The Historic Town of Portimão
Exploring Marina de Portimão and Cobblestone Streets
The final leg of our journey led us to the Algarve region of Portugal, following our explorations in Porto and the coastal charms of Nazaré. Our adventure continued as we immersed ourselves in the historic town of Portimão. Our Airbnb was about a 10 minute walk down cobblestone streets to Marina de Portimão on the Arade river. The weather was sunny 26-27°C (79-80°F) with a light breeze off the water almost everyday drawing us out for walks to go explore on a daily basis. We spent a month in this amazing part of the country taking boat tours, tasting amazing food, and meeting the wonderful people in the Algarve region of Portugal. At this point in the trip we had been gone for over three and a half months and there were certainly moments of chaos, uncertainty, and homesickness for our two young boys. What this trip taught us was the hardest part of parenting is also the most rewarding, when our boys faced adversity, we pulled together as a family and my pint-sized little guys always came through on the other side.
Discovering Nossa Senhora da Conceição
Playgrounds, Fountains, and Pastries in Portimão
About 5 minutes from our front door was an amazing Catholic Church, Nossa Senhora da Conceição that had a huge square with fountains and a large playground where we spent our days watching the kids play on the slides and swings. After the playground the boys would run through the fountains, and then we would usually head to the bakery in the square and grab an espresso and Pastel de Nata and a sweet treat for the boys. Then we would take a short walk to either the riverfront or the beach (Praia da Rocha) depending on our mood for the day.
Benagil Caves Boat Tour
Awe-Inspiring Views and the Algar de Benagil Dome
After a few days of exploring the streets of Portimão, on September 26 we decided to go on the Benagil Caves boat tour heading past Fort of Santa Catarina de Ribamar on our way out to the ocean. If I’m being honest, aside from visiting Nazare, the Benagil Cave Tour is what I was most excited about leading up to our Portugal trip. The boys were really excited about seeing the Benagil Caves too. Our boat pulled into the famous dome, Algar de Benagil that opened up to the sky and our dreams were realized. It was an amazing experience to say the least. It’s hard to describe how beautiful the coastline is there, it almost felt like an out of body experience that I can’t quite put words to. Having spent a lot of time in the water along the California coast, Alli and I couldn’t help but compare it to Montana de Oro on California’s Central Coast but this was on a much grander scale. It was cool knowing as I gazed across the water we were just a stones throw away from the rock of Gibralter and coast of Africa on the other side of the straight.
Unexpected Discoveries in Portimão
3D Museum Adventures and Creative Photo Shoots
On October 1st, after a nice breakfast, Alli asked if I could take the boys out for a few hours so she could do some much needed research that was part of her sabbatical obligations. I decided to head down with the boys to the riverfront and visit the rental car office to see if we could cross the boarder into Spain with a rental. The office was closed but as fate would have it, we stumbled onto the 3D Museum that was next door. It was one of the cooler places we visited in Portimão. As the name suggests, it had 3D images painted on the walls and floor that when photographed transported you to another place. There were all sorts of images and it turned into a two hour photo shoot with me and the kids. It had images we posed with that made it look like we were hanging on the side of a skyscraper, another gave the illusion of hanging on the wing of a commercial jet airliner, and one even made it look like you were levitating. One of the coolest installations in the museum was a room that appeared to have dinosaurs walking around with us. It blew the boys minds, they absolutely loved it. The 3D museum was filled with super creative 3D images and was a really fun experience for all of us.
Exploring Lagos: Hop-on Hop-off Bus
Old Town Charm and Beautiful Walking Streets
If you’ve been to the Algarve region or done any research about it you’ve likely heard of the town of Lagos. On October 2 after doing a little online research we decided that the Hop on Hop off bus, similar to what we had done in Porto, would be a great way to explore Lagos. So we jumped into an Uber for a short 30 minute drive from Portimão to Lagos and were dropped off at the Marina de Lagos. After doing some exploring we headed over a draw bridge called Ponte Dona Maria into the old town of Lagos for lunch and some shopping. We ended up on a beautiful walking street named R. 25 de Abril where we enjoyed some sardines and drinks. After lunch we headed back to the marina and jumped onto the Hop-on Hop-off bus for a trip down the coast to Ponta da Piedade. After getting some amazing pictures we looped back up the coast, past old town and along the sandy beach of Praia de São Roque. We saw some awe inspiring sites in Lagos but the truth is that the boys favorite part was the bus that looked like a train from an amusement park.
Dolphin Boat Tour in the Atlantic
Close Encounters with Dolphins near Benigal Caves
The next day, on October 3rd we wanted to go on another excursion. As a family who spends a lot of time in the Pacific Ocean back home on our boat, I wasn’t as excited about this one but we thought we would give it a try anyway. Boy was I wrong! We went out on the Seafaris Dolphin Boat tour that turned out to be well worth it. Having already been out on an ocean boat here added to the fact that we have seen a lot of dolphins back home I wasn’t sure how the boys would respond. However, this turned out to be a very different experience, the boat for the excursion was an open air 28’ aluminum boat with inflatable sides and two powerful outboard motors, and wow, was it fast. It only took about 10 minutes before we were surrounded by a pod of bottlenose dolphins that put on a show for us with a backdrop of the beautiful Benigal caves. There are rules in Portugal to protect the dolphins which say it is forbidden to get closer than 30 meters to an animal or group, and you can stay a maximum of 30 minutes with the animals. However, the dolphins didn’t seem to care about the rules and frequently approached us and even swam under the boat on multiple occasions, seeming to ignore our boat captains attempts to keep them at a safe distance. Our tour guides were well informed about the size, preferred foods, and habitats that these beautiful creatures enjoyed. The day was a balmy 82°F and was such an enjoyable experience for us and the boys.
Slide and Splash Waterpark
A Fun-Filled Day for the Kids in Estômbar
We were having a lot of fun in Portugal with plans of going on to Spain and Italy for another two months but at a certain point on the trip we made a tough decision to cut the trip early. The boys were maxed out, in 4 1/2 months we had stayed in 14 different locations, took six flights, and it felt like getting the boys home and into their normal routine was the right move. So with our time running short we decided that we should make our last outing all about the kids. So on On October 7th we took an Uber from Portimão to Estômbar and headed to a waterpark appropriately named Slide and Splash. It was an amazing way to wrap up our 6 week adventure in Portugal, the boys had a great time splashing around in the pools and going down waterslides.
Reflecting on Our 6-Week Adventure
From the lush rainforests of Costa Rica to the wave-kissed shores of Portugal, our journey was coming to an end. The laughter, and pursuit of our dreams to see the world with our boys was over. And as we packed our bags, we knew that this was just the beginning. The world is our playground, and our little tribe is ready for the next adventure, wherever it may take us.
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Here are some other topics that may interest you.
- From Lisbon to Porto: A Portuguese Family Adventure
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- Week of First and Nostalgic Returns
- Embracing the Wild: Our Costa Rican Adventure with Bats, Spiders, and Mosquitoes
- A Comprehensive Guide to Tamarindo Costa Rica
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