Lagos

In the morning we rode our bikes to the town of Burgau, not far away. A cute little village by the sea, dominated by tourism, but still a little more original than the neighboring towns. Definitely worth it for a short morning trip.

Back we decided against spending another night at the expensive campsite (although the sanitary facilities are probably older than I am) and instead opted for the city campsite in Lagos, which had a poor rating in the reviews and probably thrives on its proximity to the city. We were excited.

When we arrived the reception wasn't manned, so according to the opening hours on the sign it was, but not in reality. But someone came running straight away and said the receptionist was just there for a quick coffee. A short time later he also appeared and we should just drive in, stand there and come back. In order not to stand in the way, we simply stand in one of the first places, went to pay and then went for another lap on the place. The place definitely had a good time, but it left a totally rocked impression. A good 20 places are occupied by long-term campers, some of whom seem to be there, but some of whom have not been there for years.

We stopped in the first place and watched what was happening for a bit. On the one hand, the eucalyptus trees on the square were being cut down, at lunch break the workers lay down on the dusty gravel floor for a nap, a musician with a guitar marched out towards the city, then another with a box and a drum on a handcart,... It wasn't boring.

For us, we first went towards the sea on our bikes, so we packed diving goggles and a snorkel, as we should be able to see some nice fish on the rocks. I didn't know that you weren't allowed to swim at the Ponte de Piedade...

At least we stood on the rocks with numerous other people, climbed around and took photos. Due to the overcast sky, these were not as colorful as on the postcards we saw.

Not having written off the diving, we drove to the next bay where we could see towel after towel from above. It wasn't worth the stairs for us, then another bay further. We were down there, walking, but somehow we weren't tempted to go into the water because the sky was still overcast.

Back to camping, pack away your diving gear and get ready for the city. So soon afterwards we strolled through the street art street of Lagos and just let ourselves drift around the little town. Shop after restaurant, restaurant after shop, etc. Some street musicians were also out and about, and we also recognized one trio as “our neighbors”.

After the rather miserable dining experience the day before, we followed the food tip of an Algarve expert and so we went to Adega da Marina. A bit of a marquee/brewery atmosphere, which made us skeptical, but some tables were occupied and at what was actually a “non-meal time” – plus it was a tip! The food was really great (best sardines of the whole trip), the service too, the drinks as well and all at an unbeatable price.