Lagos (Portugal)

...first memories of living in Lagos are when I lived on a boat in the fishermen's harbour. In those days Lagos didn't have its swanking new marina. To get on to land we had to jump in a dinghy and row to the rocks and then climb up to the shore. It wasn't the easiest of jobs especially when you were slightly inebriated. The rocks were jagged and many a time having reached the top I was met by a gang of outlaw dogs snapping and bearing their ugly tombstone ...
...is still there but now Lagos has its very own International marina right next door. It is no surprise to you that this is always my first port of call when I go back to visit. I love the new marina and I think lots of visitors do to.

Lagos marina has berths for over 460 boats and during July and August they are generally filled. To reach this award winning marina (Blue Flag and Euromarina award) you need to walk down Lagos' main artery, ... more

I don't know why it has taken me so long to get round to writing about Lagos. I guess when you live in a beautiful place you tend to take your surroundings for granted. It's six years now since I left Portugal but there isn't a day when I don't miss the colour and ambience. On days like today when Warsaw is a sea of grey I really miss the colours blue, white and yellow - sky, white-washed houses and sand.

The first stop for visitors arriving in the Algarve will be Faro airport. Faro is a fine town ans has a lot to offer for a day trip but the first thing most visitors will want to do is to get in a cab or a hired car and drive to their hotel or apartment in the sun. There will be time to view Faro and its alleyways and harbour- front another day.

My first memories of living in Lagos are when I lived on a boat in the fishermen's harbour. In those days Lagos didn't have its swanking new marina. To get on to land we had to jump in a dinghy and row to the rocks and then climb up to the shore. It wasn't the easiest of jobs especially when you were slightly inebriated. The rocks were jagged and many a time having reached the top I was met by a gang of outlaw dogs snapping and bearing their ugly tombstone teeth. In daylight this wasn't so bad but at night jumping back down the rocks in the blackest of skies was no fun, believe me. Many a time I have landed with a scream followed by hysterical laughter into the freezing waters of the Atlantic. To be honest, the only experience I loved about living on a boat was the sound of the tinny, clapped out motorbikes racing along the avenida and the jangling, whistling sound of the wind weaving itself around the flag ropes. Because of my long gangly legs I was always bumping into things or tripping over. I am far too tall to live on a boat and I was quite pleased when we moved to terra firma.

The fishermen's harbour is still there but now Lagos has its very own International marina right next door. It is no surprise to you that this is always my first port of call when I go back to visit. I love the new marina and I think lots of visitors do to.

Lagos marina has berths for over 460 boats and during July and August they are generally filled. To reach this award winning marina (Blue Flag and Euromarina award) you need to walk down Lagos' main artery, the Avenida dos Descobrimentos ( Avenida = street, Descobrimentos = Discoveries) which runs parallel to the waterfront. There is a footbridge and from here you get a cracking view of the town and all the boats which come in all sizes, colours and shapes. The view of the front of the town, taking in the old covered fish market is one of the best in Europe, in my opinion. It is very similar in appearance to the palm-fringed Riva in Split, Croatia. Recently the facade of the fish market has been modernised and I have to say, I don't approve.

There are many cafes, bars and restaurants in the marina complex and it is a great place to meet old friends. It is very popular with Portuguese, French and ex-pats. In summer the marina is generally packed out at weekends and very noisy with live music trailing from at least a couple of bars, chattering from Portuguese families as they promenade the walkway, and over excited ex-pats cheering to football matches which are shown on big screen TV in at least a couple of the cafes. The noise of exuberance doubles if a Portuguese team is playing. Portugal is a country where football rules and even thirty years ago when the Algarve was quite poor you could always find a TV in every bar blaring away.

I prefer to visit the marina in winter and my favourite bar is Joe's at the very end. I don't actually think it is called Joe's but that is the name of the guy who owns the bar and I have always known him as Joe. Here you can sit outside in a covered conservatory with a huge gas heater blowing as you drink a glass of Portuguese red while watching the ever changing colours of the town's lights and the sleepy activity on the boats. If you fancy a bite to eat there is a superb Chinese restaurant above Joe's bar. The food is tasty and the service is speedy which in the Algarve is a miracle.

Before I take you for a tour of the town I just want to mention the old Lagos train station which is not used anymore. There are plans to make it into a museum. It is a fantastic bulding, quite mandarin looking in style with a triangular roof of red tiles and a washed out lime green exterior. When I lived on the boat I could see the train station and the road behind which leads to Meia Praia beach. Now this view has been blocked by the buildings and apartments of the new marina. Across the road sits the new train station but I think is totally incongruous with its surroundings. It looks more like a doctors surgery.

The road leading to the beach has changed also because across on the other side development has reared its ugly head and taken over. Fortunately my husband's favourite beach, Meia Praia has not changed. This must be one of the best beaches in the Algarve. It spreads for about 4 kilometres and the sand is so soft and golden. In winter my husband used to run every morning the whole length of the bay and sometimes he would never meet another soul. There are bars along the expanse of the beach which are very simple made from wood with bamboo roofs. In the evenings I always loved to go to a beach bar for a simple meal, sit out and look at the ocean's waves silently coming into the shore. Sometimes we would walk back slowly collecting shells and filling our pockets to the brim. Other times we would race each other to see who could get to the rocks first. Yes, I did win once! Happy memories.

