Algarve Portugal The South s Delight

A lgarve or as it was              into contact with the most         baptized by the Arabs as Al     attractive Algarve beaches. Long   Gharb meaning 'to the           soft sandy stretches which         west', is the most southern           enclose secret coves at the        province of the eleven that           beginning where the outline of     Portugal has been divided into.       the coast is extremely flat        Its variety in terrain which          around the towns of Lagos but      starts at the small town of           after the city of Albufeira it     Odeceixe on the west coast,           turns into cliffs. Not leaving     nicely tucked into the Espinhaco      the hypnotizing view of the        do Cao mountain range bordering       Atlantic, your car hire seems to   the coast and the brave Atlantic      know the route and continues on    Ocean to the west. Its shoreline      to Faro, the capital of this area  runs down through Aljezur,            after having taken this title      symbolic in the Portuguese            away from the city of Silves in    history thanks to its castle          1577. Here in Faro you have the    which is one of the seven that        main gateway into this southern    appear on the flag of Portugal.       region when arriving at this       Still enjoying the different          well-prepared international        shades that the fertile valleys       airport for your holiday stay.     offer, you continue along the         But there is still more beach      shoreline to Alfambra, a walled       towns like Tavira, a very          in city and well-known as a           historic medieval town and Castro  fishing village and tourist           Marim another city surrounded by   attraction. To the most western       a protective wall. From here, the  tip is the Cape of Saint Vicent       journey northward following the    and to the town of Sagres where       Guadiana River, which is the       Henry the Navegator first started     natural border between Spain and   his navigation school. At this        Portugal.                          point, you have come to the come                                         Saved by its Ancestors                                                                                  Algarve Wine, A Sweet Caress    The Algarve region has seen all       for Your Lips                  the cultures beginning with the                                          Lusitanians, Celtics, Romans and      Grapes in Portugal are synonymous  Arabs who were forced out of Faro     to wine, and Algarve has quite a   in 1249 by Sancho II. But thanks      variety. The exportation of wine   to the combination of all these       from this region started under     people, especially the Arabs, the     the Muslim domain and reached its  Algarve province (                    climax in the 14th and 15th        http://www.lisbon-and-portugal.co     centuries. Lagos, Portimao and     m/algarve/algarve-portugal.html )     Tavira are the principal wine      now has a strong production of        producers.                         olive trees which produce rich                                           olive oil, figs and almonds. It       + The Algar Dry from Lagos is a    is said that the almond trees         dry wine, served very cold for     were a gift from a Moorish sultan     appetizers. The dry and sweet      who was in love with a Nordic         moscatel wines are aged in oak     princess. She dearly missed the       barrels for at least seven years   snow covered ground in winter and     and have about 18% alcohol         what most resembled that were the     content.                           almond trees in full bloom in the                                        spring. From this, the Algarve        + Alfonso III is another dry wine  makes a rich dessert from             from Lagos and also served very    almonds, figs, eggs and sugar         cold.                              called 'morgados'. And thanks to                                         the dry weather, pears, tomatoes,     + Cruz de Portugal is a smooth     melons and grapes are among the       red wine which should be served    delicious fruits available year       at room temperature for dessert.   round.                                                                   + From Tavira you have Licoroso       leisurley stroll through the       de Tavira which is very sweet and     Natural Reserve Park to            dark in colour, served at room        appreciate the marvellous view of  temperature.                          pink flamengos and long-legged                                           storks soaring in and out of       + Medronho is a type of liquer        sight. For golf lovers, near       very well known all over the          Albufeira and hidden among pine    Algarve region and usually found      trees and the shore you will find  in the typical 'tascas' or            Villamoura with its campestral     taverns and served in glasses         fields for playing a relaxing      from Oporto.                          game of golf. Wherever you go in                                         this region, be it on the coast    Cute places to see around          or deep in the forest area, there  Portugal                          are all kinds of hotels with                                             great facilities for your stay in  Between Tavira and Castro Marim,      Algarve or the capital of          one can easily manage a nice          Portugal, Lisbon.                  beach day in Monte Gordo and a         About the Author: The author Rob Carlton is a freelance writer for the news section of http://www.lisbon-and-portugal.com. He is specializing in subjects like the Algarve Portugal http://www.lisbon-and-portugal.com/algarve/algarve-portugal.html and portuguese travel. Source: www.isnare.com