Sooooo I haven't posted for a long time... again. As always, balancing work and university has made me forget all about posting and basically anything else remotely fun. But, I have finally finished university! That's it, no more lectures or coursework... nada! It feels pretty intimidating, to be completely honest. Everyone keeps telling me that this is the beginning of my actual adult life and now I need to concentrate on getting a job. I don't want to do that, not yet anyway. So I'm delaying the inevitable by travelling around a bit this summer. My first stop was Lagos in the Algarve, Portugal. 

 I wasn't expecting much from Lagos. Before most trips, I usually research everything interesting to do in the area but with Lagos, all I knew (from what my mum had told me) was that it was a beautiful beach resort. And that was all I needed. Somewhere to relax and forget all about the stresses of 3rd year. After spending the week there, I was pleasantly surprised at how much there was to do.

Admittedly, we spent most of our days on the beach. I'm sure most people who go on holiday to the Algarve do the same. In our area, the three closest beaches for us to choose from were Camilo, Dona Ana and Pinhao, with Dona Ana being the largest. As I'm sure you can expect, each and every one of them was stun-ning! The Algarve is famous for its beaches, and it definitely did not disappoint. Each beach is enclosed between two cliff sides, making them surprisingly intimate. Particularly on Camilo beach, there are loads of little secret coves to explore. The only thing that makes these beaches just that little bit less than perfect is how cold the water is. It literally felt as if I was taking a swim down Brighton beach! Any beach in the Algarve will be the same though, as they are all sat on the Atlantic coast.

During our stay, we took a boat tour to see the amazing coastline of Lagos and all the coves which have naturally formed there. Because the tides were particularly high throughout the week, we had to wait a few days before we could go on a tour that would allow us to get into most of the coves. Even still, the waves were still pretty crazy. Luckily our skipper was pretty skilled and managed to get us into a few of the coves without overturning the boat. The last time I went on a boat trip like this was in Zakynthos in Greece, but this one was so much more worth it! The views were just incredible.

We'd explored the coast, so all that was left to do was see what the mainland had to offer. We booked a bike tour with the lovely Michelle from Easy Go Electric Bikes. Surprisingly, it was just mum and I on the tour for that day, making the entire experience completely personal. Our first stop was Ponta da Piedade, a must-see lookout point where you can view the entire coastline from above. We then cycled through the countryside to Luz and Bergau, where we stopped off for a custard tart and drink before heading home. I'm so disappointed I didn't get the chance to take photos while we were cycling. The farming land is obviously so much different to the coastline/marina/town of Lagos where we were staying. Also, since I live in London, I obviously don't get to see much of the countryside, so it was a real treat.  

All in all, I enjoyed every second spent in Lagos. Well, except for the day I got a fishbone lodged in my tonsil and had to go to the hospital to get it removed... that part sucked. But at least I was in and out in only 30 minutes, so the whole ordeal was over pretty quickly. Better waiting times than the NHS anyways...

And that's all for now. Next stop, Bologna ;) 

Natalie x