Majestic ocean waves caress the shore for miles, washing up upon golden stretches of sand before returning to the powerful Atlantic, leaving a trail of tiny bubbles in their wake. Here, on Europe's southwestern edge, an ancient seafaring culture persists. Wooden boats, carefully adorned with motifs of lime and sunflower, bob against their moorings in sheltered bays. Diminutive villages dot a landscape where cork forests grow and almond trees blossom. Upon their terra cotta rooftops, figs dry in the sun. Woven with the threads of tradition, the Algarve is a land of contrasts, where falcons swoop from the dramatic edge of an oceanside cliff, and the delicate flowers of orange trees tinge with their intoxicating fragrance.