a lesser known paradise.

back in 1992 i convinced my parents to send me on the high school spanish trip to spain and portugal.

it was my first and only trip to europe before moving overseas.

spain was cool,

but i hated portugal.

probably the naivete of an american teenager.

so it was time to return to portugal after so many years.

when school let out in june, caitlin and i headed to the southern region of portugal known as the algarve.

and it was amazing.

i feel confident in saying that tourists who want to come to some of europe's most amazing beaches should skip those of france, italy and greece and head straight to portugal instead.

it's incredibly beautiful and so much less expensive than the typical tourist destinations.

we started the week in armacao de pera. there are some beautiful beaches along this section of the algarve, but they are quite spread out. this was something we realized after google took us on a several mile journey through dirt paths and brush. in flip flops.

#notthebestmoment

however, most of the beaches in portugal are nestled between cliffs and have quite the picturesque backdrops.

despite the cloudy skills, still beautiful

#photoshoot

cave beaches

sometimes trusting google is a questionable decision...

amazing rock formations

same rocks, but from the sea

this coastline is incredible.

wow wow wow.

after a few days with a verrrrrrrry interesting airbnb host, we moved onto lagos.

there we stayed in a delightful airbnb and the nearby beaches were quite walkable and each unique in their own way.

each day we headed off to a different beach, some quiet, some busy, but all stunning.

beauty for days

right on the beach

i've never seen such large shells on the beach

and such clear water

the biggest problem this area has is the water temperature.

even in late june.

it was freezing.

but, i digress...

the southernmost point in europe

cabo de sao vicente (cape saint vincent)

this beach was huge, and nearly empty

the beach for our last day in portugal

just incredible.

#lifemotto

travel tips for the algarve:

- this was a solid airbnb option; this was not
- in lagos we did okay without a rental car, but i'd probably recommend it if you want to go to other areas
- here's a nice post from migrating miss that you might find useful in trip planning and the brit & the blonde shared their top 5 beaches here

have you ever been to the algarve? fave beach?

Summer in Savannah: Version 2.015

Every summer I have eight weeks off and this year I spent five of them in Savannah. 

Here are some of the highlights of my time in this southern city.

Taking selfies with these cuties, Hudson and Grady. 

Took my niece and her husband to dinner and had these yummy shrimp and grits tacos.

It's always a party when all of the dogs are together!

It's treat time!

My Aunt Joni came to Savannah again this summer. It's always so nice to get to spend time with her.

My two favorite ladies- my mom and Aunt Joni!

I baked this delicious chicken pot pie completely from scratch. It's been awhile since I made this dinner, but I'm still thinking about how delicious it was. 

Even the crust was from scratch.

Look who came to Savannah! 

Kate came and visited for two days. We went to the beach, we went kayaking, and explored downtown. 

Taking a dip after kayaking.

I rented this cute Kate Spade romper for our day touring downtown Savannah.

 

I took this girl some delicious lunch while she was working. 

I spent some time cuddling with this little peanut.

I spent several days at the beach with my sister.

And eventually time came to head back over the Alps.

It's pretty incredible, every single time.

I did it for the shirt.

A good Nike shirt can be expensive.

So when you can get one customized for Milan with a bag of swag for 30 euro it's a pretty good deal.

Combined with a few hours of fun with friends and you're left with a memorable experience!

#werunmilano or we walk it.

It was sooooooooooooooooo hot.

Like over 90 degrees Fahrenheit hot.

But we had a good time snapping some pics before the race.

Hey Kyle, what's up with your shirt?
Did anyone else notice the "nice crew" tag behind us?
#howdidtheyknow?

I'm so thankful that Kira decided to walk the race with me since this was clearly NOT a race to walk. We were at the back and they let the traffic resume before we even got off the first street.

#classicItaly

And we all finished, despite the fact there was NO water for the entire 10 km race in the heat.

This made us real happy campers.

#insertsarcasm

But, it was fun, and I got the shirt!

------
Thanks to all my regular readers! I appreciate the time you take to keep up with my travels.

For those of you in Savannah, here's the current run down of my trip home coming shortly...

July 8-Aug 18 in Savannah
July 23-30 Headed to NYC to spend time with Caitlin and attend a yoga retreat with Yoga By Candace
Aug 3-5 Kate (yes, that Kate!) is making an appearance in Savannah
Aug 7-14 Aunt Joanie is coming to Savannah! (She's always so good about coming to visit!)

Susan and I have talked about taking this tinkering class. Thank goodness it doesn't start for another month.

I'm also planning on attending Stan's Kayaking School (hahahah) with Sue. I clearly have no kayaking skills and Sue wants to learn! This is our summer!

There's still plenty of time left to make some plans! Please send me a message and we'll set something up!

What are your summer plans? Are you traveling? I'm always up for considering guest posts if you've got some great pics and travel tips! Let me hear from you in the comments!