Portugal Day 2 Faro - Albufeira

08:05 – Good morning there 😁

Did you sleep well? I certainly did! Only, just before I really had to get up, I woke up every five minutes. Probably a bit of stress because I was afraid I would miss my bus. But good news: I made it and am now on my way to Albufeira.

When I arrived yesterday and walked to the bus stop this morning, something really struck me. Belgium is actually quite far ahead when it comes to buildings. Everything here is so different. From our eyes it looks older, many buildings are in need of renovation or the architectural style is just completely different. But then you suddenly pass a beautifully renovated building and you think: wow, I could live here.

Every time I am in Belgium, I dream of living abroad. And when I am really in another country, I ask myself again: would this be something for me? The shops are different here, the rhythm of life too. And then I ask myself: what could I do here in terms of work? Hospitality, hotel, shop? But that is exactly the life I wanted to break away from…

Oh well, we'll see where fate takes me.

I wonder what Albufeira has in store for me. Today I would normally have a photoshoot, but the photographer let me know that he hasn't got his car back from the garage yet. Whether that's really the case... who knows? I'll take it all with a grain of salt. Do you keep your fingers crossed that it will go ahead? I was looking forward to it so much!

I'll write you later, as soon as I have news. See you soon 🥰

10:28 – Arrived at the hostel 😣

That was a long ride! I was on the road for more than an hour. First I took a bus from Faro to Albufeira. I had a ticket for Rede Express, but apparently I was on a different bus, with the same destination. At first everything seemed okay, but suddenly the bus took a completely different direction, to the final stop of the bus station. There I took another bus towards the center. People here take it really easy: the bus was supposed to leave at 09:36 but the driver didn't arrive until 09:38 and only then started everything up. The ticket cost €2.25. After a fifteen minute drive and a 5 to 10 minute walk I finally arrived at my hostel.

When I entered, I immediately thought: oh no... It was nice in itself, no doubt about it, but I enjoyed my private room so much yesterday. I actually want that back. 😂 I should really take that into account for my next trips. Now I have to drag everything with me and leave it unsecured. In a private room, you can just leave with peace of mind. And the lady and gentleman at the reception were mainly busy with a conversation among themselves. Not really professional, but oh well... that's just the atmosphere here: everything relaxed.

Now I'm going to look for breakfast, because I'm hungry.

In the meantime I have eaten, healthy and tasty! A toast with serrano ham, burrata green pesto and a smoothie sunrise. Mango, pineapple, orange and raspberry. I think I will come back here for breakfast on Friday. Tomorrow I won't be able to, because I have to be on the kayak tour at 9am. So I will go to the store later to get something for tomorrow morning, so I will definitely have had breakfast. 😅 I don't want to get sick again, like in Croatia... that was really not fun.

Voila, everything is gone. Time to start my tour. Hopefully I will hear from the photographer today, although I fear not 😅

16/05 – 09:11

Heey heey! Sorry for not being in touch, but I met my roommate that night: Martina, a 30-year-old woman from Norway. A super sweet lady, and we hit it off right away.

She wanted to eat Indian food and I felt like having carpaccio, so I suggested we meet up afterwards. But she said, "No, I'll just go with you." So we went to eat together.

We were sitting right across from a restaurant where I had nice eye contact with someone. 😂

A waiter or someone who had to lure people in, I don't know exactly what his function was. But he did create a nice atmosphere. He thought Martina and I were sisters. He sang to her, and when I made the gesture to ask for the bill, he imitated me. Then he pretended to call me on his mobile, to which I did the same. We pretended to be on the phone to settle the bill. 😂 He really reminded me of Mario, my driver at work. Also from Portugal, same figure, same bald head…

As we were about to leave, we saw a group of five Brazilian men doing tricks on the street. Very nice to see!

After dinner Martina wanted to buy a crystal together, because we are both spiritually inclined. Unfortunately the shop was closed. We wanted to have a drink, but it was so crowded where we were walking. Albufeira is of course known for its nightlife. It reminded me of the Ghent Festivities, but more chaotic: music mixed together, drunk people, noise...

Then we saw a fancy bar at the top of a staircase. We decided to go up and ended up on a cozy roof terrace. There we had a deep conversation about relationships, self-love and standing stronger in your shoes. She reminded me a bit of how I used to be, quickly in love, quickly hurt. I told her: “Wait until you do more solo trips, you will really become stronger. And you will learn that you don’t need anyone.”

Then we saw the full moon. We were both fascinated. She took pictures and videos, I wanted to do that too… but yes, with my camera 😅 difficult. After that we went to the room and we both slept.

Anyway, I still have to tell you about the day itself. 😅

After breakfast I started my tour. First I walked around a bit, lots of shops! I thought: if this is going to be my day, it will be boring. I wanted action. While walking I came across a shop where you can book activities: boat trips, kayaking, mountain climbing, etc. So I thought: let me have a look at the GetYourGuide app.

I found a boat tour where you can spot dolphins and visit the famous cave of Albufeira. Since the photoshoot was cancelled, I thought: why not? Ordered an Uber, arrived on time and wow, I am so glad I did it. Otherwise I would never have seen this place. It was beautiful! Everything happens for a reason, I think.

But honestly? This trip is not really meant for me 😂 I was on the boat, saw dolphins and started taking lots of pictures with my camera. Suddenly it stopped working... battery flat. And then I thought: oh no, I still have to photograph that cave! My power bank had already given up the ghost and my phone was barely charged. So yes: phone at 13%, me in panic...

I tried to save my phone until the moment of the cave. Luckily: I was able to take one picture. Not the shot I wanted, but better than nothing. And hey, I saw it with my own eyes, and no one can take that away from me. Not a few minutes later: phone dead.😅 So I was offline for the rest of the tour.

On the way back we saw dolphins and even a sunfish. I wanted to see it, but two young girls were in the way and by the time I passed, the fish was already partly gone...

In between I also noticed that one arm was paler than the other. I thought: nooo, I have to tan, not bleach 😅

When we got back to land, I went to charge my phone in a restaurant where I had steak and fries and a glass of white wine. Always great! Then back to the hostel, because my phone was almost empty again.

On my way I got pain in my shoulders. At first I thought it was because of my heavy handbag, but in the mirror I saw: burned. Especially my left shoulder, ouch. 😅

I put on sunscreen, charged my phone and slept for two hours. When I woke up, I ran into my roommate.

Oh yeah! While walking I passed a restaurant where a handsome young man looked at me. I walked further, looked back and he was still looking. And when I looked back again, we both started laughing. Such a funny moment. 😄

That's about it for today. 🤗

On to tomorrow! I wonder what tomorrow will bring!