A Foray into Portugal

Well, my time in Sevilla is coming to a close pretty soon now, so I suppose I should update this a little more regularly. You know, considering I was supposed to be writing this to keep all of you informed about my visit here. *forehead slap*

That's okay, though, because since I've started this blog, I've decided that it's better to live first and write about it later. A.k.a, procrastinate. And so, I am writing on Corpus Christi (my first real holiday here), which will later also merit a post of its own. To make up for my procrastination, though, this post will be super-long and include twice the pictures! Woo! Here goes.


So, this past Friday morning, we all piled into an autobus to drive to Portugal—which strangely no longer requires passport inspection... even if you're carrying a busload of Americans. To make the 4 hour trip to Lagos more enjoyable for everyone (especially those whose bladders are the size of cacahuetes), we stopped halfway through at the Isle of Tavira, a small island beach that I could easily swim to from the mainland, perhaps even walk. With my arm and legs tied together. Seriously, I felt like if I had fallen off the ferry pier, I would have already been halfway there. Anyway, cue beach pic!

In my mind, this was more artistic than it turned out to be. Don't worry, the rest are better.

Now well on our way to inevitable sunburns, we got back on the bus and made it to Lagos in time for dinner. I got Chicken Piri-Piri, a Portuguese specialty (Frango Piri-Piri in Portuguese. Now I know what you're thinking... "But Trey, that word has no relation to pullus, the Latin root word for chicken!" You are right—I am still investigating this matter.), which was unexpectedly spicy for a dish advertised with a picture of a pineapple. The next notable point came at about 3 in the morning, when I decided that I had to go explore the cliffs and grottoes right away, by myself, in the dark. Note: This idea turned out to be so much better than it sounds, especially because the tide was low. It's not easy taking a good picture in those conditions, and most of them turned out looking more like paintings, but I did my best for you guys. Case in point:

I'm not going to lie, there was some cliff-climbing involved.

Around breakfast time, roughly 6 hours after this picture was taken, there was excited whispering of a grotto kayaking trip that would leave that afternoon. I overheard this rumor while munching on fresh bread stuffed with chorizo (Om nom nom) and muenster cheese (I later discovered that a ton of Germans vacation in Portugal. The cheese should have been a clue.), and was instantly intrigued... as was just about everyone in our group. With the exception of a handful of Netherlanders (I may have just invented that term), we single-handedly booked that kayak company's whole day. And with good reason... here's just one of the 90 pictures I took of the amazing scenery:

Lesson learned here: Looking over the edge of a kayak will make it tilt frighteningly.

That evening's bus ride was to Cabo de São Vicente, literally the tip of mainland Europe—its South-westernmost point. Fun fact: before the discovery of America, it was considered the end of the world. Here's a shot of the sunset we got to see there, and then I'll let you guys go for now:

Told you they got better. @=^p