This weekly wrap-up covers our journey from June 9 to 15. We stayed in Porto through Sunday (to watch Portugal win the UEFA Nations League, of course) before heading down to the Algarve on Monday afternoon. We spent the week exploring Portugal’s southern coast before driving to Lisbon on Saturday.
Favorite thing we ate: In Faro, our host told us about a traditional Algarve dish called cataplana [pictured above]. It’s basically a big copper pot filled with seafood, and ours was topped with some delicious crunchy bread. We visited a local restaurant and asked our server which variety was the best; he suggested the cataplana de peixe, which is fish cataplana, but as you can see, ours also came with mussels, clams and shrimp. Yum!
Favorite thing we drank: Of course, lots of wine was also drunk this week, but Jonathan particularly enjoyed drinking a Sagres in Sagres (hehe), and Megan discovered a few new ciders: Somersby (apple and blackberry) and Bandida do Pomar. These ciders are fruitier than the ones she drinks in the U.S., but not too sweet.
Favorite thing we did: On our first full day in the Algarve, Jonathan booked a kayaking tour through Kayak Explorers. The tour took about 2.5 hours; we began by kayaking down the coast (our first experience in a double kayak!), then maneuvered through some beautiful caves. There was also time to relax on a remote beach [above right] before we hitched ourselves to a skipper boat to return to Lagos.
Biggest splurge: We rented a car again to get around the Algarve, but this time, we were glad we had it! It made it easier to visit smaller towns and attractions nearby, like Ohlão and Sagres.
Best deal: Our Airbnb host in Porto recommended a restaurant outside the city center, where prices reflect local visitors more than tourists. You can see the meal we ordered above left: all this food was only 14.50 euros! And they filled our wine glasses to the brim [above right].
What we’re reading: Megan is continuing to read (and enjoy) The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Jonathan finished (and enjoyed) Miracle Creek and is now listening to Bad Blood on audio.
Total walking distance: 45.48 miles
Up next: Errrrhm … good question! We plan to spend a few days in Lisbon and surrounding areas (Sintra, Coimbra), and our next stop is Eastern Europe. But we have no tickets or reservations yet, so … stay tuned! 😀
