Portugal: The Edge of the World

 "Portugal sits on the edge of the world, where the land ends and the sea begins, where dreams merge with reality." - Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, 1960

From Gibraltar, we returned to Seville to drop off our rental car, and took a taxi to Faro.  In Faro, we rented another car, and drove to Porches.  We stayed in the same area as we did two years ago (2024) because we just really love the area, and it's relatively affordable and the people are great.

Because it was so hot during the day, and because freshwater bodies are far and few between, I figured that oases might be good places to hike and search for herps.  Funny story I'll never live down - I found a river that flowed into the ocean, and took my family there.  Because I was focusing on the natural environment and not the people, it didn't occur to me until my wife told me later on that that particular beach was "clothing optional".  Only at that point did I notice.  Oops.  We had a good laugh and she still teases me that THAT may have been the reason I drove us there.  

Ruins (sans herps...way too hot)

Later that evening, a walk along the rugged and famous Algarve coastline.

I found the most incredible beach dune habitat I've ever seen, in Portugal.

Iberian pond turtle (Mauremys leprosa)

Another.  There were several in a marsh as we approached the dunes.  It was refreshing to see native (and vulnerable) turtles and not invasive species.

Spiny rush (Juncus acutus)

Curry plant (Helichrysum italicum) in foreground

Sea rose (Armeria pungens)

Sea daffodil (Pancratium maritinum)

Am exceptional insect...

...the vulnerable Algarve sand grasshopper (Sphingonotus imitans)

An absolute beauty, the fairy-like two-winged spoonwing (Nemoptera bipennis) at rest

Sea holly (Eryngium maritinum)

It was like the coral reef of beach dunes

A few shots from where we stayed.

Large psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus)

Just as in 2024, these Iberian waterfrogs (Pelophylax perezi) were abundant, especially at night, and we caught dozens.

A clear, spring-fed stream at Paisagem Protegida Local da Fonte da Benémola

We had to fly out of Lisbon, so we drove there and spent a night before our flight home.  My cousin lives there, so once we settled into our hotel, we took an Uber to Praça do Comércio, a large public square, to meet her and to watch a World Cup qualifying game with thousands of Portuguese soccer fans (France vs Norway, France won). I am not particularly interested in soccer, but it was a surreal experience, and an appropriately ironic way to end our adventure.