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20-21 May 2023

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 Homeward Bound       We travelled from Faro to Lisbon, stayed the night there, and then spent all of Sunday in transit. With my flight scheduled a few hours later than my family’s, I decided to take the extra time to record some of the things I have learned through my trip.      First off, t ravelling alone is a challenge. It takes a lot of work to create  an itinerary, book accommodations, navigate strange places, monitor the budget, and guard the luggage all by oneself. The responsibility felt somewhat burdensome at times, but having managed it successfully I feel more confident in my ability to take care of myself.      On the other hand, it is a humbling experience to go to a country where one is not fluent in the language. There were times where I felt like a child because I could only gesture or speak in simple phrases, and in those moments I felt helpless and dependent upon the goodwill of other people. It takes a lot of courage to try to converse in an unfamiliar language, and
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8–19 May 2023

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Algarve     We  took a train from Lisbon to Faro and from there drove a rental car to our apartment in Quarteira.  This seaside town, which was for centuries little more than a fishing village,  transformed itself decades ago into a beach resort. As with other cities in the Algarve, the bulk of its tourists are Northern Europeans, to whom it caters with kitschy restaurants and default English service. The city does not have much in the way of Portuguese culture, but it offers easy access to the beach and a central location which makes it easy to explore the many points of interest of the region.       The Algarve contains both stunning natural scenery and interesting historical sites. The topography is notable for its palm trees, arid hills, steep cliffs, sandy beaches, and the coastal wildlife that populates them. Some cities are home to c astles built by the Moors, whose influence continues to be seen in their modern architecture, and some to launching points of the Portuguese expedi
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