Benagil Cave and Marinha Beach 本尼格尔洞穴和马里尼亚海滩

July 21, 2024: Several weeks before we left for Europe, we watched a travel segment on ABC's “Good Morning America” about Portugal’s Algarve region. It was so beautiful and captivating that we decided to change our plans and go to Faro instead of Porto. The Algarve is known for its breathtaking cliff-lined coastline on the southernmost tip of the country. Faro, the capital of the Algarve, is a historic town, but it’s about an hour’s drive from those natural wonders. To make the most of our visit, we joined a tour to explore the Benagil Cave and Marinha Beach.

Before the tour started, we visited the marketplace and had breakfast.

The tour started at 9 a.m., and since it was just the two of us, it turned into a private experience. Our tour guide, a British woman who has lived in Portugal for 20 years, first took us to a parking lot near Benagil Cave. We then walked to the cave, one of the most famous sea caves in the world. It has a skylight hole that beams sunlight to illuminate the sandy beach inside. From the opening, we watched tour boats and kayaks come and go, despite no-access restrictions from the government.

After visiting the cave, we continued our adventure along the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail, known for its stunning views of cliffs, caves, and beaches. The scenery reminded us of the Great Ocean Road in Australia, which our friends had taken us to see.

After we reached Marinha Beach, our guide returned to the parking lot while we stayed on the beach for more than an hour. Marinha Beach is surrounded by cliffs on three sides, making it a popular spot. Like the locals, we set up an umbrella and enjoyed the beach. We also took a dip in the chilly Atlantic Ocean, savoring its refreshing embrace. Our guide picked us up to see a small historic church before returning to the city.

For dinner, we indulged in Algarve’s famous cataplana, a dish cooked in a clam-shaped copper or aluminum pot. The seafood cataplana we ordered was so delicious that we finished every bite.

Today was a very good day. After spending so much time in big cities, we finally had the chance to enjoy some of nature’s wonders.

2024年7月21日: 在出发前往欧洲的前几周，我们观看了美国广播公司《早安美国》关于葡萄牙阿尔加维地区的旅行专题节目。该地区的自然风景美丽迷人，以至于我们决定改变计划，前往法鲁(Faro)而不是波尔图(Porto)。阿尔加维以其位于该国最南端的令人惊叹的悬崖海岸线而闻名。法鲁是阿尔加维的首府，是一座历史悠久的小城镇，但距离那些自然奇观大约有一个小时的车程。为了充分利用我们的时间，我们报名参加了当地的一日游，去本尼格尔洞穴和马里尼亚海滩。

旅行团在早上9点集合，由于其他游客临时取消，只有我们两个人参加，这次旅行变成了私人游。我们的导游是一位在葡萄牙生活了20年的英国女士，她首先在本尼格尔洞穴附近的一个停车场停车。然后带我们走到这个洞穴，这是世界上最著名的海洞之一。洞穴顶部有一个天窗，阳光透过它照射进来，照亮了里面的沙滩。通过洞口，我们看到旅游船和皮划艇进进出出，尽管政府对此有限制。

参观完洞穴后，我们继续沿着七悬谷步道走，这条步道以其悬崖、洞穴和海滩的壮丽景色而闻名。这里的风景让我们想起了澳大利亚的大洋路，我们的朋友曾带我们去那里游玩过。

到达马里尼亚海滩后，导游给了我们一个半小时的时间在海滩上。她一人走回停车场，然后开车到海滩接我们。马里尼亚海滩三面被悬崖环绕，是一个非常受欢迎的景点。像当地人一样，我们在海滩上支起了遮阳伞，享受着眼前的美景。我们还跳入水中，寒冷的大西洋水让人不能在水里多待，湿湿脚还行。继海滩之后导游又带我们去参观了一座小型历史悠久的教堂，然后返回法鲁小镇。

晚餐时，我们品尝了昨晚上房东推荐的阿尔加维著名的Cataplana，这是一种用拱形状的铜锅或铝锅烹制的菜肴。我们点的海鲜Cataplana非常美味，我们把锅里的食物全部吃完了。

前些天一直在大城市的转悠，终于有机会享受一些自然奇观，感觉真是美好的一天。