A Week in The Algarve

Walking with sasha in the orange groves

I’m quite lucky. A few years ago my parents (and my brothers at the time as well) decided they were fed up with living in Ireland. They wanted a better quality of life and were going to live in Portugal again. I had lived there for about five years when I was younger, from the ages of two until seven. I don’t remember a lot about it. I remember being in a Portuguese school and a couple of other fragments but not a lot sadly. Worse than that, I don’t remember any Portuguese which is such a shame.

I’m lucky because when other friends go to visit their parents they usually drive down the road or perhaps even go visit them in another part of the country, but I get to go to Portugal. To the Algarve just outside of Silves where they run a bed and breakfast called Duas Quintas.

Portimão And The Museu De Portimão

I’ve been to Portimão a few times but Jemma hadn’t. Portimão is a lovely little city which with beautiful cobbled streets and a lovely waterfront area. It’s the capital of sardines and we spent the day learning about (and eating) sardines.

Learning about Sardines

Mmm!

Visiting A Vineyard

I love wine and this year I’ve been taking an evening course to learn all about it. I started in January at beginners and am now on the second level. It’s a lot of fun and if I had more free time I would definitely take on more evening classes. So being in Portugal it made sense to go visit a vineyard.

Cellars at Quita Dos Vales

In the wine tasting class there are two parts, the academic part where we learn about how wine is made and about grape varieties and the second part, drinking. Honestly, I really enjoy learning about wine and how it’s made. It’s great fun to drink it obviously but I still enjoy getting to use my brain at least once a week.

Quinta Dos Vales was a great experience. We did a little tasting, sampling a red, a white and a rosé. I don’t usually like rosé but this was lovely and dry. In fact I’d happily drink it again (if I could get it easily in the UK). After that we did a tour around the vineyard, learning how wine is made and fermented before taking a quick look around the grounds. I’ll definitely be visiting more vineyards in the future.

An unusual sideline for a vineyard

Walking in the Algarve Countryside

We took two massive walks in the countryside near the B&B. Although plenty of people visit the Algarve every year to see the beaches and coastal areas, one of Portugal’s unsung songs is its countryside.

Apparently these shorts are fashionable

Sasha (my dog) didn’t do so well. Every time we passed some shade, she decided it was time for a break. In the end we all had a swim in the reservoir above.

Sasha gets a few lengths in before us

Eating Some Goat

Something that’s almost impossible to get in the UK, especially in a restaurant, is goat. In Portugal however kid goat (cabrito) is still eaten and served in restaurants and it’s delicious. We went into the mountains to a local restaurant to find what was apparently the best place in the area to get goat. They weren’t lying, it was absolutely amazing.

Source: JemmaEatWorld

If you’re visiting Portugal and in particular the Algarve, don’t just stick to the beaches and places like Albufeira and Praia da Luz – explore the countryside. It’s absolutely beautiful and it’s great for walking. It’s a different side to Portugal and one that absolutely shouldn’t be missed.