Whilst I was in Portugal, we crossed this very pretty bridge, just east of Portimão, on our way to Slide & Splash (I suppose we probably crossed it on the way back too, but I was fast asleep). The thing is, my Google powers appear to be failing me, as I can’t seem to find out anything about it… I’m sure you guys can help me though, right?

Anyway, we had an excellent time at Slide & Splash, which isn’t the biggest water-park in the world, but was great fun regardless The best ride was definitely ‘Banzai’, which you can see running from west to east through the park. It’s basically a straight run down an open pipe, face-first on a mat, and when you reach the bottom the aim is to skim the surface of the water as far as you can go. Our technique rocked! Slide & Splash have an official site where you can check out all the rides if you’re planning a visit.

Thanks to Kerry for coming with me

This is Cabo Da Roca (Cape Roca), Portugal, which is the very westernmost point of mainland Europe. You can see the lighthouse perched on the cliff-top, and also what looks like a viewing area on the cliff-edge.

Doesn’t look very warm there though if you ask me… which is a shame because I’m going to Portugal tomorrow! Don’t worry, I’m sure James and Olly will look after you guys Have a nice week!

Thanks to Manuel Freitas and florian.

Portugal has some pretty cool bridges!

First up is the Arrábida Bridge over the Douro River in Porto. The bridge is 493 metres long, and at the time of its construction in 1963 it had the largest concrete span of any bridge in the world. If you look closely on the eastern side you can see the curve of the arch underneath the bridge (compare with the image on Wikipedia to see what I mean).

Next up is the Ponte 25 de Abril, which crosses the Tagus river in Lisbon. It was originally named Salazar Bridge but after the Carnation Revolution, the bridge was renamed to 25 April Bridge, the day when the revolution occurred. It’s interesting to have a look at the north side of the shore, where the bridge curves spectacularly over loads of buildings before it eventually touches down (Wikipedia page). We couldn’t work out what this monument on the south bank was though… This monument on the south bank is the Monumento do Cristo-Rei, an imitation of the more famous statue in Rio.

Finally we have the spectacular Vasco da Gama Bridge, which also crosses Lisbon’s Tagus river, but at a much wider point! The Vasco da Gama has a total length of over 17 kilometres and is the longest bridge in Europe. Again, there’s a rather cool curve visible in this one and some cool shadows too (Wikipedia page).

Thanks to Manuel Freitas, Bodo Möller, Jan Brasna, grufo and Joao Ramires.