Our Week in Salema

According to Roger’s phone, we averaged about 15,000 steps a day in Lisbon.  We were ready for a change of pace.  So we headed south by train to the Algarve, the southern coast of Portugal. Our destination was tiny Salema, which boasts a permanent population of 300 souls.  There are many more vacation homes than that, but the resident population is small.  It is a fishing village, now more oriented to tourism.  Lots of restaurants and beach activities...a perfect place for families and couples.  It is laid-back...just what we were hoping for after a busy week in Lisbon.

We have a one-bedroom apartment overlooking the beach/ocean and all the activity at the town center.  The temperatures are mild (70s during days and 60s at night).

The view from our balcony

We spent our week here hiking trails along the coast, visiting small villages, eating lots of very fresh fish and drinking wonderful Portuguese wines and beer.  We also took short bus trips to Sagres (farthest community to the west) and to Lagos (a lively resort town with a beautiful rocky coastline).

Here are a few photos.

The fish market in Lagos

 

Lagos coastline and 2 cute people 

 

A typical sidewalk in Lagos and throughout Portugal.  Stones are used for paving sidewalks and streets.  Easy to repair and don’t have to be repaved.

Boat harbor and promenade  in Lagos 

Roger at Boca do Rio beach - no village nearby 

Coastline in Lagos

One of dozens of tiny beaches along the coast in Lagos

Beachfront at tiny Burgau, the village just east of Salema