From Italica (see out last post for a heads up on these Roman ruins) we drove west into Portugal along the Algarve (southern Portuguese coast) and encountered one of the worst invasive species known to the region – Tourists. This common specimen of Homo sapien is known for invading an area, constructing nests of concrete and flocking to beaches in large quantities. Luckily we were staying in Salema, a small fishing village (well, a fishing village slowly heading to retirement) just out of range of the tourist trail (thanks mainly to its location in a protected national park). Even Salema had its share of hotels and restaurants, but it was manageable and reasonable compared to the rest of the coast.
For us the slow pace of Salema didn’t disappoint – we had a cozy room in a British-owned but German-run bed and breakfast (hmmmm yummy breakfast). Beach views and fresh coffee helped make for a relaxing few days. Honestly Salema makes us consider settling down in a foreign country and serving up bread, marmalade and a bed at a reasonable price to interested tourists.
And beaches? They got plenty of stinkin’ beaches! The beach at Salema was great - a long stretch of fine sand with shells and rocks in very cold (aka fridgid) water. Tops were optional (Lee went topless), lots of families, and the kids ran around naked (pretty common in Europe compared to America); makes for a very liberating and carefree environment compared to American beaches. A few cabanas were laid out in front of the main hotel, but other than that it was a non-touristy beach and a relaxing place to spend a lazy day. As a bonus - for such a small town, the restaurants were all top notch. We had the best seafood we’ve ever had (or at least comparable to the best), which is impressive given some of the places we’ve had seafood (San Francisco, Gulf of Mexico, New Zealand, Scotland and Ireland to name a few). Enjoying freshly caught and grilled fish with fried up potatoes, garden grown veggies and a crisp glass of wine after a day at the beach ranks up there as one of the best ways to chill; especially when the beach isn’t set in the Gulf of Mexico where the salt builds crust on your skin!
Our second day here was spent with a short drive east to Benagil where we caught a fishing boat and toured the sandstone coves and caves for an hour on the water with a quick look at several dozen coves, most with stunning and isolated beaches (some even inside the sandstone caves).
Sadly, our captain (a local and former fisherman Cap. Fernando Cabrita; Tel: 961 966 302) explained that unsustainable tourism is quickly encroaching on the area of Praia da Marinha. Just east a few kilometers we noticed high-rise buildings and jet boats zipping by. He pointed out that most of the coastline was being bought by the ultra-rich and out-of-touch, for example the President of Angola, to develop resorts along what remains of the natural coast (so in essence the beautiful beaches there are in danger of extinction within the next 5-10 years). This type of development is unfortunately common around the world and serves only to convert the natural beauty of a place into a Disney-esk money machine for a limited few. So here's our shtick: If you’re ever faced with the option of package resort style tourism versus low-impact (i.e. bed and breakfast, apartment, off the beaten track, etc.) tourism please consider choosing the later. You’ll do yourself, the locals and nature a favor.
To cap off the day and catch the sunset, we drove west to the awe-inspiring Praia do Castelejo on the Atlantic side of the Algarve (very similar to California's Big Sur). The complete opposite of Salema, the beach was typical Atlantic style with a river outleting to the beach – fine sand, wide beach, windy, misty and chilly. At first we took in the view from the top of the huge sand dunes, before heading down the windy road to the actual beach. A few people paced the beach while a small restaurant and several campervans sat in the background. As we wandered and stood in the shallows waiting for the sunset, two surfers headed out into the waves. Not sure if they just were not experienced or had a tough break, but neither had any success and one found himself washed down shore past a series of seriously large and dangerous rocks. We stood around with his buddy for at least twenty minutes growing concerned that he may have hit the rocks, but eventually we spotted him in the mist several hundred meters down the beach.
So how do we feel about the far western Algarve? As long as this small gem is not ruined by further development, we could definitely see ourselves returning (if we’re in the mood for pure relaxation!). Next up: A return to city living in Lisboa (Lisbon).
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