Arrived in Lagos

During our travels we’ve learned that when changing locations and using public transportation, things don’t always go smoothly - but on this occasion everything went well....all we needed to do was to take the local train line that runs across the (mostly) coastal part of the Algarve. On the morning of our departure from Tavira we asked if our train would go straight through to Lagos, or if we needed to change at Faro station - often when heading west of Faro, a change is needed. The ticket office informed us that we would need to change trains at Faro station, so upon reaching there we (along with every other passenger) dutifully got off the train - adding ourselves and our luggage to the already crowded platform full of people - most of whom were anxiously asking anyone who looked remotely like a railway employee, “Which train is going to Lagos?” .........Perhaps you probably guessed.....it was the same one that we’d just got off! ......not too difficult for me, but a little harder for Trevor who had to haul the luggage back up onto the train that he’d just taken it off!
All joking aside - this local railway does, with only a few quirks and minor hitches, do a really great job of transporting a huge number of people across the area. It’s not fast - it makes frequent stops at the stations along the way - but compared to the mystery of local buses and their routes, it’s a travellers dream....and, for whatever reason, the railway employees seem much more patient and willing to help than the bus station personnel........though to be fair - they must all get very tired of the repetitive questions of us tourists!
After leaving Faro, there’s an almost immediate change in the landscape. The miles of salt-flats are left behind as the journey moves westward - replaced by hills that get increasingly higher and more rugged......high enough that we saw some hang-gliders shortly after pulling out from Faro station. With the changing scenery to watch, we also enjoyed observing other passengers on the train - especially the large groups of young adults who filled it up along the way....many just fell asleep, but one group who couldn’t get seats together, spent their time communicating by phone. Scattered throughout the carriage, at least 6 or more of them spent their journey participating in an audio and text conversation........unfortunately, due to our lack of language skills, we couldn’t understand their lively chat - but they kept us entertained until we reached Lagos.
Luckily for us, we were picked up at the station by a friend of the owner of our rented property, who drove us up a hill - which we’ve come to know quite well - and introduced us to our “new home.” Situated in a complex of holiday-type apartments, this 1 bedroom place is on the 3rd floor of a 4-storey building. A corner unit, it has a lovely large balcony equipped with huge canvas “sails” that can be lowered to keep out the sun...or, as is often the case in Lagos, the wind! Both the bedroom and bathroom are a good size and the living room is open-plan to the kitchen - which is very small - but has a washing-machine, fridge and a stove with an oven. With a bit of furniture re-arrangement, we quickly rectified the problem of the lack of work-surface in the kitchen - we moved and turned the large dining-table into our prep-area ***note - we always take “before” photos in order to return our accommodations back to their original “look!” ***
The town of Lagos is divided by the river Bensafrim, with the old town on one side and the newer Marina area on the other. We’re on the Marina side, which is quite large - filled not only with boats, but also with lots of restaurants, cafés and bars - which makes it a very pleasant place to spend time. For anyone wanting to take any kind of organized boat tour - this is the place to be - from a simple 1 hour cruise to see caves and grottos, dolphin watching or a full-day “party” cruise, there’s a wide variety of choices. Although our location is handy for the train station, it’s a 15 minute walk to the other side of the river - via a pedestrian bridge - to town. The good news is that anywhere we go it’s all downhill.....the bad news is that to get “home,” there’s no avoiding a steep climb! ***note for anyone with mobility problems - or anyone who does not like hills - check your location when staying in Lagos***
Having already visited this town on a couple of day-trips, we waited to cross over the river into town and decided to spend the remainder of our first afternoon taking a look around our immediate area. We discovered that our apartment shares a couple of tennis-courts and a huge outdoor pool - which has lots of chairs and shady areas for relaxing, plus a café to service the hungry and thirsty. There’s a small shop at the entrance to the complex that sells basic items that may have been forgotten from “down the hill” - which is where we found the closest grocery store. Fortunately we still have our shopping bag on wheels (“bluey”) with us - very handy for dragging our supplies home. For anyone without a car who does not possess such a handy shopping assistant, there are plenty of taxis to be found outside the grocery stores - and everywhere else in town.
