A DAY TRIP TO PORTIMÃO

Almost exactly a week after we arrived in Lagos, we were ready to go on one of our day trips, deciding to revisit Portimão - a town we feel is often overlooked in favour of the more modern beach area of Praia de Rocha - approximately 3 kms away. Heading east from Lagos it's a quick and cheap train ride - 20 mins on the slow, but mostly reliable, Algarve line. By trial and error we've found that if we head downhill from our apartment, through a Portuguese suburb, we arrive close to the train station, which is handily located across the river, behind the marina. Unfortunately we missed our train! Arriving with just 5 minutes to spare, we'd forgotten how busy this end-of-the-line station is. Many people use it not only for excursions, but to travel to and from the airport in Faro, which services the whole region. With a long line up for tickets, we decided to catch the next one, which turned out to be a good decision! With over an hour to spare, we bought tickets for the next train and went in search of breakfast. ***A reminder here for any "senior" travellers - there is a significant reduction on fares if proof of age is shown. *** This day's example was €4.20 return - for both of us - the journey is 20 minutes each way….CAD$5.65 - a bargain in any currency!
Remembering that we'd yet to visit Lagos's oldest bakery - Paderia Central - a favourite from a previous time spent in Lagos, we searched it out ...and we weren't disappointed. After buying 2 exceptional "tostas" and a couple of good strong coffees, we walked a few steps to our favourite Louis Camoes square. Sitting on a wall, eating these substantial hot and gooey, grilled cheese sandwiches (plus ham for Trev), missing the train didn't seem like such a loss! Arriving in Portimão we remembered an interesting "feature" of the station. With just 2 lines of track - a walk across them is needed to access the station building and exit to the city - somewhat of a shock for first time visitors. As we once saw on another section of the Algarve line - "don't spoil your holiday, look both ways."
While walking towards the riverfront we passed through the shopping precinct and realized another mistake - the shops and most of the cafés were closed. We think of ourselves as experienced travellers because one of our travel "tips" is always check for public holidays. In Portugal - October 5th is Republic Day - a national holiday…we obviously forgot to heed our own advice! In 1908 the king of Portual - and his heir - were assassinated. Two years later - on October 3rd and 4th, 1910 and after 2 years of a failed dictatorship, thousands of people were fighting in the streets. The military was hesitant to fight their own people and the following day, in Lisbon, the Republic was declared. By 1911 the flag, the national anthem and the new Constitution had been approved and many civic and religious liberties were restored. Meanwhile in Portimão, although many places were closed, the cafés and ice cream stands along the waterfront promenade, were open for business. This 1km walk alongside the Arade river is considered a highlight of this city. At one end is the museum, showcasing the history of the sardine industry - a place well worth visiting. At the other end is where the ferries used to cross + where the old fish market was located. A tunnel underneath the road leads to Rua da Barca, a warren of small streets and restaurants. Between the Ribeirinha (river walk) and this area lies the Jardim Visconde Bivar, a lovely shady park, with plenty of benches to sit and enjoy the surroundings.
With sunny skies and warm temperatures and after walking alongside the river, we stopped to enjoy a beer, before strolling back through town. Passing back through Jardim 1° de Dezembro plaza we admired its tile paintings depicting the history of the city. At the end of these gardens is a lovely building - the city hall.
On a previous occasion we'd spent some time in the Praça da República, which is the heart of this city. On that day is was full of children playing soccer and running through fountains…but on this October 5th it was eerily quiet, due to the fact that just a little way away everyone was in church. Nossa Senhora da Conceição is the main church of Portimao and although we would have enjoyed taking a good look at it, the service was about to begin, so we settled for spending just a few quiet minutes admiring it from inside the entrance. The return train was on time and after picking up a churrasco chicken for dinner, we headed for home - happy and tired - after completing 25,000 steps!