The amazing gem of southern Portugal is the coastline itself. Perfect sand beaches share the waterline with towering cliffs of sandstone. The natural beauty is breathtaking, especially when combined with all of the sunshine we’ve had the last few days since getting to the Algarve region.
Today was all about that scenery, but from the water. Enter butt-sitting tourism, floating division.
I woke up finally feeling much better than I had the last few days, but at the cost of some sleep, since I woke up drenched in sweat. I knew that that was a good thing for my health, but it wasn’t great for my immediate sleep needs, as I had no good way to do much about the now-wet sheets and pillow. Happily, Meredith had her own bed and blissfully slept on.
After breakfast, we drove the mile or so into town to the train station, where we met up with the first of our boat captains. George is a married man in his mid-forties, and he has been leading tours for fourteen years, and is the grandson of a fisherman. He was very friendly and chatty. He took us to a decent-sized inflatable speedboat (it could hold six passengers or so), and we set off down the canal from the harbor to the ocean.
We learned that Lagos has been important since at least Roman times. The city is on a natural harbor that is shielded from Atlantic storms, and so boats have always been safe in the harbor (except for when the tsunami hit – the one from the 1755 earthquake that devastated Lisbon). We learned how to cook octopus: freeze it to break up muscle fibers, then pressure cook it for fifteen minutes to make it tender. Eat everything except the beak. Pardon my prejudice, but ewww.
Mostly we talked about what we were seeing – the cliffs, arches, and caves of the coast itself. We were able to get up close to many of the sea stacks, and even got to go under one arch. The sea was calm, and our pace was leisurely (often just five or six mph). We had the early-morning sea mostly to ourselves.
It was all beautiful, but then George took us into a huge open-air cave called “the cathedral.” There, along one wall, was an underwater hole that let light through and made the sea glow turquoise blue. There were even small fish outlined in the light. It was my favorite part of the trip.
After about two total hours, we got back to the harbor in Lagos. We thanked George, who wrote down the name of a restaurant for us to try later. We then went to drop some layers of clothes in the car, and we went for lunch. After eating, we still had about forty minutes to stroll, so I decided to go around the north end of the harbor and come back along the pedestrian bridge. Except you can’t do that. After our getting ninety percent of the way around the harbor, the harbor walk just stopped. Back we went. We crossed the bridge and kept going along the canal for a few minutes before going back to the train station for Butt-sitting Tourism II, the Other Cheek.
It seems as if everywhere you go along the central Algarve region, you see ads for tours to the Benagil Cave. The travel blog I consulted said it was a “must see.” Who was I to argue? We had a two-hour group tour out to the cave (going very quickly) and back (going much more slowly, visiting several other sea caves as well).
It was a mostly fun tour. The sights were grand, and the Benagil Cave is a special place to see – it’s a sea cave worn into a light brown dome with a hole open to the blue sky above. However, to maximize passengers on board, the boat seats were just sideways benches that we sat astride, crammed in so close to our fellow passengers that I kept getting bumped by the one on my right every time she went to take a picture. Think “economy class” on an airline, minus most of the comfort. By then end of the tour, my back was in a ton of pain, and my legs kept trying to cramp once I got back on land.
But I did love the tour itself. We went inside three different sea caves and near a couple of others. A tour of the caves may need to include research into the type of boat you’re taking.
Back in Lagos, Mer and I drove west of the town to the top of the cliffs, to the lighthouse there. Portugal has been amazing in providing free parking and easy access to natural sites, and this was no different. There were boardwalks and viewing platforms all along the tops of the cliffs, and from there we watched the sunset. Mer actually managed to catch the sunrise by looking out our window at the right moment this morning, so she framed the day nicely with the sun.
As soon as the sun went below the horizon, it got cold, so we walked back to the car and drove to the restaurant that George had recommended – Campimar. It was right on the beach and had a kitty welcome us just outside the door. George had said the sea bass was “made with love.” My dinner was “made with beef.” Mer enjoyed her love very much.
And so hotelward. I’m strangely tired for having sat on boats or in a car or at a table for most of the day, but there it is. I’m hoping we can both sleep well and long tonight so we can still squeeze in a few more hours of touring here before we need to head back to Lisbon.