Travel Series: Lagos, Portugal

Welcome to another week of Travel Tuesday! Sadly, this is the second-last stop on my Europe backpacking adventure. But don't worry, I've still got to share my travels in Vancouver, so we've still got a few weeks to go with Travel Tuesdays!

After Lisbon, we headed on a very sketchy train to Lagos, in the algarve region of Portugal. This was definitely the most beautiful stop for me, as I come from a very land-locked, flat area of the world. Seeing gorgeous beaches, turquoise water, and giant rocky cliffs were not something I'd ever really seen before. One of the best ways to see how gorgeous the coastline is in the Algarve is to take a boat tour of the Grottos. I remember this being super cheap, and our tour guide was a local with a tiny little boat that could only fit 4. It was an awesome time, and the tour guide in my sister's boat managed to catch a squid while they watched.

In Lagos we decided to take it easy and spend our days on the beach, and our nights at the bars. We did do a lot of drinking, but we also got to spend a day horseback riding in the hills and surfing with an instructor, so I don't think we slacked too much ;) Since my sister and I come from a horse-back riding background, we went on a private ride with one guide so that we wouldn't be stuck walking the entire time (which often happens with big groups of inexperienced riders). I rode a quarter horse named Angel and my sister was on a lusitano named Asia (Lusitanos are a Portuguese breed similar to Spanish Andalusians). We got to see a lot of the local town, as we rode right through it, as well as some of the wildlife and farm animals! At one point we passed about 300 sheep in a field, all with bells around their necks making the loudest racket. The horses were not phased in the slightest, though.

On our very last day we went on a surfing day trip offered by the hostel. I have swan in an ocean maybe on 5 different occasions in my life, so needless to say I was pretty hopeless in the water. I managed to stand up in the really shallow waves a couple times though, so for that I was happy. I probably drank half the ocean though, which wasn't very fun!

Lagos was like a vacation within a vacation, and we had an awesome time in the sun. My parent's are actually in the Algarve right now, and they tell me the weather is incredible. I would definitely recommend taking a trip down to the southern part of Portugal if you get the chance, because it is very different! Especially if you like to party, haha.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Next week I'll share my very last stop on this trip, which was Paris, France!