Lagos, Portugal

I should have known from the gut feeling the day I packed this would be a trip of a lifetime, but at that point it would have been too soon to know my debit card would be eaten by the ATM at the Lagos airport upon arrival.  Logic would tell you this twist of fate would not be the sign of a great trip, however in this case it was.

While packing my bags, I felt as if I needed to be extra precautious on this trip, as I had originally planned to be alone, and I needed to be prepared for the worst.  Thus, it dawned on me I should also bring my U.S. debit card, which I never have in the past.  Well, as fate would have it, upon attempting to withdraw my Euros for the driver to the hotel - gulp - card gone.  Confiscated by the machine, and no real justification for being eaten, just gone.  However, no worries ... back up!  Destiny I tell ya.  Pretty serendipitous.  Starving and lack of souvenirs would have been a real downer on the trip.

The remainder of the trip in Lagos could not have been more perfect.  The goal was sun and relaxation, not much more.  Mission accomplished.  The sites of these secluded beaches were out of this world.  Day one we stayed at the local beach where our hotel (OMG our hotel - nice, scenic, located, and cheap!) had a pool off site, ocean side.  Impressive, and the pool came in handy for a closer on the day.

The town was a sleepy fishing village with the sense of a party scene gone by, and really was now more a quiet, white-washed village full of backpacking or retired gringos and old Portuguese fisherman.  The few restaurants strewn about town closed early, and anything open late was for the wait staff or drunk college kids.  By this time of night I was more ready for early to bed anyway, and this did not result in negative points at all - maybe even positive points.  With the reflection of the night, the town seemed as perfect as a movie set.

For me, the cliff beaches were the highlight.  I had looked up some cliff walking trails before we left and jotted a couple I wanted to see.  I knew a couple - the Dona Ana and Camilo - would be my favorites, a must see.  Not disappointed.  Stunning.  Words can not describe the stunning seclusion, so hopefully the pictures help.

The fresh fish were also a huge highlight, with the beachside restaurants offering fresh grilled local catch of the day ... we tried rock bass, sardines, and silver bream while there.  All great.  Check out those teeth!!  We even had some onshore wildlife encounters, with gigantic jellyfish washing up.  Not something you really want to see float by while bathing!!

Praia Porto dos Mos was a bit further afield, shall we say, and required a taxi and/or some serious hiking.  We were in for both.  Got to practice some Portuguese on the way with the taxi driver, and to say we had a death defying cliff walk back would not be an understatement.  This was an advanced hiker's undertaking, and not kidding, I was so scared at times I literally scooted on my bum down stairs to safety.  This is truly another post entirely.

Anyway, there is so much more to this magnificent journey ... the four Euro bottles of wine, the Portuguese pottery, the squacking birds at night, the extraordinarily talented boatsman through the grottos, torrential downpours and watch-setting weather conditions, the karaoke and the white horse, Italian backpackers, Rose, pastel de nata and cafe duplos ... my new friend Rachelle.  This was a trip of a lifetime I will never forget.  First of three checked off the list.