My cousin, James, and I spent 3 days in Lisbon, 1 week in the Algarve, and 3 days in Cascais. Lisbon is hectic and Cascais is touristy. But the Algarve. The Algarve is my paradise.
I'm okay with telling you about the dusty beach wilderness of Sagres and the whitewashed downtown on the shore of Salema. I'm even cool with mentioning the fisherman's diner with no prices on their menu next to the train station and boat-filled wharf in Lagos. I'll even throw in the fact that there are surf lessons everywhere, and, yes, it is as amazing as it looks.
But the best area?
I'll only tell you about it if you come with me.
You can know that it's an empty beach with cliff trails to other empty beaches and anyone you do happen to run into looks at you with the same amazement:
"How did we find this place?"
Don't bother with the Algarve if you need to be constantly entertained or busy. There's not a whole lot of stuff going on at "the end of the world." But there are all the things you should ever need if it was, indeed, the end of time.
Fresh and delicious food. Wildflowers and seashells. Ocean swims in crisp turquoise waters. Sunrise climbs and sunset wines. Stretches of sand between cliffs and caves.
It has the kind of ambiance that inspires novels, poems, paintings, and beautiful words between strangers.
It also takes me to a place where I don't want to talk about it at all because I just want to stare off into the distance and imagine that I am still under those never-ending blue skies and surrounded by peace and joy.
This is all I've got for you: I'm in love with the Algarve, I can't wait to return, and I miss it terribly.
For the whole #PostcardsFromPortugal experience in this round of #ibin2014, you can check out all the postcards.