The cliffs on the coast of Portugal.
The beach in Salema. In the winter, the sand washes out to sea. It comes back in the spring just in time for the tourists.
The view from the boat of the waves crashing on the cliffs. There were also people fishing from the tops of the cliffs!
From Arcos de la Frontera, we moved on to Portugal. For a bit of a breather, we went to the Algarve, which is the resort area on the southern edge of the country that is popular with the German and British tourists. Before you start picturing sun-drenched beaches with topless women frolicking in the surf – let me remind you about the Germans and the British. In England, they don’t buy beach umbrellas to block the sun; they buy wind blocks to keep warm. And the Germans appear to care more about inexpensive beer than smooth sand. For a beach vacation, you might want to follow a more discerning crowd.
With that said, the area was strikingly beautiful. We stopped at one place that used to be considered the end of the world. Beyond this, it was though that you would sail right off the edge. Indeed, you could stand on the cliff overlooking the ocean and believe that it’s true. It was our good friend Christopher Columbus sailing from Spain who finally proved there was something else out there. It would have been cool to post this blog on Oct. 13 in celebration of Columbus Day, but I don’t think you guys want to wait that long. You’re probably tired of this vacation by now and just want to go home!
We actually stayed in the little town of Salema for two nights to give us a little break from all the city tours. It felt nice to relax a little without the sound of motorbikes and jackhammers. Salema is so small that it only has one very small grocery store and no other real shops. There are a few restaurants and some hotels serving the little stretch of beach. The water here was terribly cold and never gets warm. The weather was very cool in the evening and only seemed to warm up after about 2 in the afternoon. We spent the first afternoon just appreciating the ocean and beach. For dinner we ate as a group at the beach-front restaurant. The seafood was pretty fresh. In the morning, we watching the fishing boats being pulled up the beach by a large tractor.
The next day, a lot of us went on a boat tour. Dennis who tends to get sea-sick decided not to go. The boat tour took us out to see the cliffs from the water. It was pretty windy and a bit cold. The ride was not terribly rough, but Dennis would not have appreciated it. The cliffs were stunning. You could see how the cliffs are eroding away in places. One cathedral is now closed to the public because one corner has fallen away. The guides also told us about the fishing industry and how they catch the fish. For the big fish, they string a bunch of hooks on one line and put it in the water with a buoy. Each fisherman has his own color of buoy. The guys who catch octopus use clay pots that they drop to the bottom. The octopi hide in the pots thinking they found a safe spot. The fishermen just pull in the pots and collect the octopi.
With that said, the area was strikingly beautiful. We stopped at one place that used to be considered the end of the world. Beyond this, it was though that you would sail right off the edge. Indeed, you could stand on the cliff overlooking the ocean and believe that it’s true. It was our good friend Christopher Columbus sailing from Spain who finally proved there was something else out there. It would have been cool to post this blog on Oct. 13 in celebration of Columbus Day, but I don’t think you guys want to wait that long. You’re probably tired of this vacation by now and just want to go home!
We actually stayed in the little town of Salema for two nights to give us a little break from all the city tours. It felt nice to relax a little without the sound of motorbikes and jackhammers. Salema is so small that it only has one very small grocery store and no other real shops. There are a few restaurants and some hotels serving the little stretch of beach. The water here was terribly cold and never gets warm. The weather was very cool in the evening and only seemed to warm up after about 2 in the afternoon. We spent the first afternoon just appreciating the ocean and beach. For dinner we ate as a group at the beach-front restaurant. The seafood was pretty fresh. In the morning, we watching the fishing boats being pulled up the beach by a large tractor.
The next day, a lot of us went on a boat tour. Dennis who tends to get sea-sick decided not to go. The boat tour took us out to see the cliffs from the water. It was pretty windy and a bit cold. The ride was not terribly rough, but Dennis would not have appreciated it. The cliffs were stunning. You could see how the cliffs are eroding away in places. One cathedral is now closed to the public because one corner has fallen away. The guides also told us about the fishing industry and how they catch the fish. For the big fish, they string a bunch of hooks on one line and put it in the water with a buoy. Each fisherman has his own color of buoy. The guys who catch octopus use clay pots that they drop to the bottom. The octopi hide in the pots thinking they found a safe spot. The fishermen just pull in the pots and collect the octopi.
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