Advertisement
Published: April 10th 2006
Edit Blog Post
Hello everybody! So, this last weekend I decided I needed some time away from the cold and windy weather of Ireland and decided to head down to sunny Portugal!! And it was seriously the best four days of my life! I'm not kidding. My friend Erin and I caught an early flight from Dublin and, after much delay due to the french strikes, we eventually arrived safe and sound in Faro. We weren't having the best luck with the time schedule and had to wait another hour for the bus, but we were happy just sitting at a nearby cafe and getting some sandwiches and ice cream. Boy oh boy did it feel good to have the sun on our backs! I mean, I hadn't felt the sun like that for a long time. The bus ride was a trip in itself. Oh my gosh...the scenery! Portugal is such an amazingly beautiful country. The landscape is unlilke anything I've ever seen before. There are these beautiful valleys of rolling hills covered with lush vegetation. And it's so absolutely green! I know I'm living in Ireland, which is most known for it's greens, but I have to say that Portugal is right
at the top of the list with it. There's every kind of green imaginable and the trees are so soft.
But, after a few stops along the way we arrived in Lagos. We kept to the map and easily found our hostel, which was the coolest hostel ever! We were welomed by Mario the owner, threw our stuff on the beds, and quickly headed for the beach. Oh my gosh, let me just tell you that we were welcomed with the most beautiful night ever. A gorgeous sunset above, blue waves softly crashing in, cliffs secluding and a beach just to ourselves...it was truly a dream. The beaches here are enclosed by these towering cliffs which really makes you feel so at home. When the sun went down, we made our way back to the hostel where kids were starting to get ready for the night. And, it was Mario's birthday so of course we had to celebrate! What's really funny is this Mario owns the hostel and then his brother owns a little restaurant just two doors up. So, they were having a little party for him which equalled free food and drinks for us! Wahoo! Anyways, Lagos's
nightlife is pretty crazy to say the least and Erin and I definitely had an amazing time. We also met some really cool kids from the hostel who we definitely hit it off with.
Anyways, after a day and night in Lagos we were beginning to realize how things worked around here. Pretty much, you put a smile on your face, some flip-flops and a little sunscreen on your nose...and you're ready for anything. All day Friday was spent out on the beach, basking in the brilliant sun and eating delicious foods. I tell ya...Erin and I really know how to live. After being in the sun for a bit, our stomachs were speaking to us, so we climbed up like a hundred steps to this cafe which was perfectly perched on top of a cliff. We both ordered tuna steak with onion sauce which was probably the most delicious thing I've ever eaten. And, of course we ended the meal with a huge ice cream sundae that we gladly shared. We were really livin' it up and after a few hours of sitting upon that cliff soaking up the scenery, we went back down to the beach where
we relaxed for the rest of the sun.
Soon night fell upon us and again we set out to see what Lagos had in store for us. Along with our new British friends, Helena and George and some Canadians we hit the streets to have yet another wonderful night. In Lagos the bars are open pretty much till you drop...so we were out dancin' the night away, but also growing excited for what the next day had in store for us...a day cruise!!! We would be seeing some of the cave formations and would get to see beaches only reachable by boat.
So, on Saturday we all met up at Joe's Garage for a mini barbecue and then headed to the dock. So, remember how I said Portugal was beautiful on land? Well, it's even more beautiful from the sea! Oh my gosh, absolutely breath taking. We anchored out a ways and got into a smaller boat to go and explore the caves. Probably the most amazing things I've ever seen. We actually went into the caves and the guy would let us just sit there for a bit, with the waves coming in. Sometimes it was a
little scary because we were in this tiny boat in a tiny cave with a big wave coming in! But, we were safe and it was just so beautiful in there. After the cruise, we hit another beach we hadn't been to yet and that could've been the highlight of the trip. We, once again, had the beach to ourselves and I just felt so 'in the now' and peaceful. I even taught these kids some tai-chi (Dad I know you're proud). There's really something about that place that made me just so at peace. I had no cares or worries and all I could was smile. We spent our last night out with our British buddies and sadly said farewell to paradise.
At 6AM we headed through dark Lagos to the train station both so sad to be leaving. I have never in my life felt so sad to be leaving a place! But, I took it for what it was worth and was so thankful for the past four days. And, I also felt rest assured because I most certainly plan on returning through my travels this summer and am counting the days till I go back!
I absolutely love Portugal and will never forget my experience there. The people are oh so friendly, the beaches beautiful and the air just puts you at rest. Well, being back in Ireland I still dream of Portugal but I feel so much better after that much-needed carefree vacation....what a life I tell you.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.075s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 7; qc: 45; dbt: 0.049s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Anne/Mom
non-member comment
Far out, Baby!
You sure know how to live, Honey Bunch! I love the photos--especially the "nalgene on the beach" (you should send it Nalgene!) and your narrative reflects your excitement. I want to go there with you! Keep writing! love you, mom