In the Algarve...

I´m in Lagos in the Algarve and I have mix feelings about this town. On the one hand, Lagos has great long stretch of sandy beaches close-by when the wind is not blowing hard) and the old city center is mostly a pedestrian walkway, so you can wander around without being worried about being hit by a car. But at times, it doesn´t really feel like Portugal, and more like a Mexican resort town for Germans and English. There are plenty of bars and clubs blaring only English music and catering to the 98% tourist crowd packed in there. I was in a bit of a shock when I first came into Lagos with all the English, Spanish, & German menus and complimentary jacked-up prices (one Euro for bread, c´mon), real estate offices and little stands offering whale watching and grotto tours, para-sailing, and kyaking, having gone through the beach village of Almograve (after Evora) with only one main road and two restaurants, and Odemira, where the tourist information didn´t speak English.

There´s something very likeable about the walled city of Evora. Maybe it has to do with the relaxed pace of life, the surrounding sun-drenched golden fields, the good natured people or the friendly haggling of a comfortable pensao room.A roman aqueduct runs right into the old city where the temple of Dianna rests up from the pleasant square and the short white washed buildings.

In Almograve, I met an Italian doctor and his friend from Milano, and learned how to make simple and tasty pasta sauce the Mama Mia way. Garlic, onions, tomatoes, pepper, salt and plenty of basilico and olive oil (but no oregano). More importantly, they also explained the meaning of some those Italian hand gestures. Hey, what´s the matter you?

I went to the wonderful town of Sagres on the most south-western part of the European mainland. With a small port filled with fishing boats and fishes swimming off the docks on one side of town, while on the other side a fort perched dramatically above a steep cliff. All along the coast the cliffs jut out to the Atlantic ocean, dotted with beaches. One calm, the next pounded by surf. Naturally, Sagres is popular for surfing but there are also these crazy fishermen casting lines off the sheer cliffs. It´s also a good place to waste time watching a local game of bocci.

I don´t think I will truly ever understand the Portuguese love of the bacalhau. I´ve never been to a place where salted cod fish is so adored. Even the Norwegeans (where the fish is mostly coming from) don´t eat it as much. Imagine... a national obsession for salted fish in a land where fresh fish is so easily accessible. The mighty bacalhau has even surpassed the turkey as the traditional Christmas dish. But then again, the Portuguese claim there are 305 ways to cook the bacalhau. Hmmm...

Off to Tavira tomorrow. Adeus.