We ended our first day in Lagos with a stroll around the Marina - taking a look at the variety of establishments and their offerings. With a “lively” area that has nightly entertainment, to a quieter side with calmer places - there seems to be something for everyone.
During our first week here we’ve re-acquainted ourselves with this popular place on the western side of the Algarve. It’s a fair-sized town - full of shops, cafés, restaurants and late-night bars. Lagos is also a historical town that seems to have blended traditional Portuguese culture with the requirements of modern-day holidaymakers, making it a popular destination for a variety of people. In addition, the surrounding area has miles of beaches and sandy coves, towering cliffs with hiking opportunities and a variety of water-sports and activities. Its historic centre - which is our favourite place to be - is a warren of patterned, cobbled streets - full of whitewashed houses that are partially surrounded by the remains of its 16th walls.
So far we’ve found our favourite bakery - Padaria Central, which has the honour of being the oldest in town - it opened in 1906. On a cobbled street in the old town, this bakery is in a lovely whitewashed building, with its name proudly displayed in large cursive writing on the front. Inside there’s a display case full of “temptations,” a counter and just a few stools - so not much room to sit - but no matter....most people take home their bread and pastries - or as we do - stand either in the shop or on the street outside and eat them - we find that it’s very difficult to wait!
We’ve spent time in some of the lovely squares - surrounded by attractive old buildings - they’re a great place to sit and enjoy refreshments while listening to a wide variety of street entertainers - with little chance for repetition as they change locations every 20 minutes or so - after passing “the hat” around!
On one occasion we saw a particularly talented duo - one playing guitar and the other on spoons. When the spoon-player came around the tables collecting - and after we’d contributed and complimented him - this happy British “lad” actually apologized for not being up to his usual standard - having lost “his spoons,” he was using borrowed ones!
Because we’ve previously spent time in Lagos, we’ve visited the main church - the Igreja de Santo António and also the Mercado de Escravos - the Slave museum - both are important in the history of Lagos, so here’s a recap of these not to be missed places :-
Originally constructed during the 16th century, the Igreja de Santo António was restored in the 18th century after a fire - the original entrance was, fortunately, preserved. The entire church has a barrel-like vaulted, wooden ceiling that’s covered in paintings, and its walls are covered in 18th century, blue and white azulejo tiled panels. The baroque gilded woodwork-decoration is considered to be one of the best in Portugal.
The church is located on the left side of the Praça Infante Dom Henrique - which has a large statue of Prince Henry looking out to sea. Commonly known as Henry the Navigator, he was an important figure in the early days of the Portuguese Age of Discoveries. As governor of the Algarve, Henry sponsored trade voyages to Africa - which left from the port of Lagos. The statue was inaugurated in 1960 on the 500th anniversary of his death. We learned more about some of his trading - that of slaves - when we visited the Slave Museum.
The Mercado de Escravos is housed in an historic building, across from the church, in “Prince Henry" square. The building, dating from the 17th century, was the Overseer's office, later becoming the Custom House. The Museum traces the history of slavery in Lagos and the Algarve, beginning with their arrival in the mid 15th century. On the first floor, explanations are given in Portuguese and English, detailing the lives of the slaves as they were baptized and integrated into European society. Most were "kept" and put to work in Portuguese households and businesses - others were transported to the Portuguese colony of Brazil. The terrible suffering of the slaves is described, as families were separated and divided into groups of men, women and children. Another part of the Museum can only be reached by going back outside and through a side door to the second floor. With written quotes along its walls, there’s also information boards and displays there - of manacles, weapons and also maps telling the history, growth and architecture of Lagos - both as a port and as a slave Market.
Throughout this first week, we’ve spent most of our days on the town side of the river, often returning there at night......”clocking up” lots of kilometres in the process! A couple of evenings, after deciding to give our aching bodies a rest, we’ve done some after-dark strolling around the marina area, sometimes stopping to have a drink at one of the quieter bars there. It’s a pleasant place to sit and look across the darkened area of the boats towards the lights in town.....or to listen to the lively sounds of entertainment and sing-a-longs from the more boisterous establishments around the corner......although afterwards we still have to walk back up that dreaded hill!