Paradise in Portugal (Old Town in Lagos, Portugal)
The city of Lagos, in the Algarve region on the southern waters of the beautiful country of Portugal is as warm as the generous people who call her home.
“Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air …” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Largely in part because we selected spectacular accommodations owned and managed by exceptionally helpful, generous and meticulous people, this bucket list destination exceeded our expectations.
One could argue that the arduous journey from Spain, which included multiple public transportation hops with a memorable and entertaining, budget-conscious trip through the mountains on the overnight train, could be a tale in of itself; but the weary trip was worthy as our decision is proven right.
Despite the ample hand-wringing that came with observing some parts of Portugal from the window seat of a train, something we will delve into in coming blogs, stepping foot off the train in Lagos proved our decision to meet the sun-kissed Portuguese paradise was correct.
The hot sun is a welcome friend.
The logistically challenged but short trip to our new home finds us grinning wide at the beautiful accommodation. In addition to the travel adventure of the Algarve, we have found the right space to work towards redesigning our lifestyle and habits.
Our new home supports a redirected focus on health and activity, provides proximity to Lagos’s sunny Old Town, bustling with two-legged visitors and four-legged citizens, and offers exceptional culinary experiences with servers who know how to serve mouth-watering dishes. All this coupled with a short stroll to sunny, warm beaches. This is a tough gig, sigh.
We can’t say enough about how wonderful it is to have restaurant hosts waiting patiently out front to say a friendly hello and offer us a place at their table. It is a different feel for patrons accustomed to a less personal experience back home.
It is hard not to slip away into the life of sun drenched terraces that host our days of reading, writing and world schooling, not to mention drying laundry in hours not days. So we don’t resist … at all.
There are the challenges of rolling civil strikes and work stoppages that test our reliance on public transportation but that doesn’t get us down. Instead we learn, once again, the advantages of agility.
Even crossing paths with a couple of crude ruffians in Portimão does not represent the kind, welcoming people of Portugal, a paradise that has painted itself across our hearts.
We hope you enjoy the following posts of Portugal as much as we loved experiencing them.
First Portugal Post – Coming soon …
We will be adding detailed posts of our varied adventures in Portugal soon …
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