Let's go to the beach, beach, let's go get away

The beach were we spent the day

If this study abroad trip has taught me anything, it's how much I love the beach/being near water. It's become one of my favorite past times. Lounging on the beach, listening to the waves, taking in some sun, sleeping, playing soccer in the sand, swimming, I could go on all day. Well, April 5-7 my friends and I did a trip to the beaches of Portugal! We went through a tour group recommended by our school. We got on a bus friday morning at 11, and drove 3 hours to Albufeira, Portugal. They set us up in hotel/apartments. We had kitchens and lots of space just for hanging out. 
We did a cruise along the coast that first afternoon and also hung out of the beach. The cruise was so much fun, and they docked so we could jump in the water if we wanted. The water was freezing cold, but that didn't stop 5 of us. There were probably 15-20 people on our boat, but I was one of the 5 that jumped into the freezing Atlantic. 

I wasn't about to pass up an opportunity like that! But we had a great time, once we warmed back up, that is!

Family dinner!

That night, since we all had kitchens, we had a bug potluck dinner, where we all cooked something and then hung out and ate and talked. There were around 10-15 of us, and we had a great time. The tour group also took us out for the night and showed us around the city.

View from the cliff we climbed up

The next day, we drove an hour away to Lagos to spend the day at the beach, and the beach we went to was one of the prettiest places I have ever seen. The water was crystal clear, it was a sunny day, and I couldn't have asked for anything more. We spent the day exploring caves, hiking, swimming, playing soccer, and taking in the sun. Pretty great day, if you ask me. We were at the beach from around 12-5, then we drove to a beautiful look out point. And we snagged some great pics!

My friends and I at the lookout point

Have to take the jumping pic everywhere!

Overall, the trip to Portugal was one of my favorites because, one, all of my friends went on it, and two, the weather was beautiful.

Hasta hora!