Lagos

In spite of the bad weather, we caught the train from Faro to Lagos one day because we had purchased train tickets in advance and booked a short excursion on one of the small boats that navigate through the limestone formations along the headland known as Ponta da Piedade (Piety Point). Our enthusiasm for actually going out on the boat had been dashed by the cold wind we had experienced during our bird watching cruise, but we still wanted to at least see the formations from the beach.

It was raining steadily when we arrived at the Lagos train station after the hour and 45 minute trip. The booking agency was just inside the door to the station so I went over to tell them that we had decided not to go out on the boat. The young women in the office cheerfully tried to get me to change my mind. They offered to lend us warm, waterproof clothing and promised that the sea was very calm that day. They almost talked me into going out on the water, but the memory of the cold wind was strong. I expected that we would lose the money we had paid for the trip because cancellations had to be made at least 24 hours in advance, but to my surprise they refunded the money we had paid.

I went to the restroom, and as I was washing my hands an older woman came in with cleaning supplies. She gave me a big smile, said some words in Portuguese, and looked at me as if expecting a reply. I thought at first that she was asking me to leave so she could begin cleaning, but then I realised she was giving me a lesson in Portuguese. "Bom Dia...Obrigada" she said again. When I repeated the words to her, her smile grew even bigger.

I was really liking Lagos. What a friendly place.

The rain stopped. We had a snack in a cafe at the marina and walked down a wide boulevard beside the Bensafrim River to the beach.

The Forte da Ponta da Bandeira sits on the estuary where the Bensafrim River meets the sea. It was built in the 17th Century to defend the city. There are said to be excellent views of the city from the ramparts, but unfortunately it wasn't open on this day for some reason we couldn't deduce.

If we had taken the boat trip, we would have gone out on a boat like this. The cold wind was still blowing, but the young women in office were right about the sea being calm.

There is a trail along the cliff with scenic lookout spots and there is even a boardwalk somewhere, but I didn't find it. I walked for awhile, but rain was threatening again so I didn't go too far.

I occasionally saw someone down on the beach dip a toe into the water, but it must have been cold because I didn't see anyone actually take the plunge.

The rain clouds were moving in, but we still had a little time to admire the old city walls and streets before it began to fall.

When the rain began in earnest, we were near a rather nice restaurant. There were no customers dining at the outside tables which were shielded by umbrellas, so we took a chance and sheltered under one. The rain poured down harder and we started getting wet, but a waiter called to us to come inside until the rain stopped. I loved Lagos more than ever.

The weather looked like it would only get worse, so after the deluge, we continued to the station where we changed our tickets to an earlier train. Riding Portuguese local trains can be confusing because stations are not announced and many stations do not even have signs so it is often difficult to know what station the train has arrived at until the train is leaving it. That was not a problem for us in this case because Faro was at one end of the line and Lagos was at the other, but one couple on the train missed their stop. They jumped up in alarm and ran to the door where the conductor was standing, but it was too late to get off. He jokingly told them, "You want to go to Tunes?...Then why you no get off in Tunes?" He launched into a long description of how they could walk from the next stop back to their intended destination, but another passenger offered a better solution - "Just get off at the next stop and take a taxi back - it won't cost very much."

We enjoyed our time in The Algarve, and we were glad we had included it in our trip.