Portugal travel letter: heading South

Today is my last day in Lisbon for now. I walk around town some more. I’ve gotten to the point which I really enjoy, where I sense that I’m feeling the city already a bit, know my way around and can already return to some places, rather than seeing them for the first time. I meet J for coffee and he shows me a couple of more hidden gems of Lisbon – nice views and funky shops. And then it’s time to gather my stuff and take the bus to South.

Everyone I’ve met during this trip seems to be heading to Lagos, when going south, but I have the privilege of avoiding the most touristic spots and stay in a little place near the beach of Senhora da Rocha. This is thanks to the nice coincidences that tend to happen when travelling. It was only in London that I discovered that J&Z’s friend P has a place here, well, his parents do, anyway. I’m in luck and the place is free and P is coming down for the weekend, too.

The next 2 days are very chill and relaxed. There’s not much to do in south anyway, but chill and relax. It’s got gorgeous beaches but other than that it’s as plastic and artificial as you’d expect from a place which has so many sunny days a year and has been turned into tourist attraction. We get some sun and I get a slight sunburn, my first one this year:) and we eat some really good fresh fish. You know it’s fresh when the waiter tells you he’s caught it the same day and it tastes really delicious. I’m not quite sure what are the traditional Portuguese dishes but when down here, fish is definitely something to go for. Oh, and sardines, fresh from the grill, they tend to eat them a lot and so do we.