The bus ride from Sevilla to Albufeira, the town where we stayed, was about 3 hours. After getting settled and changed into our swimsuits, we met back up with our group for a boat tour. The boat tour consisted of a one hour BYOB ride on a pirate ship along the coast of Albufeira and a one hour speed boat ride through caves, arches, and along the coast, as well.
During our pirate ship ride, the drivers stopped to let us all jump in. The water was pretty cold, but it was refreshing and such a beautiful turquoise color. We brought some local beer, listened to music, and sat on the top deck in the warm Portuguese sun. :)
After dinner, we went on a bar tour with our group. At the first bar, there was a Michael Jackson impersonator who was actually very good. He didn't even lip-synch! He called up my friend Caroline on the stage, and she worked it as a back-up dancer!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to my mom and dad for giving me the chance to see this beautiful country. I felt so blessed the whole time I was in Portugal. Can't wait to see you guys in 5 and a half weeks!!
¡Adios!
During our pirate ship ride, the drivers stopped to let us all jump in. The water was pretty cold, but it was refreshing and such a beautiful turquoise color. We brought some local beer, listened to music, and sat on the top deck in the warm Portuguese sun. :)
Post-jump with my "Sagres" beer
Pirates?!
The speed boat ride was also very fun. We were all just so happy the whole time. It was a perfect mid-80s day- we really couldn't have asked for anything more.
When we got back to our hotel, we ended up going to a nearby supermarket to buy some food for breakfast and lunch, since we stayed in apartment-style hotels with full kitchens. We decided to save money on breakfast and lunch so that we could go out to dinner and enjoy some local cuisine. And, boy, did we go for it! On Friday night, I had a delicious swordfish with a ton of onions on it. It was very delicious and fresh. (My real taste of Portugal came the next night, though. Get ready for it several pictures down...)
After dinner, we went on a bar tour with our group. At the first bar, there was a Michael Jackson impersonator who was actually very good. He didn't even lip-synch! He called up my friend Caroline on the stage, and she worked it as a back-up dancer!
Caroline & MJ
Caroline, Kathleen, Olivia, & me at the second bar where we danced the night away!
After a minimal amount of sleep, we woke up and met our group. We headed to a magical place called Cabo San Vincente in Sagres, Portugal. Cabo San Vincente was known as the "End of the World" before the Age of Discovery, since it is the farthest southwestern point in Portugal.
It was so incredible! Just quite cold...
Creative poses at the End of the World ;)
We hopped back on the bus and drove to Lagos, Portugal, where we spent a few hours at Dona Ana Beach. It was a bit cloudy and cold, but the sights were so beautiful we didn't care! The water was really clear, and there were a ton of cool rock formations and caves.
There was a cute restaurant at the beach where we went for some tea, coffee and dessert. I got a plate of kiwis for "dessert" (it really was on their dessert menu) and some mint tea. It was perfect!
We left the beach and made a stop at Ponta do Piedade, an absolutely unbelievable lookout point. After taking some pictures, we climbed up to the top of a rock point. I'm not usually too afraid of heights, but it was pretty small up at the top. It made it even more exciting though!
Our bus then departed for the nearby city center of Lagos, where we had two hours of free time to walk around and eat dinner.
After getting lost on our way to the restaurant where we originally wanted to go only to find out it was closed, we asked some guys in a surf shop where to eat. The place they recommended ended up being one of the most memorable dining experiences ever! It was called The Garden, and we ate outside on a uniquely-decorated patio.
The fish of the day was sea bass, which I had never tried. I decided to just go for it, because "when in Portugal," right? I had a glass of wine and a delicious "Sex on the Beach" cocktail (good decision). When the waitress brought out my dinner, I was a bit surprised to see a whole fish, eyes and tail included, on my plate. I had never eaten a whole fish before, and was a little nervous about it. It ended up being one of the best fish I'd ever had. I was happy with my choice and proud of myself. (I immediately told my mom and dad! Haha!)
We drove back to Albufeira and went out on another bar tour that night. It was very fun, and I broke my personal record for "latest night out ever." Still proud of me, Mom and Dad?
Thankfully, since we didn't have to meet our group until 1:00pm, we got a decent night's sleep in preparation for our last day. On Sunday, we went to Dos Pescadores Beach in the city center of Albufeira. This beach was a bit busier than the other areas we had been to. When we got down to the shore, we were greeted by a water activities cabana that offered activities such as parasailing, jet-skiing, and banana boating. I had never been parasailing before, but I had always wanted to try it. Three of my friends wanted to do it as well, so we spontaneously decided to just go for it... BEST. DECISION. EVER.
We hopped on a boat and went out to sea. My friend Caroline and I were up first. I wasn't too nervous, but I just didn't know what to expect. After getting strapped in and hooked up to the parachute, we sat down at the end of the boat, and... up we went! We went up so much higher than I thought we were going to. I had seen people parasailing on many vacations before, but I don't honestly think I've ever seen anyone go as high up as we did. It was, without a doubt, one of the coolest experiences of my life. We looked down at clear water, long stretches of beaches, and tons of white-washed buildings with red roofs sitting along mountains.
The Portuguese boat driver had a good time making us go up really high and then stopping so we would slowly descend to the very cold water. We had such a great time cracking up and soaking it all in!
We rode on the boat while our two other friends, Alex and Laura, went parasailing. Back on land, we hung out at the beach for a little while, and then walked around in the city center before hopping on the bus back to Sevilla!
Laura, Caroline, Olivia, Me, Kathleen, Alex
It was such a great weekend that I will remember for the rest of my life! I can't say I'd mind going back some day...
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to my mom and dad for giving me the chance to see this beautiful country. I felt so blessed the whole time I was in Portugal. Can't wait to see you guys in 5 and a half weeks!!
¡Adios!
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