Lagos (lah-goosh)

Arrived in this charming town by bus from Sevilla on Wednesday afternoon as my first stop in Portugal. The town is part of the Algarve region in Southern Portugal and lies about 30 km east of Sagres which is the southwestern most point in Europe. Lagos is part resort/tourist, locals and fisherman and they have a very active marina for ships sailing from other points in Europe. There are some beautiful churches, cobblestone streets inlaid with different patterns so you know what street you’re on.

When I went for a drink on Wednesday night, I met some people from Ireland who have a vacation home here and so have spent time with them exploring and being introduced to the community and locals which has been quite nice. Thursday we took a sailboat out to see the grottos which line the coast. Fisherman have named the grottos and the ones we saw were components of a house – kitchen, living area, garage and bathroom. Although the guide explained the reasoning and outlines of the different grottos, it is a stretch of the imagination to see why they have those names. There was an option to jump off the boat for a swim which I did and it was quite refreshing for 21 C!

On Friday, I took a trip out to sea to view dolphins. We went 12 miles out to sea on a motorized raft/speed boat to see the dolphins. The ride out there was like being on an amusement ride – fast, jumping the waves and at times seemed like we were airborne. I kept thinking focus on the horizon so you want feel how queasy your stomach is and after about 20 minutes, there was no more land or boats on the horizon to focus on so I just kept thinking of the task – to see dolphins. The craft that we were on was designed specifically for dolphin expeditions and have little environmental impact. Once we got out to the point where the skipper thought the dolphins were, he turned off the motor and within minutes, there were all these dolphins swimming around the boat, diving in and out of the water, it was incredible. The babies swim along side and mimic their mother’s every move.

Today, I had intended to take the bus to Sagres but since it was overcast and sort of foggy and wouldn’t be able to see anything, I decided to take a hike along the cliffs from just above town out to an old lighthouse. The views from the cliffs were stunning and little did I know the lighthouse could not be entered since it is a working lighthouse.

While Bellagio is completely different than here, it has been very relaxing, a nice sense of community, good food and drink and I could easily come back here in a heartbeat. I am here for another couple of days before heading to Porto in the north.