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The last two weeks of September 2005 saw us in Vilamoura on the Algarve coast of Portugal. The Algarve stretches from Cape St. Vincent in the west to the Spanish border in the east and is a land of contrast. High cliffs dominate the western end while the coastline becomes flat and less dramatic to the west where the beaches are found on islands off shore from the mud flats and inlets with their salt pans and wild life that abound there. All but the largest of these islands can only be reached by ferry boat but they attract many visitors.
Vilamoura, a small fishing village until 30 years ago, occupies a central position on the coast and boasts many hotels and apartments, a marina with its shops and cafes plus a wide assortment of golf courses which render it a green oasis in an otherwise fairly arid environment. The Algarve itself has three separate areas, the coast, the immediate hinterland dedicated to vines, orange groves and crop growing and the highland of the low mountain range beyond.
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