Beautiful Portugal, exploring the towns and countryside

Day 2 in Portugal was another busy, big bus tour. Destination today? The towns of Silves and Lagos. Kim’s friend Mary told her these were her favorite part of southern Spain, so she didn’t want to miss it. Oh boy….this bus was full. Kim was hoping it might be a smaller bus than the tours she took in Spain, but it wasn’t meant to be.

So, Jane, Dawn and Kim hopped aboard and headed on their way. The drive through the countryside was amazing. They saw almond trees, olive groves and orange groves. There are two kinds of almond trees here….one that produces the nuts for eating and one that produces almonds for amaretto.

They arrived at the town of Silves and had free time to visit the church and/or the castle. They chose to visit the castle and made their way up the narrow streets, stopping for a bit of shopping along the way…of course :). They found a ceramics store and picked up a few small bowls and some tile that Portugal is known for.

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Then, the visit to a castle where they were rewarded with amazing views. On the way out and back to the bus, they enjoyed a street performer playing the accordion. They wished they had more time in this town to explore…an outdoor cafe would have been awesome…next time…

Then they headed to the top of a mountain pass to an artisan shop for tasting 2 liquors….their choice :). They choose amaretto and a honey liquor….they made a couple of small purchases. Kim picked up samplers of fig liquor.

It was very misty that day, so they weren’t able to see the view from the top of the pass. On the way up, they did see a granite quarry and learned more about the cork trees, which many products are made of.

Next they headed to the town of Sangres, and to a peninsula overlooking the algarve coast. This was a real treat and their first glimpse of the spectacular coastline. Kim took time to sit on the edge, enjoying the sound of the waves and taking lots of pictures. Surprise! Surprise! Kim’s happy place 🙂

Next stop, the beautiful town of Lagos. Another place where they wished they had more time. They enjoyed wandering the streets, taking pictures and wandering in the shops.

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That night they went back to a great Portuguese restaurant called Jardim Rustico and ordered food to share. Octopus salad, mussels, prawns, cod fritters…my mouth is watering! Kim thinks Portuguese food is even better than Spain….and that says a lot!