Colors of Cartagena

Our time was short in Cartagena, but it was incredibly memorable. We started the morning with what many say is a must-do while visiting this gorgeous city riding in a Chiva Bus. A Chiva bus cam only be described as a party on wheels. Upon arrival to the bus we were handed a bucket of ice, local rum and coke. The entertainment on board was a 3-man band located in the middle rows of the bus; which truly bring the party to life. While some shy away from 8am cocktails, we embraced the experience like a local. When in Rome, right?  

We took a short site seeing tour stopping to take photos at San Felipe Castle and Las Bóvedas. Las Bóvedas at one time was the cities dungeon and now turned into a tourist hub for souvenirs. Outside the shops was an authentic Colombia coffee kiosk made out of an old Willys jeep. From Las Bóvedas you can capture views of the ocean or even start a bike ride along the city walls. 

We headed back through the city on our party bus and were dropped off at the clock tower to finish the city highlights. Beyond those walls were some of the most colorful buildings I had ever seen. The balconies, flowers and colorfully dressed ladies carrying baskets of fruit on their heads were along every street. We strolled for hours just taking in each and every square block of this fantastic city. We even stopped into the famous Juan Valdez. 

Cartagena sparked our curiosity for Colombia and we cannot wait to go back to see more. 

Happy Traveling, 

Katrina

Portugal - Part 1 - Algarve, Sintra and Evora

Tapas and Port

When I think of Portugal these two things come to mind Tapas and Port. While I am not much of a drinker I do love some amazing cuisine. Living in the UK in winter can be quite drab and lack of sun can really ruin your mood. With a long weekend ahead in January I needed that my daughter and I should jump on a small trip. We knew we wanted south and began to look at sunny and warm places in January. We came across Faro, Portugal in the Algarve. With 300 plus days of sun in Portugal we were headed to the right place.

Benagil and Sagres

On arrival to Faro we picked up the rental car and headed straight into the city center to our quaint hotel for a good night’s rest. We headed out to Benagil to try and catch the first excursion to the famous caves. Due to a storm in the Med the waves were too high and it was deemed about 9am unsafe to begin our journey. We didn’t let this affect our day and decided to head down the Sagres Fort at the edge of the Algarve. The Algarve is quite easy to get around as the toll roads provide easy connections to all the smaller cities along the coast line. Based on some recommendations we headed to Restaurante O Telheiro Do Infante on the beach near the fort to have fresh fish and the largest tray of mussels we have ever seen. We enjoyed the day down on the beach taking photos of the honey colored sand and blue skies.

Sintra and Evora

As much as we were in love with the Algarve and what we were seeing the rough seas really affected our ability to see the caves which was a main attraction for me. So we decided we would head north to Lisbon for the day. We had been to Lisbon on two occasions already, but we really missed out on the city of Sintra. We got into Sintra about lunch time and headed straight over to the Quinta da Regaleira to see the famous unfinished well and the gorgeous castle that still existed on site. Words cannot describe how gorgeous and mysterious this place is. My daughter said she felt as if we were in a fairy-tale with the moss covered trees, hidden tunnels and gorgeous landscape.  We headed for Sintra Castle for the afternoon on the way to lunch. This castle is at the top of the mountain making it quite the adventure in our car. Once at the top we were able to get some amazing photos of Lisbon from afar and the gorgeous castle and gardens.

After our adventure in Sintra we headed for Evora, known for its Greek theatre and wine. We stopped over in some of the wine shops in route, but many were closed for the season. Getting into Evora at dusk we headed straight for the theatre and town center. Evora was such a quaint town and I am sure in summer it is livelier, but there was not much to see in January.

Silves and Olhão

The next morning we headed out to the market in Silves and then onto Olhão based on the hotels recommendation to see the national park area. It was a great day out walking along the wooden platforms along the Ria Formosa area.  Olhão is such an easy city to walk around and take in some of the colourful Portuguese churches.  We were looking for a relaxing holiday in the sun and that is exactly what we got. A great 3 days in Portugal with a stopover in one of the prettiest cities that it has to offer.

Happy Traveling

Katrina