Photos of Faro, Portugal

Our now annual trip to the Algarve is still as sacred as ever. For an entire eight days on the beach, I took one photo. I share a lot of things on What Up, Swags?!, but I have chosen to keep a certain part of the Algarve to myself.

Old Town Faro, on the other hand, I will gladly share, and I hope you enjoy this flowery and sunny photo gallery!

That book bag was literally all I packed for two weeks in Portugal! You can see what I packed here.

What's next up on the site?

Paris. Paris. Paris. Oh, my heart: what an incredible 3 1/2 weeks!!!

Have you been to Faro? Did you find it as charming and beautiful as I did? Do you have a sacred destination that you don't share with your audience either?

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My Sacred Week in the Algarve

First of all, I have decided that I want to live in Spain and holiday in Portugal and never leave the Iberian peninsula for the rest of my life. It's the perfect blend of Europe and California and it feels like home.

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.

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Postcards From Portugal: Dear James

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Postcards From Portugal: Dear Alex

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Postcards From Portugal: Dear Amanda

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Postcards from Portugal: Dear Tanyas

Dear Tanya Schmidt...

Dear Tanya Bekendam...

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Postcards from Portugal: Dear Grandma Millie & Aunt Denise

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Postcards from Portugal: Dear Frendts

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Postcards from Portugal: Dear Tom & Ingrid

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Postcards from Portugal

My cousin, James, and I had an epic time under the Portuguese sunshine!

Welcome to #PostcardsFromPortugal! Hope you enjoy these moments, and maybe a postcard will even show up at your door!

(Don't worry, I won't be posting anyone's addresses! But if you see a postcard online for you, and it never comes, I probably don't have your right address!)

Day 1: Dear Parents
Day 2: Dear Sister
Day 3: Dear Mike & Daphne
Day 4: Dear Monique
Day 5: Dear Tom & Ingrid
Day 6: Dear Frendts
Day 7: Dear Grandma Millie & Aunt Denise
Day 8: Dear Tanyas
Day 9: Dear Amanda
Day 10: Dear Alex
Day 11: Dear Jes
Day 12: Dear Diane + Dear Kia
Day 13: Dear Prianos + Dear Rich
Day 14: Dear Families

And the grand finale postcard goes to...
Dear Cousin/Travel Buddy/Driver James!

For all of my Portuguese and Spanish adventures, check out #ibin2014!

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Fly Me To Portugal, Please

After we got our visa situations squared away, this summer has blown wide open.

I have been able to secure excellent work tutoring English through mid-June, making the prospects of adventures even more realistic and wonderful.

My contract with my club finishes May 15. May 16, we go to a wedding. May 17, I fly to Lisbon.

Remember that Iberia Airlines debacle over Christmas?

For overbooking our flights in December, they rewarded us with vouchers. It was quite satisfying to call Iberia Airlines this week and "pay" for my round trip to Lisbon with their money.

I'm thrilled to report that I'll be in Portugal for a solid two weeks, and I plan to absorb a lot of sunshine and seafood.

If you can't join me on the beach, I hope you'll at least stick around to see how it all goes down on the blog!
 

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Decisions to Make

Here are the two possible itineraries for #IBIN2014, both able to be edited into 15 days or lengthened into 20-ish days. Barcelona didn't make the cut because it's a very easy weekend trip from Paris that I can do anytime with Marc, and in February, the beach isn't exactly a huge draw. I kind of feel the same way about Madrid, but keeping it on the table because the weather will be really warm there in February. Clearly, I'm not going to compromise on the Granada through Lisbon finish; that city sweep is the main reason I've always wanted to do this trip.

ITINERARY A: BIG SPAIN CITIES & PORTUGAL

1) Fly into Madrid: 3-4 nights
2) Granada: 2-3 nights
3) Cordoba: 2-3 nights
4) Sevilla: 3 nights
5) Algarve: 2-3 nights
6) Lisbon: 3-4 nights
7) Depart from Lisbon


ITINERARY B: SOUTHERN SPAIN & PORTUGAL

1) Fly into Málaga, train to Ronda: 1-2 nights
2) Granada: 2-3 nights
3) Cordoba: 2-3 nights
4) Sevilla & Gibraltar day trip: 3-4 nights
5) Algarve: 3 nights
6) Lisbon: 4 nights
7) Depart from Lisbon


Comments? Suggestions? Questions?

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