Standing on the Edge of Europe

Overlooking the Ocean in Portugal

Have you ever felt like you were standing on the edge of the world? This is how it felt for me when I visited the southwestern-most point of Europe in the Algarve region of Portugal.

Southwestern Point of Europe

Located just outside of a small town called Cape St. Vincent and overlooking Sagres Bay, a lighthouse signals your location on what feels like the edge of the world. This is where Christopher Columbus departed from on his journey to prove the world was not actually flat. I’m glad they got that one cleared up.

And yours truly!

Sitting on the Edge of Europe

Trams in Lisbon

Tram 28 in Lisbon

One of the things Lisbon is most famous for is their brightly colored trams that run throughout the city. From Tram 28 that does the tourist circuit around the city, to the tram that runs out to Belém, Lisbon’s trams are pretty entertaining to ride on. A single-ride ticket for Tram 28 costs €2.85, but if you plan on wandering around the city all day you might be better off paying €5 for a day pass covering all the metros, buses, and trams.

Tram 28 in Lisbon

The hostel I stayed at was about halfway up this next hill, so I got to see this tram going back and forth quite frequently.

Tram Coming Up The Hill in Lisbon

If you’re ever in Lisbon, make sure to catch a ride on one of the trams, especially if it’s up this hill!

The Fairy Tale Town of Sintra

View Over Sintra

Have you ever showed up in a town only to wonder how you somehow fell into a Disney movie? The colorful town of Sintra, Portugal made me feel like I was in the middle of a fairy tale (sort of like Prague did). Located a little less than an hour from Lisbon, Sintra provided for spectacular views, a medieval Moorish castle, and a gorgeous palace right out of a children’s book.

The first sign that I was in a fairy tale town was, when walking through a park, came across a multitude of giant animals. See what you think.

Giant frog in Sintra

Giraffe in the park, Sintra

The next sign came when we were walking through the town and stumbled across the Queen presiding over her people.

Queen Presiding Over Sintra

The Castle

What’s a fairy tale without a castle? After a fairly strenuous hike up the mountain which the castle sat atop, the old Moorish castle was pretty nice.

Castle of the Moors, Sintra, Portugal

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Beaches of the Algarve

With its majestic cliffs and spectacular views, the beaches in the Algarve of Portugal provided no shortage of great photo opportunities. Here are a few of my favorites from my time spent training to become a professional beach bum. I think this could potentially be a new career path!

The first comes from Sagres, Portugal, near the western most point of Europe.

This area of Portugal, at the southwestern point of Europe, is known as a surfer’s paradise. After my second attempt at surfing, I still couldn’t get the hang of standing up on the board. Check out this surfer! He seemed to know what he was doing.

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