Our base in Portimao was an excellent spot for exploring the south coast of Portugal. In the spirit of adventure, we decided to go all the way to Sagres. Drive west from Lagos and you’ll find yourself at Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina, a national park in Sagres. It’s not the kind […]
Ponta da Piedade, Lagos
In my last post about the old town of Lagos, I mentioned Ponta da Piedade (Google Maps link) as a nearby attraction. The popular cliffs of Ponta da Piedade have many beautiful gold-coloured rock formations that are visible from the point. There are also many caves, most of which are only accessible by boat. It might be […]
Old Town Lagos
In my last blog post, I spoke about the amazing sunrise beach hike we did along the cliffs of the Algarve. We had already checked out of our accommodation. So after the hike, we made our way to the next Airbnb to check in. Our plan was to head west along Portugal’s south coast. Where to stay […]
Algarve Beach Hike
Portugal has long been on my bucket list. The cliffs of the Algarve in particular. This area is extremely beautiful, even in winter! For my birthday in February, we spontaneously booked a trip to Faro in the south east corner of Portugal, especially to do an Algarve beach hike. How to travel There are quite […]
The Backpacker’s First Aid Kit
The thing about first aid kits is that you hope you won’t need one. That tends to be one of the reasons that you might put it out of your mind. But, if something small does go wrong, it can be super convenient to have what you need at hand. Especially in the case where you don’t have […]
Driving in Crete
Road-tripping through Crete is a beautiful thing. And maybe a little hair-raising at times. Be sure to keep your wits about you and your eyes on the road. You might need to get used to the island driving style at first, but it’s worth it. The west and south of Crete is filled with great views […]
Chilling at Makry Gialos
By this point in our two week holiday, I was pretty exhausted after adventuring to gorgeous beaches, ancient ruins, monasteries, lakes, caves, a palm forest, a lovely old town and hiking down one very steep gorge. It was time to chill! Venturing to the far east of Crete, we stayed at a beautiful place called Afroditi Apartments. We […]
Knossos & Hieralikon Archaeological Museum
Situated in northern Crete, Knossos used to be the capital of Crete in Minoan times. As I mentioned in my last post, the site was inhabited since about 7000BC and may even be Europe’s oldest city. It’s certainly one of the most popular spots on the island. We explored Knossos before heading to the Hieralikon Archaeological Museum, just a few […]
Ancient Minoan Ruins of Phaestos
While we were staying on the south of the island of Crete, closer to the Matala Caves and the Preveli Palm Forest, we drove a short distance inland to see the ancient ruins of Phaestos. These ruins are situated on a hill with far-reaching views (we decided to have our little picnic lunch in the parking area because the view was […]
Matala Caves & Beach
It was at Matala that Joni Mitchell met Cary. She wrote a song about him later (with the same name), calling him “a mean old daddy” and referenced the Matala Moon. She stayed in a cave on the beach for while but soon missed the comforts of home. Visiting the Matala Caves The freedom […]