YOLO

Lagos

This weekend in Portugal, Jodi, Chuck, Trevor and I stuck to the theme of  YOLO (You Only Live Once). We applied it to everything from buying that glass of Sangria you’re not sure you want to spend the 3 euros on but really, really want, forcing yourself to get into the freezing cold ocean waters because you’re at a beach in Portugal and you can’t not go in the water, go beach/cave exploring in Lagos even though the sand hurts your feet and you have to climb over all sorts of rock formations, getting out of the bus to see the End of the World cliffs even though the freezing cold wind was strong enough that I could lean into it and be held up, and everything in between. Sometimes things just have to be put into a different perspective in order to determine what things are really worth doing. This weekend, YOLO kept us in an adventurous and optimistic state of mind during our adventures to Albufeira, Lagos and Sangres and I hope that I can continue with that principle for everything that I do in the future. That being said, here’s some pictures from our trip! 

Overlooking the ocean from a clifftop in Albufeira on our first day

Chuck and I just love to match

The End of the World Cliffs at Cabo San Vincente in Sangres. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought it was the end of the world. You can't see anything except a several hundred foot straight down descent with a backdrop of nothing but an endless sea

One of the most incredible feelings ever is to lean with the entire weight of your body into the air, and have it be held up by the forces of the wind, all while overlooking an infinite ocean

Apparently the end of the world is very windy

Starting off the day right in Lagos

We had to do a little rock climbing to get to the other side of the beach, but it was totally worth it because we were able to find some more beautiful beaches (they seem to be abundant in Portugal) and do a little cave exploring

 Kings of the Rock! Now they just have to get down...

They saved the best for last! Our last day was the sunniest at Praia de Oura in Albufeira

Praia de Oura

The whole group on our last day

 Next Stop: Morocco! We're also working on planning our trip to Italy at the end of the semester and trying to squeeze in some of the things in Sevilla that we want to do before the semester is over, like a soccer game and a bullfight. The semester is really winding down and it's so hard to believe that we've only got a few weeks left. We are scrambling to make the most of it and cover all of our study abroad bases. The weekend after Feria, which starts next week, we know that we want to go somewhere out of the country but have no idea where. I've seen everything already that was a priority for me to see, and now I just want to to go somewhere! I'm considering throwing a dart at a map...more later on how that goes! 

Sending my love, all the way from Spain!