The ancient port of Lagos has a long and troubled history. It was a very important centre on this section of coast, primarily because it served as the main trading post for slaves from Africa. In 1443, under the arcades of the Casa da Alfandega by the Praca da Republica, the first slave auction was held. The first Voyages of Discovery left from here also bringing back great riches to the town. Also, the suicidal campaign to Morocco led by King Sebastiao started from here in 1758 which led to a humiliating defeat at the hands of a vastly superior force at Alcazarquivir. Only sixty soldiers out of an army of 18,000 returned from the battlefield. Nowadays the slave market is open for art exhibitions and I have exhibited my own art work many times in this building.

The older part of the town is still circled by walls that were constructed in the 16th century although the violent earthquake of 1755 destroyed the fortress walls in some parts.

The baroque 17th century church of Santo Antonio survived the earthquake. It is sometimes called the 'golden church', because of the fine examples of talha dourada (guilded carvings) which are on show and very beautiful to look at. The entrance of the church is through the side door which is also a museum. Both are worth seeing. If you walk further towards the large square paved with calcadas you will come across another church on your left. This is called the Igreja da Santa Maria. The facade is very pretty and from the 16th century. Inside it is very dark and after being outside in the blinding haze of the sun, it does strange things to your eyes. At the front of the square which is called the Praca Infante Dom Henrique, actually stands a statue of Prince Henry looking proudly out to sea. This is a famous spot to take photographs and admire the views of the bay. If by this time you need refreshments there is a cafe at the back of the statue and square. There are seats outside and it is waiter service so you can sit back and relax. The service here is excellent and they are on the ball. You can also sit inside but it does get noisy and smokey. Even though EU rules say that smoking isn't allowed in cafes and restaurants you will still find in Portugal that these rules are broken. They are still, like the French - a little anarchic in their ways which makes them who and what they are - a charismatic and fascinating people.

Over the last few years the Conchelo (Local Council) has spent a lot of money on renovating buildings in Lagos and a walkway has been built around the city walls. The squares in Lagos are always vibrant and full of life. My favourite square of all is Praca de Gil Eanes. This is a popular meeting point for old and young alike. In the day you will find artists setting up their easels and buskers playing jazz or some playing the accordion or violin. Street entertainers paint their bodies in gold or silver while some wrap themselves in white bleached cloths and frighten you to death when they move and reach out to touch you. My poor Mum nearly had a heart attack when one guy dressed in a space suit was suspended into a rigid trance. She thought he was a statue, went up to him and said in her broad Lancashire voice, 'Are you real, love?' He jumped out at her and started to twitch and dance in the style of one Jarvis Cocker. Let's say, she never approached another street entertainer again. The best times to visit the Square are in the evenings when everything is electric with life and on special days like New Year's Eve and April 25th which is Liberation Day. Firework displays are lit from the marina and the waterfront but usually everybody gathers in the square with their red carnations on Liberation Day and champagne on New Year's Eve. I loved Liberation Day when I lived in my apartment in Lagos and on the boat because I would be woken in the early morning with the sound of cannons firing. I could actually see the fireworks from my windows also which was exciting but much better to walk into the town to be with lots of people. I will also add that I have been back to Lagos when big football tournaments have been playing and the atmosphere is amazing. Huge screens are set up in the main squares for everybody to view. The whole town becomes a sea of red and green and Jose Mourinho's face is illuminated on every street corner and in every bank and supemarket. They certainly love him and their football.

From the Praca de Gil Eanes you need your wits about you because you can easily get lost walking through the calcaded streets. It is like entering a spiders web and each criss-cross thread leads to another small street. You can buy anything in Lagos - its just finding the right street.

Lagos is known for it's vast selection of restaurants. Some are excellent some are good, average and some are bad. Apart from Reis, my favourite is the Italian restaurant on the corner of Rua Garett, called Italia, which has an outside terrace. The food here is really tasty and the pizzas are like Mama bakes them - light and fluffy. Prices are rather high and we always classed this as a special treat at weekend after we had visited the cinema. Apart from the largest pepper mill I have ever seen the restaurant has some of the friendliest staff I have ever met. And very good looking waiters too. At Christmas time look out for the life sized Santa Claus who sings a song to you as you enter. Another good fish restaurant is A Forja or otherwise known as the Blue Door. This restaurant specialises in fresh fish and in the summer months it is advisable to book ahead as it is very popular with locals and tourists.

Bars change hands all the time in the centre of Lagos and there is a huge variety so you will never be parched in this town. Hotels are in abundance as are rented rooms, apartments and villas. A word of warning if renting a room - haggle on the price. Don't go with the first price offered - it will be far too much. I should say you are probably looking from £15 - £25 but that's a night not each person.

Shopping - is a lot easier than when I first lived there. I remember walking into one of the small shops on the Avenida and I couldn't see anything familiar. I wanted to cry. I was very young and I couldn't work out how to make gravy without Oxo cubes. Nowadays you can buy lots of English food items but they are usually double the UK price or things like Marmite possibly three times the price. Apart from small shops Lagos has large supermarkets like Pingo Doce, Intermarche and Modello's.

On Saturday morning a fruit and vegetable market is held in the Cooperative Market next to the bus station. This is a fantastic array of colour, character and moving donkeys and vehicles as the country people from the hills all try to park in familiar spots to unload their home grown produce. One of my favourite weekend treats and not to be missed.

Well, I hope I have covered everything. I have enjoyed writing this review and feel a bit sunnier than I did this morning. I think I am kidding myself when I say I am not homesick for Lagos anymore. I love the town and I know I am not the only one. Everyone I have ever met who has been to my lovely town has been seduced by its vibrant charm. Highly recommended.

Summary: A town steeped in history and full of life..

 

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