Bimbling along with Sam: 2008

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Bimbling around Portugal

Escaping from the crowds is not only easy, but also a very rewarding experience. The tourist take-over (although rapidly spreading) is confined to the coastal areas of Albufeira along to Praia da Rocha and Vale do Lobo, but outside these regions Portugal is a quiet, interesting and beautiful place.

The local restaurants serve simple foods flavored with local spices in comfortable surroundings. The trinkets on the walls mixed with sounds from colorful characters enjoying a drink after a day's work, give an impression of what life is like: relaxed and very much family orientated. Should you find yourself here may I very much recommend the piri-piri chicken "frango piri-piri" - just delicious!

Inland from Faro, idyllic villages are dotted around the surrounding hills, their bright white buildings and narrow alleyways giving picturesque views that invite you to just bimble around and get lost in its tranquility. Every village also has its own group of elderly men sat in a row watching the world go by, an amusing sight, but a little disconcerting wondering what they are thinking about my foreign self.

(Image of Boliqueime village)

The beaches are the biggest pull of Portugal and they do not disappoint! The further west you travel, the rockier the coves become, and the seas rougher. Each beach is fantastically clean and its waters clear. Praia da Ingrina was our destination one day - with its campsite 10 minutes walk from the ocean and walks along the high cliffs made this a stunning area. The main bay was a surfer's paradise with seven-foot waves cruising in and crashing dramatically on the surrounding rocks. East of Faro the beaches are very different and equally beautiful! A short boat ride from Olhao will take you to Ilha da Armona, a small island, which is inhabited and seems to be the beach the Portuguese go to kick back. Soft sands and flat waters make this the ideal beach to relax and swim. Another well worth destination is Praia de Barril, which lies a fun and short train ride away from Santa Luzia across the marshes to a vast expanse of golden sands and calm rolling waves. The town of Santa Luzia is also known as "the capital of octopus" where vast quantities are sold to the surrounding restaurants and, as you can imagine, the seafood here is out of this world.

To conclude Portugal has a fascinating culture that I hope doesn’t become ruined by the tourist invasion. The contrasts between the inland landscapes where orange and olive groves spread across the hills and colourful wildflowers produce a pleasing scent, to a varying coastline of wide sandy beaches in the east and the rocky high seas of the west, make this a country well worth a visit!!

May I thank Charley for being an entertaining and beautiful travel companion, and also Sam and Steve for their wonderful hospitality - and green beer!

New images for sale on 55max

Click www.55max.com to see the scotland images on sale!!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

New search engine for images on alamy

Added to the website is a search engine, to find all my stock images on alamy. Just type in a word and click search to find what you are looking for!! It can be anything from "uluru" to "joss stick" to "fish" all images are for sale for editorial use and are rights managed, to be used all over the world! Like the front cover for Glimpse magazine below.

http://www.samoakes.com