It is almost hard to keep track! Malta, Italy, Corsica, back to Italy, Spain and yesterday the UK (in Gibraltar) and now Portugal. In the morning we arrived in Portimao, in the southwest of Portugal, in the area known as the Algarve. We traveled to the absolute southwestern tip of Europe, the lighthouse at Cap Vincent.

As we continued to the port town of Lagos we passed through the new form of civilization which nowadays is blooming all over the Mediterranean countries. Hotels have grown up like mushrooms, but now the high tourist season has come to a close and most of them are closed. The Algarve coast in Portugal is like one of many places where you see the same thing happen, small fishing villages turning into concrete blocks and small roads becoming highways. Some call this development others devastation. For the people living in the area, it creates jobs and the possibility of being able to stay.

Lagos is still a peaceful small port town. This used to be an important harbor for the Portuguese fleet that left the Old World to explore and conquer the world. It was here that Vasco da Gama left to find his way to India. By lunch we came back to the Caledonian Star for the last "jump" to Lisbon.

As we sailed out into the Atlantic we saw thousands of sea birds -- shearwaters and storm petrels -- and hundreds of dolphins, some riding the bow. The swell was huge but the Caledonian Star really made her way through with grace and beauty.

The evening was the last on board and it was time for the Captain's farewell dinner. This will be my last report for now, and it has been a pleasure to keep you all updated during our Mediterranean journeys. See you next year.