The Algarve.

Well it's the time of the year that I get to see one of my favourite views.

Tatiana and I had a little trip to the Algarve for the first time. Neither of us has been to Portugal before. I got a little tip from a friend about where to stay.

The Hotel Algarve Casino is perched atop the rocks from whence the resort gets its name, Praia Da Rocha (rocky beach). We booked a studio with a private sun deck and nice view over the beach.

And it has to be said...

No matter which way...

You look at...

The beach... It's BIG!

The beach also has a nice long promenade with lots of small restaurants. Curiously, all of them are exactly the same shape buildings. But each one seems to manage to put their own stamp on it.

It's a very nice resort. Pretty much like Spain, I guess. It has its fair share of cheesy Irish Bars and discos. But it also has a very classy hidden side in the Marina area.

One great spot we found was the private Nickei Beach club.

I picked up a nice bird while we were there :-)

Of course, we had to visit the capital. So we spent a day in Lisbon. Our city visits usually involve a church. So, we had a quick peek in Jeronimos Monastery.

Torre de Belem, is a fortified tower located in the Belem district of Lisbon. It was built in the early 16th century to commemorate the expedition of Vasco de Gama. It has become one of the symbols of the city. And a major tourist attraction.

Lisbon has a bridge just like the Golden gate in San Francisco (and built by the same company too). It's hard to see in this shot. But to the right of the bridge, as you enter the city there's a huge statue of Christ The king, very much the same as the one in Brazil. Wonder which one came first?

We decided to head downtown for a bite to eat and crossed the main square in the city.

And into the main street which has lots of places to eat.

We found the perfect spot and enjoyed a wonderful lunch of fresh seafood cooked in a traditional Portuguese style.

And finished off with a drizzle of Madeira for T and a few splashes of cognac for me.

After which, T went to do a little shopping. And I decided to go back to the main square and have another look at the architecture. Well, T did laugh when she came to find me and saw just how closely I was inspecting the architecture!

There was one shot I had just to take at the resort and that was the one below. If you're a fan of Little Britain, like me, you'd probably expect to see Matt Lucas and David Walliams walking out, declaring in very high pitched voices; "We're ladies!"

It's very rare that T ever considers going back to the same place twice. But she certainly enjoyed this so much she's already decided on coming back next year. If you're looking for something pretty laid back and quiet, just to chill and laze around the pool and the beach, this is certainly the place to do it. Cheers!