Since today was a bank holiday, we decided not to roam too far. We went to Albufeira, the closest village to our timeshare and our first view of Portugal. Seems like all residences here are painted white with red tile roofs. The streets are two way though very narrow. We enjoyed the village center where we were treated to band, mimes and lots of local color.

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Our timeshare sits right on the ocean. The view from our private terrace is spectacular. We can see not only the bowls greens (a very popular past-time in England much like our game of bocce) but also the cliffs, beach and ocean.

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Cape St. Vincent is the most southwesterly point in Europe also known as "The End of the World". Here on the point is the most powerful lighthouse in Europe.

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After visiting the Cape we discovered the quaint little village of Vila Do Boispo. Like all villages here the streets were narrow with front doors opening right onto the street. We arrived during siesta time so there was not much activity but it was fun walking the streets and seeing firsthand how people from this area live.

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We took a scenic road on our way to Lagos. The maps didn't indicate that the pavement was going to end and by the time it did we were too committed to turn around. Unfortunately a sharp rock punctured our tire. What a mission to get the tire changed - no manual and hubcaps that seemed to be glued on. The girls stayed out of the way while the boys toiled to get the tire changed. Where is the AAA when you need them?? Check out the beautiful red poppies!!

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We had great fun today wandering around the walled village of Lagos. After entering through an arch in the wall, we were treated to narrow streets such as this one. You can see Igieja de Santa Maria (a 16th century church) in the background. Unfortunately the photos I took inside the churches didn't come out very well. We relaxed in Meu Limao, a tapas bar, and sampled the local food.

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We spent today in the mountain villages of Querenca, Salir and Alte. The population of Querenca is about 1000. Here we were able to enter the parish church (Igreja Matriz De Assuncao), view the weaving of the area and sample the local chorizo that is very different from the sausage from Mexico.

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Walking the narrow streets of Salir we often had to duck into doorways to allow vehicles to pass. This small village had several 18th century churches one with a carved Manueline portico. We were amazed at the cleanliness of the villages and how friendly the natives were.

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We strolled around Alte's narrow and flowery streets, discovering what is tauted to be the Algarve's most picturesque village.

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A Portuguese sunset from our terrace.

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We attended a buffet of Portuguese foods followed by entertainment by villagers from Boliqueime. During the dancing, the natives chose guests to participate with them in a folk dance. Here Al is having a great time dancing with a local. Hmmm perhaps the beard got him selected!!

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The drink of choice here is Sangria. We drank it with all kinds of food including Chinese! Tryna quickly learned how to mix up a batch and it became a favorite. Here she is sampling with Pearl and Tom in our suite.

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Today we visited the mountain town of Monchique. We visited Ingreja Matriz which is the main church of the village and sampled the food in a local bar. This little village seems to be modernizing a bit as evidenced by the beautiful mural and bronze but also seems to be able to maintain its history.

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Cork was not something we had ever given much thought to until we arrived in this area where it is harvested. The bark of these trees is stripped every 7 years and then the tree is dated (notice the painted 4 - this means this tree was stripped in 2004). From the bark, corks for wine bottles as well as decorative cork is produced.

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Our last day in Portugal was spent beach combing. Though we didn't find much in the way of shells, we did find some pretty stones and this wonderful natural arch.

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