Albufeira, Portugal The bartender at the tiny tapas restaurant in the heart of this former fishing village couldn't hide his curiosity any longer.

"You are Canadian?" he called our table. "No, American," we said.

The perplexed look on the man's tanned face made it clear we needed to elaborate further.

"From the United States?" my friend Janet tried again.

With a nod of what looked like only half-recognition, he smiled and nonetheless began offering us his most helpful suggestions on how to experience local flavor: the best lookout point, the most pristine beach with picturesque cliffs, the popular markets for shopping.

What Janet, my brother who joined us later, and I didn't realize then was that this scene would repeat itself many times during our one-week stay in the Algarve, the southernmost region of Portugal.

The area, characterized in tour books as a place with year-round mild temperatures and 100 miles of beach enclaves, should also be known as a place where American tourists are rare and the kind- hearted local people are as memorable as the region's Atlantic shores.

Popular with other tourists

When Americans talk about visiting Portugal, Lisbon is often the first and only place they mention. Meanwhile, 200 miles south of the Portugal's cosmopolitan capital, British, Canadian, German and African tourists have in recent years made the Algarve one of the most popular holiday vacation spots.

Americans have been missing out. The Algarve is almost as easy to get to as Lisbon, with direct flights from Chicago arriving at the region's international airport in Faro. Travelers can also take an inexpensive (about $15 each way) three-hour train ride from Lisbon into the Algarve. Once they arrive, there are dozens of beach communities with hundreds of new and semi-new resorts to choose from.

Peak season runs from May through September, but temperatures remain in the high 70s through October. Even during the height of winter, temperatures seldom drop lower than 50 degrees.

Communicating during your stay is also not a problem because many locals have learned English to accommodate British and Canadian visitors.

The largest community in the Algarve is Albufeira, which sits almost directly in the center of the country's southern coast.

It was once the home of a thriving seaport, and you can still wake up early to see local fisherman dragging their boats and filled nets up the shore.

The village's downtown has maintained many of its narrow, tile- cobblestone streets which today are lined with hundreds of restaurants, specialty shops and souvenir stores.

Albufeira has a charming center square where visitors can people- watch from several outdoor cafes, enjoy the entertainment from street musicians and performers or relax on benches next to an ornate tile fountain. Just a few winding streets away from town square is a pedestrian tunnel which opens up to Fisherman's Beach and a majestic view of the Atlantic Ocean.

But don't let the calming ocean waves and massages offered right on the beach fool you Albufeira also has a jumping night life. On the east side of the community, centered on Areias de S'o Jo'o, is a thoroughfare affectionately known as The Strip. There, vacationers looking to let loose can choose from dozens of bars and restaurants with pumping loud music, karaoke, dance floors and even an electric bull.

There are weekly bullfights performed at the Praca de Toiros in Albufeira. Because it is illegal in Portugal to kill the bulls during the traditional sport, you may be more comfortable watching a bullfight here than in Spain.

For anywhere from $25 to $45, you can buy a seat in the circular bull ring, which offers an intimate view of the age-old tradition. Portuguese bullfighters ride horses while attacking the angry bulls, who are distracted by the waving pink or red cloths of matadors. After several pointed spears are cast into the bull's back, a team of young men come out to lure the bull out of the arena.

A brave front man dives in between the horns of the bull, using his entire body to hang onto the bull's head until the rest of the team can grab hold of other parts of the animal and keep him under control. If that doesn't work, several female cows wearing bells are released that have a magically sedating effect on the bull as they lead him home.

Although the experience is somewhat unnerving, audience members pull each other through by the collective screams and sighs from the seats. The bullfight announcer also assured us that in Portugal, after a bull is used in a fight it is returned to a rural area where it won't be bothered again.

After a day or two in Albufeira, you may decide to explore other neighboring beach towns. Lagos, located about an hour west, offers a beach with breathtaking cliffs and trendy ocean-side shopping. Silves, a bit north and away from the coast, is a historic town boasting the best view of the region from its 11-tower red sandstone castle.

Loule has a well-known outdoor market every Saturday. And Vilamoura is a luxurious resort community with four golf courses, a large marina, four-star hotels and an international casino offering slots, blackjack and roulette tables.

While exploring the region, you'll want to try some of the Algarve's specialty cuisine. Seafood dominates many menus at restaurants where visitors can look into a glass case and choose the fresh tuna, swordfish, sardines and other catch before it is prepared. Seafood cataplana a bouillabaisse-like stew with clams, pork and prawns boiled in a special oyster-shaped pot and chicken piri-piri with spicy flavoring are other specialties. Arrive hungry and make sure to eat everything on your plate restaurant owners take great pride in sharing their cuisine, and may walk away looking stung or even sad if you consider yourself prematurely done.

An emotional goodbye

After a week of exploring the Algarve we decided to return to a restaurant in Albufeira for our final meal. The owner of the Pote Dourado, an unpretentious corner restaurant a block away from our hotel, had won our loyalty not just because of the delicious cinnamon chicken on the menu, but because of the staff's unwavering kindness throughout the meal.

During the first visit, our Brazilian waiter had tried in vain to describe various menu items despite the language barrier, pulling other staff members to our table to help find the perfect words. Two pitchers of sangria later, our stomachs were filled with pleasing dishes, and we were enjoying each other's company so much we didn't realize we were the only diners left in the restaurant. Instead of hurrying us, though, the staff at Pote Dourado politely waited for us to finish, then invited us back for their monthly live performance of Fado music, the emotive, acoustic songs of Portugal.

When we returned for that night, the restaurant owner greeted us like old friends, a kiss on both cheeks for Janet and me, a warm handshake for my brother. After another delectable meal at Pote Dourado, the lights were dimmed and two men with guitars took seats in the middle of the restaurant. Soon, the musicians were joined by a male fado singer who began to croon a melancholy melody about a ship that disappeared into the sea.

The music captured our mood precisely on our last night in the Algarve, the beautiful region of Portugal that we'll always long to see again.

More Information

Contact the Portuguese National Tourism Office: 590 5th Ave., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10036; (800) PORTUGAL (800-767-8842);

www. portugal.org. More information is also available at www.algarvenet.com.

Copyright 2005, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved. (Note: This notice does not apply to those news items already copyrighted and received through wire services or other media.)

Copyright 2005 Journal Sentinel Inc. Note: This notice does not apply to those news items already copyrighted and received through wire services or other media
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.