Albufeira de Lago

This neighborhood that was my home for 21 days. The place smelled of ocean humidity meets piles of pine needles in the streets. Late at night, you could hear kids playing basketball or soccer in the streets. In the mornings, a sweet bread car would drive around blasting his song, calling you to come to the 'panderia' (see video).
Friendly well-kept dogs with collars often ran the streets, walking themselves out sitting guard outside of their homes paying no mind to anyone walking by. I made good friends with one dog, Farouk (see photo) that I would see on my daily walks. He was never outside his gates and would bark at passerbys until he recognized me then would cry and scurry to our meeting point for pets.
I could reach the ocean in about 10 minutes from one of three paths; up the hill, thru the forest and back down the hill, through the cobblestone streets of the neighborhood, or by passing the Lagoon (shown with boats in it) that was the popular spot with the locals, fed by the ocean waters from a nearby channel.
The weather changed from hour to hour; warm and sunny to breezy and cool to a light sprinkle and clouds. Don't like the weather? Wait 20 minutes for the next phase! No matter the weather, the sunsets and sunrises were epic 6/7days of the week, reminding me of my own Arizona skies.
I didn't meet many locals here as school kept me very busy. I booked more with my classmates and the land more so here. I can say with confidence though, this area is a magical place. The community and landscape surely contributed to it being such a healing and transformative moment in my existence.Read more