Aljazur to Arrafana

We had a nice breakfast at our hotel next to a couple from Belgium whom we have seen earlier. Knowing that I would need calories, I asked for three fried eggs rather than the usual two. This along with everything else made for a filling breakfast.

On our walk out of town, we hiked up to the castle for the views. Then it was an uneventful walk on roads to the ocean. Then the scenery improved dramatically. We were back along the Atlantic Ocean for a few hours. After that we walked inland to our hotel through trees and shrubs but away from cars. We were at our hotel early today, just after 3 pm.

Odecexe to Aljazur

Our accommodation last night was great. The unit had a bedroom, mini-kitchen, loft, sitting area and a balcony. At breakfast we talked to a German couple who identified us as the old couple who are in great condition. We asked how they knew that we are in our eighties and they said that they talked with other hikers. We also walked with three sisters and two sisters from Germany. At the end of the day we met up with the two sisters again and walked the last six km into Aljazur. They are great company; we exchanged email addresses.

The weather today was actually on the hot side - over 20C for sure. The first section on the ocean was spectacular again. We saw many storks nesting on the cliffs, how many nests can you find in the picture? The last 2/3 was not nearly as interesting but was easy walking. No sand. Just like every other day, we arrived at our destination around 4 pm.

Zambujeira do Mar to Odeceixe

What can I say? The weather continues to be perfect. Sunny and warm but not hot. Today was a advertised as a moderate to strenuous day of 19 km. It took us along the Atlantic Ocean for most of the day with great view after great view most of the day. We saw lots of storks in their nests, some had eggs that we could see.

We continue to meet lots of interesting people, many Germans and Dutch with a few Canadians thrown in. Our flags are working to invite conversation, which was the reason for attaching them to our packs. We walked the last half hour with two German sisters.

Walking through the shrubbery was a nice break from the sun too.

Our room today has a mini-kitchen so we ate some food from a store rather than another restaurant.

Almograve to Zambujeira do Mar

Today was listed as a strenuous hike of 22 km, which we thought might be taxing. It turned out to be easier than we expected. The walk was mostly at one level - at the top of the cliffs overlooking the ocean. The weather was perfect again.

The views were spectacular all day. Lots of interesting rock formations, waves with foam and storks nesting in the cliffs.

We chatted with a good number of people today, from Germany, Netherlands and UK. A lady from the Netherlands told us that the original Fisherman's Trail went through to Faro. It sounded like we should continue our trek beyond Sagres and on to Faro.

Vila Nova de Milfontes to Almograve

Another perfect Day of weather, sunny and warm. The start of the walk was through the town and then over a bridge to area with olive shrubs and trees as the major plants. The density of olives on the branches was amazing. No wonder they make so much olive oil here.

Today was supposed to be a 15 km walk so we took every opportunity to take a side trip. By doing that we probably made it a 20 km day. Our longest side trip was down to a beach until the sand ended. Then we walked back to a spot with ropes to help us back to the top of the cliffs.

We are in our hotel, showered and getting hungry.

Porto Covo to Vila Nova de Milfontes

What a great start. The breakfast buffet was very good with eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, yogurt and all sorts of other things. It gave us good fuel for today's walk. The temperature was perfect, warm but not hot; no rain.

The views were spectacular all day. 

There are more hikers than I expected, says a lot for the trail. Many of the tourists are from Germany, probably over half of those who we talked with today.

At the end of the day, we went to talk to a fisherman who caught a second fish while we watched.

Our hotel was over a km from the start of the trail making the day's walk about 21km. The sand gives us a workout.

Lisbon to Porto Covo

Arrival in Lisbon was so smooth and on schedule. But our back packs were slow to arrive at the baggage carousel, and it was a very long way from the plane to the baggage pickup. That put us late at the bus that could have taken us to Porto Covo directly. As a result, we had to take a train to Sete Rios to catch a different bus to Porto Covo. When we walked into our hotel there, we didn't have a room. Mac's Adventures changed hotels but didn't inform the clients; three other parties also had the same problem.

Our new hotel had the most interesting wood sculpture in the lobby. Blair will like it.

Over dinner we met a Polish couple who had moved to Andalusia. It sounds like a great place to visit.