This was a travel day as we headed south to the coastal town of Lagos. We packed up our stuff, said good-bye to our Airbnb in Lisbon and took an Uber to the train station. The train ride was hot, but mostly uneventful. Heading out of Lisbon, our route took us over the 25 de Abril Bridge over the Tagus which makes for a beautiful view.
On the train out of Lisbon.
A prolonged stop on the tracks got us into Tunes about ½ hour late. We were supposed to catch a connecting train there, and I don’t think there was another one until the next day. So, we were a little concerned about whether we would have to get an Uber or make some other arrangement. Amy texted the Airbnb owner who assured us the train would wait.
And, so it did. We caught the connecting train from Tunes to Lagos. It was a no-frills operation and the lady with the family sitting next to us complained incessantly. Every stop along the way was a personal affront. Our Airbnb host picked us up at the train station. It actually wouldn’t have been a long walk, with a foot bridge over the marina. But, with bags, it would have been a little inconvenient. The drive was a bit more circuitous and we were pretty well packed into the host’s small car, but it was not too bad. Our host was originally from Australia but had lived in Lagos for quite some time. I believe she said her kids had grown up there.
Sunset in Lagos. The view from the roof of our apartment.
The house itself was kind of a row house concept atop one of the hills. There was a porch on the roof with fantastic views. We were pretty gassed from our travels at that point, but Amy and I walked down the hill into the city center for some beer and snacks. Some kind of popcorn snack we don’t have locally went down pretty well along with some more Sagres. (As I recall, they had cold Sagres and only warm Super Bock, so my choice was made!) After the snacking and drinking, the coffee table looked like one of my old college apartments – with chip bags and empty beer bottles.
Turning our lodging into a fraternity house.
Properly refreshed, we strolled down to the beach and took in the sights. Lagos is a beach town and a tourist destination on the southern coast of Portugal. The city center has cobbled streets and Portuguese tile with lots of bars and restaurants that were bustling when we were there. It’s an old place, once a center of Portuguese navigation, colonialism, and the slave trade. The coast of Lagos features a series of beaches interspersed between high and beautiful cliffs. In several places, there are passages through the cliffs so you can get from one beach to another.
The Atlantic Ocean from the Lagos coast.
Passage from one beach to the next.
Feet in the sand.
Once we had strolled about the beaches for a bit, we were getting hungry and we didn’t yet have a plan. As a family, we mostly travel well together; however, that evening, fatigue, heat, and thirst were having an impact and there was some chippiness among us as to where we were going to eat. Eventually we settled on a place. Cole and I both got doner kebabs, Harper got a tuna salad, and Amy got something with chicken.
Our normal view of Harper. The rest of us aren’t exactly slow, but she is a fast walker.
On the way home, there were some Irish guys busking in the central plaza that we stopped and enjoyed for a bit. Then we climbed up the hill to our place and kicked back, watching several episodes of Cobra Kai before bed.
Lagos City Center featuring the Statute of Dom Sebastio.
The night was not terribly restful. The bed in Amy and I’s room was not terribly big. There was a small bed – a cot really – in what was almost a closet attached to our room. I thought that would make a cozy little hideaway for sleeping but there ended up being a lot of noises. People walking by in the street, a window rattling in the wind, and some other noise I never identified.
The kids and I at the Praia dos Estudantes with an arched bridge in the background.
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