n the 4th day of our holiday, we decided to stretch our muscles and set out to hike the Burgau Coastal Walk. This 10-kilometre trail runs along the cliffs between the towns of Luz and Salema, and is popular among English tourists and Algarvians alike. We started from a secluded beach in Salema following a paved hiking path. The trail soon changed into sandy footpaths almost hidden by shrubs and tall grasses, and sometimes we went off the trail to inspect low, abandoned houses which were left to the elements in this part of region. The view here was breathtaking – blue-sea dotted with occasional sail boats, cloudless sky and the famous limestone cliffs of West Algarve on the horizon, unobstructed by trees and extending as far as the eyes can see.

Stravaig: A Scottish word meaning to wander around, often for pleasure and frequently with no particular destination or aim in mind. This lovely definition taken from this blog.

I came across this word during an unforgettable dinner in a restaurant of the same name in Glasgow. I have not forgotten it since then nor have I forgotten haggis. Stravaig has become one of my favourite words while travelling, in the same way that Elizabeth Gilbert attached a great meaning to the Italian word attraversiamo.

Unedited and straight from the iPhone photos of our long weekend in Algarve, Portugal in November 2012. The weather was rainy but it gave way to sunny afternoons. We hired a car and toured Faro, Silves, Albufeira, Sagres and Lagos.