Whitewashed villas in Salema
Surf school at Carrapateira
Newbie surfers headed out for a lesson
"The end of the earth" in Sagres
The backdrop of blue sky, perfectly balanced against whitewashed buildings with terra cotta tile roofs built into the hillside, is what one would imagine in trying to conjure up a view of the Algarve, at the southern end of Portugal. The village of Salema is our home for this week and it could not be any more perfect for some relaxation! Salema is a tiny fishing village that has caught on to the idea of tourism being good for business. This is a popular place for vacationers from Great Britain, the Netherlands and Germany and the beach reflects that with the great variety of languages spoken.
One of our goals during this week was to try our hands at surfing, so we set out this morning for the village of Carrapateira, surf capitol of the Algarve and apparently of Europe. Our timing and cash flow were off, as lessons began at 11:30 and payment is cash only. So we will give it a try another day. We spent a couple of hours at this incredible beach anyway, observing the experienced and newbie surfers alike. The surf was crashing, the wind blowing and the place teeming with a more earthy crowd that we had experienced at Praia de Salema yesterday. Hundreds of people were sporting wetsuits and a surfboard and it was a blast to watch! The kids were disappointed to have to wait to try it themselves.
Never ones to miss out on seeing something new, we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring “the end of the earth”, Portugal’s and Europe’s most southwestern point, the town of Sagres. Henry the Navigator, Portugal’s king during the mid 15th century and the “Age of Discovery” set up a school of navigation in this town, which is situated on the windblown, rock cliffed coast. The views were stunning, sandstone cliffs falling into the choppy ocean, sky so blue it was stuff of imagination, sailboats bobbing and an endless horizon. This part of the Algarve was made into a protected area about 10 years ago so development, while still happening, is greatly regulated. The semi-arid landscape is quite hilly, the soil a terra cotta color and the vegetation a mix of olive trees, squat evergreens and some other sort of scrub as well as cactus and other succulent plants. As it is also very windy, so there are a few wind farms dotting the hills.
Our day wrapped up with a “take away” Indian dinner which to my surprise, the kids loved (not sure if it was the food or the fact that we were not in a restaurant at the mercy of the waiters and cooks)!
Cathy
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