With nearly 200 km of coastline and a hundred beaches, you have the choice between long stretches of golden sand, small coves with clear waters and even a desert island, Ilha Deserta, which you can reach by boat through the swamps, or a beach accessible by little train, Praia do Barril, on the island of Tavira. If the Atlantic may seem cold, we savor the luxury of swimming while contemplating the cliffs, without algae or critters to disturb our tranquility!
No, we don't only eat cod in Portugal! I was amazed by the diversity of local dishes and wines, whether at the two-star restaurant at Vila Vita Parc in Porches or at the fish restaurant Jorge Do Peixe in Quarteira. At Tertulia Algarvia, in the historic center of Faro, I learn to cook cataplana, bouillabaisse with monkfish, clams, razor clams and chorizo, simmered in a kind of
All-round copper "tagine". And everywhere, I throw myself on tapas:cod fritters, chorizo, Serpa (sheep's cheese served with orange blossom honey)... In Portimao, I understand the work of sardines in a brand new museum installed on the site of an old fish canning factory. And at the Veneza restaurant in Garrafeira, I savor traditional cuisine surrounded by the best bottles in the country, lulled by the bewitching notes of fado...
