very large restaurant designed to accommodate tourists.

The following day we drove to the Ponte do Piedade. Here we walked on the cliffs and explored the most dramatic scenery in the region. Dermot, always the more sensible one of us when it comes to heights, climbed down the stairs to see the grottos while I climbed up to see the views from the high points. We then visited the beach at Praia Dona Ana which was lovely but not as impressive.

We then relaxed by and in the camprground pools enjoying the water and reading. Later we drove to the small beach/fishing town of Salema for a look around and a dinner of seafood at a restaurant overlooking the beach. 

The following day we attended our first Tai-yoga class which we guessed meant slow, but we were actually taught how to stretch and massage each other.  Dermot reported that he enjoyed the (female) instructor's stronger methods than my tenuous/weaker ones. Hmpf. 

Dermot was nearly blown away!

Afterwards we used a grassy area to do or own yoga for a bit before heading out for some more sightseeing.  The weather had predicted a windy day and they weren't joking!  We went to Cape Sagras which was known as the "end of the world" for eons.  Here we toured Cape Sagras Fort and Navigators School.  Excerpt from Rick Steves' Portugal guide "In 1476, the young Italian Christopher Columbus washed ashore here after being shipwrecked by pirates. He went on to study and sail with the Portuguese (and marry a Portuguese woman) before beginning his American voyage."

Then we visited Cape St. Vincent and took more pictures of the cliffs and lighthouse but the winds were so strong we decided to forego a planned stop at a nearby picturesque beach. We were beat! That night we sampled many dishes at the campground's restaurant buffet.