Friday, March 11, 2016
Please forgive my lag in posting this wonderful day out, but
it took a day or so to recuperate from it. I had a great day. I think there was
a bit of overload on the senses.
Let me start from the beginning. Once again my tour started
at 10 am. Miguel loaded us up and we were off.
We headed out towards Lagos. He often takes people through Portimȃo, but
since I had already seen that part we could spend more time on the farthest points
of the tour. We dove into our
conversation talking about many different things related to everyday life in
Portugal. I asked a few questions about the things we saw on Wednesday’s tour
that I had forgotten to ask. The countryside
outside of Albufeira is beautiful. I suppose Albufeira has its own charm, but
the sense of touristic endeavours clouds that in my eyes. It feels more the
“pure” Portuguese lifestyle in other small communities in the south. I like that Miguel gives me his insight on
the way of life. Although as an ambassador I am sure he is still being
diplomatic in many senses.
Miguel drove to a place he knew where the rocks protected
the lagoons from the breakers and gave a perfect place to farm shellfish.
Beyond that it was a beautiful beach. On one side you could see the city of
Lagos and the other nothing, but rocks, beauty and the sea. In between it all
is the constant of beaches. The only thing I am missing out on this trip is the
sense of roaming along the coastline, through sand and up and around the
cliffs.
We continued on our way after taking some photos and
appreciating the view. I liked Lagos instantly as we approached it. I don’t
know why exactly, but it was just one of those senses. The road we were on took
us past the marina. I saw a nice pedestrian only shopping area with cafes and
the lot. We drove a little further and parked so we could take a walk down to
the old castle wall and slave market. The slave market may not be a nice thing
to remember, but it was part of the history of this place and what made it what
it is today. It wouldn’t be a long stay,
but I could at least get a look at the old part of Lagos. It was a sunny day
and many people were at the local cafes having a coffee or a beer. I could see myself there at another time, lounging
and people watching unaware of the time or any pressing appointments.
There was no time for that now, however, we still had lunch,
Sagres castle and the lighthouse to see before the end of the day. Before we
made it to Sagres, Miguel wanted to show me a place where most tours don’t go
and one of his favorite places. It was a viewpoint looking out to the sea. This
is the money shot. What a place. As I sat and looked out I could hear the roar
of the ocean as though I was on the beach below. The sheer strength and power
of this fluid entity just astounds me. The hardy nature of the fisherman and
the people that live by the sea is so apparent to me. I am always amazed how
they survive.
We made it to the town of Sagres and found the restaurant.
It wasn’t the usual one that Miguel goes to as they were doing some
construction. This one was known for fresh fish as well. When we arrived,
Miguel dropped me off as close to the front as he could, I got out and
meandered to the stairs. One of the waiters was ready to wrangle me up those
stairs to the restaurant. I do like to make an entrance. The patrons were all
agog when he scooped me up and carried me, like over a threshold, to the top of
the stairs. And that’s the way you do
it. Miguel looked at what fresh fish was
being offered, and being a fisherman, knew which was freshest of the offerings.
I took his assessment and ordered as he prescribed. We had the Sea Breen. It was
delicious and they were nice enough to hold the salt on my half of the fish. I
didn’t want to be too much of a tourist, but I wish I would have filmed the
server deboning the fish for me. It was like a dance. She definitely knew what
she was doing. I did manage to take one
photo. I wanted to take more of the salad, potatoes, and the Couvert (cheese, olives and bread in this case), but I
didn’t.
After a relaxing lunch, the same waiter carried me down the stairs again and we were off to find a bathroom for me to use. We found one at the local supermarket. It was the typical European one with the bars coming form the back of the toilet. I saw this and luckily there was a female staff member just at the door. I am not sure what her role was in the store for all I knew she was the manager, but I asked if she could help me. In my broken Portuguese and some sign language we communicated and she helped me get up off the toilet. Thank goodness for the supermarket.
We arrived at the Sagres castle and went in to check it out. It was quite windy, but nothing as bad as I had expected. When the moniker is “the end of the earth” you expect the worst. It was breezy, but not too cold. I was still glad I had the down coat though. The castle was under a lot of construction. It looks as though they are trying to recreate more of the history of the place and represent the importance of it. It is a UNESCO site so, upgrades are expected. I am still uncertain about what I thought of it. I still have to process the day, but one lasting impression I had was how loneliness and solitude must have been a constant companion for the people that were posted here. The unceasing wind would drive most people mad.
The lighthouse was more interesting as a point of reference rather than an actual site. The landscape around it was more interesting to me and I understand why people may have thought there was nothing after this point.
It was a big day and many impressions thoughts and experiences. It was well worth the recovery time.
