I was planning on making this trip mostly on airline points, but then Lindsay told me that she wanted to come as well.

We will be flying into Lisbon, spending some time there, and then driving down the coast to the Algarve including to Lagos and Albufeira.

We hope to spend 3 nights in the Algarve, relaxing - this is something that we are particularly bad at on vacations and we are hoping to give it a try

Enjoying local cuisine from around the world is probably in the top three best parts of life - I guess I'll throw Lindsay in there as well. From fried cod fritters (pictured), to blood sausage, to clams Bulhao Pato, we are excited to experience the fantastic sea food and culture of Portugal.

Heather Gray color preference.

The start of hundreds of journeys - including Vasco de Gama's venture to India, Lisbon remains a city of exploration (or so we're told). We hope to whet our first appetite as a married couple in this fantastic city - riding on the tram, exploring the castles, and eating some good sausage, cod, and beverages.

A 75,000 square foot (that's right) Adult Food Court with shopping experiences that's housed in the renovated Mercado de Ribiera. We are excited to sample a handful of the modern Portugese delicacies at this hub in Lisbon

This café serves the city's most famous pasteis de nata (cinnamon-dusted custard tarts). Only three bakers at any one time know the secret recipe, passed on from the Hieronymite monks of the Jeronimos monastery. We want to eat them up, yum.

We will be staying one night in Porto, Portugal - the home of Port Wine. While we are there we hope to sample from at least a few of the wines and to bring home a bottle to share with you!

We will be staying one night in Porto, Portugal. We hope to enjoy the local cuisine and wines and a view of one of the few cities in Portugal that has yet to fully modernize with old fishing ships and boats, cathedrals, and the Porto Tram.

A little bubbly for our first night on Portugal's Beaches

There is an intricate set of bike paths - both road and country side - spread along the Algarve. We want to zoom along them and work off at least a little of the fantastic food that we will be eating.

One of the main reasons that we are so excited for Portugal is the Benagil Sea Caves - A system of caves that line the coast of the Algarve and are accessible by boat and kayak only.

We're kayaking to Africa! Wait. No. Lagos, Portugal.

We hope to treat ourselves to 2 "fancy" dinners while we are in Portugal - The Euro to Dollar conversion really isn't helping us here!