Évora

 I adored this chill city in the center (Alentejo region) of the country.

I thought it was so sweet these people were walking holding hands, but also, note the Roman ruins in the upper left. Damn, those Romans got around!

Southern Coast adventure

There were a whole bunch of southern coastal spots I wanted to hit that would have been very time-consuming or impossible to reach by public transport, so I decided to rent a car for a little adventure. Less than $20 plus gas got me this cute little Fiat convertible for the day. So fun zipping around in this!

My first stop was the adorable, chill town of Luz...

...and its impressive beach.

From there on to Sagres and its coastal fort of a grandeur I was not expecting!

Once you get beyond the facade, it's way less impressive on the water side, but it was still fun and interesting to watch the local fishermen perched precariously on the cliff's edge with VERY long fishing lines...

...and the surfers bobbing in the waves below.

Then I drove across the bay to the point pictured above, which is actually Cabo de São Vicente, the southwesterly-most point of continental Europe. The view standing at that point was equally grand.

Looking up the coast to the north, it was clear it was going to be just as pretty as I headed in that direction.

So on I went to Aljezur, with its own gorgeous beach...

...and the sweet town set a couple miles inland. Definitely creepy of me to have taken this picture, but look at that meat holding contraption on their table! Very curious.

The landscape in this part of the country feels unique to me, or at least I'm having a hard time placing it in comparison with other areas of the world. I drove past groves of eucalyptus, rolling hills emptying into the ocean, flat valleys of seaweed and oyster farms, tiny hamlets of white-washed houses, a Dutch-looking windmill (?!?) ... all very enchanting, almost other worldly.

My final stop was all the way up at Vila Nova de Milfontes, a town I will definitely put on my list to spend some time in "next time." But by then the sun was getting low and it was time to turn back to Lagos. 

Let's consider it a scouting mission.

Lagos

Portugal, not Nigeria, in case you're just joining us now.

I can't speak for Lagos, Nigeria, but Lagos, Portugal, is pretty darn gorgeous. I'm sure it's a zoo with tourists in the summer. But in January, I'm a fan for sure. 

The coastline here on the west side of the Algarve is much more rugged and dramatic than further east. Wow.

And then there are all the smaller beauties. I'm just loving my endless afternoon walks.

Tavira

 I'm not sure how I am lucky enough to keep testing negative for COVID (well, you know...vax and booster and masking...but still...also, luck) but since I did, they let me on a plane to Portugal on Wednesday.

After landing in Lisbon on a hazy, mild winter morning...

...I headed straight down to the south coast, to the eastern Algarve town of Tavira, where I slept off the jet lag and began exploring. Sweet view from my Airbnb bedroom window:

And even sweeter views walking around this town, which is very sleepy in the off-season.

Each day I took long walks, including to Ilha de Tavira and its epic beaches. This anchor graveyard is at Plaia do Barril:

To get there from Tavira, I walked through endless lemon and orange tree groves and lovely farmhouses.

My initial impressions of the Algarve:

    1) It's a bit chilly and windy in the winter/off-season.

    2) It's very quiet, tourism-wise in the winter/off-season.

    3) The scenery is still beautiful and the towns still quaint.

    4) I love all of the above.