The Algarve coast at Southern Portugal was the place I first wanted to explore for possibly making it my home. I saw quite a bit of Portugal on the way down - and I liked what I saw. Very friendly people enjoying life. Many spoke English and others French (but very few Spanish). [And this is the only country where I spoke English during this six week trip.] I had tried Portuguese wines before, but not a lot. The red wines we bought were robust and very enjoyable. Not that I talk much about white wines, but vino verde was very refreshing when it was hot ouside.

Faro, the main town in Algarve, was a delight. There were well preserved old buildings downtown, a fort at the waters edge, boat marina nearby, storks everywhere. Tourists - who have taken over the rest of Algarve - come and visit during the day, but disappear in the evening. Then it is owned by the Portuguese. It was amazing to see big crowds of people, where nobody is drunk, nobody is making loud noises; just having a good time.

So Faro is a delight as a tourist destination. There are no beaches there, and that is probably what has saved it from being overrun by tourists. But it was also apparent that it is not a place where I would want to live. The cultural center is too small, and there is no easy access to either hiking or kayaking.

Pictures from Northern Spain

- The rugged coast of Northern Spain (fairly sparcely populated)

Pictures from Portugal

- Porto, the second largest city in Portugal, beautifully laid out
- The bridge over the large Douro river in Porto. I have been informed that floating down the Douro in a kayak and tasting port wines along the way is not a bad idea ...
- Old boats along the southern shore of the Douro. This is where you find the old, interesting port tasting places
- David in Lisbon. David is the son of a cousin of Gus. Gus, Portuguese and a former co-worker of mine, has given me all the information about Portugal. David and his wife Catarina generously showed us around Lisbon and dined with us
- The place where Vasco da Gama left for India in 1497, to become the first person to reach India by rounding the Cape of Good Hope in Southern Africa
- I pick up my long-time friend Leif at the Lisbon airport. We met in Goa, India, during my third Asia trip in 1974. We traveled together in Southern India in my VW van and then into Sri Lanka. This time Leif had graciously agreed to travel with me for three weeks
- Faro, the main town in Algarve in the southern coast. We found this to be a charming place with few tourists but lots of local life - and storks! A great vacation place! The rest of what we saw of Algarve was much less interesting with everything geared towards tourism.
- Old port for sale in Faro. The one from 1917 only costs 893 Euros, which does not seem too bad considering the age.
- The town of Serpa, near the Spanish border. We ended up in a campground here, not knowing anything about the town. In the evening we found ourselves partaking in a town festival with lots of old costumes and singing, and then Brazilian rhythms. Great evening! We found lots of interesting ruins the next day

Pictures from Southwestern Spain

- Italica ruins, just west of Sevilla. This is the first important Roman settlement in Iberia (The Spanish-Portuguese peninsula), constructed in 206 BC. We found lots of well-preserved mosaic
- The La Giralda minaret in Sevilla, built in 1198. Christians destroyed the surrounding mosque in 1401 (to clear space for a massive cathedral)
- Alcázar in Sevilla, Moorish architecture and gardens with walls from the 9th century
- Leif drinking beer. It was hot in Sevilla, almost 40 degrees
- Algeciraz with the super fast (and super expensive) ferry to Africa
- Views of the British Gibraltar rock