We had to meet at the University of Seville at 9:15 in the morning to head out to Portugal, so naturally we all went out the night before for Laura’s birthday and didn’t get home until 4 (and I was one of the early ones). Matt and I left at 3, but we stopped for churros again before catching a cab home.
We left Seville not too much past our schedule 9:30 departure…I somehow snagged a completely empty row, and then I popped in my iPod. I was in and out of sleep for most of the ride. But when I was awake, the scenery was great: vineyards, forests, hills, farms, etc.
We made it to Lagos shortly after noon. Our first stop was the Punta de Piedad to see the rock formations there. It was amazing. The water was crystal clear and the rocks were big, colorful and full of curves and edges. The little inlet from the ocean was very Pirates of the Caribbean-esque…words can describe it. Just look at the pictures on my Facebook. (links at the bottom of the entry)
After that, we went to Doña Ana beach to spend the first part of the afternoon. First we went to lunch on the cliff. We walked into the restaurant and got weird looks from the staff…then the guy told us that that half of the restaurant (it was split into 2 buildings) was closed. So we went to the other side. I had salmon steaks that were amazing and not that expensive (yay for coast towns). Christina had this crazy shrimp cocktail for an appetizer that was served over a bowl of pink water. The weirdest thing for me was that everyone spoke English and almost everything was either written in English or had a translation. Apparently the Portuguese don’t like it if you speak Spanish to them.
Then we went to the beach. It was gorgeous. There was this rock that people would swim out to and jump off of. The water, again, was really clear, but also really really cold. I didn’t spend too much time in the water because I don’t like the cold. I actually got a little color in just a couple hours. Yay for the southern Iberian sun.
Then we were off to Portimão. The bus ride was only about an hour or so, but I was unconscious the whole time (it was siesta time in my head). I would just like to say, if anyone is thinking about studying abroad, definitely consider CEA. They always put you up with great accommodations. First the Hotel Becquer for your first impression of Seville, then a beachfront hotel. Seriously, the place was really nice. It had a pool and everything.
I had never heard of Lagos or Portimão before I decided to study abroad, and it’s amazing to me that such a beautiful region (the Algarve) isn’t more widely known in America as a place to go. The beach, once again, was stunning. Cliffs and caves everywhere, rocks in the crisp, clean water. (Crisp sounds a lot more pleasant than “freezing cold” doesn’t it?)
Me and the guys played flip-flop Bocce ball, with the stipulation that the loser gets buried. I beat Jared by half of a foot (we had to do a measurement). Anyway, then we buried him. And then we decided to sculpt a body for him. It was really funny, people kept calling out “We need an arm committee!” or “Leg committee, what are you doing?” etc. And because we were guys, his sculpted body was naked and well-endowed. This group of older tourists (50s, 60s) was watching us and cracking up. When we were done we took pictures and then we went off to the side so we could watch people’s reactions. Jared would call out to them and ask “Can you point me to the gym?” Then this British guy came up to him and was like, ”You look like you got a little bit sanded up there? ::sees us in the background cracking up:: Oh, it was this lot who did it?” He then watched as we pulled him out of the sand. It was a good time. I don't have pictures, but I'll direct them to you when someone posts them.
Then we went to the hotel pool to clean off the sand, and some guys did a cannonball contest. No clear winner. The sun was setting, so we all got changed and went back out to the beach to watch it go down. It was really cool.
Later, Alisa, Christina, Brenna, Josh and I went to dinner at a place right by the hotel. We ordered a couple drinks and then the waitress brought out a tub of fish so we could see what the fresh catch of the day was. It was really cool. We decided to splurge, so I ordered the pork tenderloin with shrimp (which wasn’t actually that pricey), and Brenna and Josh both got red snapper. Alisa got monkfish and Christina got pepper steak and salad. It was a fine meal. The service was a little slow, but the food was so good that it was worth it. We also ordered dessert. I got strawberries with whippepd cream and ice cream (they gave me sooo many strawberries), Alisa and Brenna got poached pear with ice cream and raisins, Josh got a banana split, and Christina got chocolate cake. Then we got the bill. 134 Euros. Whoa. That’s almost a $200 meal for 5 people. (Thank goodness I’m back in Sevilla eating Filli’s food, and that in Morocco, my dinners are covered.)
Then we hit the streets to explore for a bit. We ran into some other people stopped by this artist who was doing a painting. His technique—which he later said was a Mexican style—involved using spray paint on a palette and taking cloths or various other types of things to dab and blot the paint on the canvass. It was really really cool. I would have bought the painting if it hadn’t been 40€. (I got a picture though.) We kept walking on, passing vendors (a lot from Africa, which made sense considering the geography), and street performers. It kind of reminded of VA beach.
As we continued on walking, we heard live music coming from a bar/restaurant and steered ourselves inside. We found Vicky, Allison, Maddy, and Caitlin inside. It was an Irish place, and the guy was playing everything U2 to Joni Mitchell to Plain White T’s. It was a really fun time. He kept calling out to Vicky “New Jersey” for song requests. We stayed for an hour or so, and we back at the hotel by midnight.
Photos:
Lagos I
Lagos II, Portimão I
Portimão II
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