Portugal
Praça Gil Eanes

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    • Day 473

      Es geht los nach Madeira

      September 4, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

      Die Tingelei die Algarve runter bis Vilamoura hat ein Ende..
      Von Sgres ging es über Lagos nach Portimao, nach Albufeira und Vilamoura.
      Alles Städte voller Touristen, rasendenotoebooten, Jetskis, lauter Musik,....
      Sonntag Abend kam Manni Skoda an, beachte gute Laune und ein paar Ersatzteile mit.
      Gestern haben wir dann eingekauft, das Boot fertig gemacht und auf den Wind gewartet.
      Und heute geht's nun endlich los, die Windvorhersage stimmt, mit Kurs 230 Grad Richtung Madeira.
      Von dort gibt's dann Neues, wie es denn war.
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    • Day 32

      Lagos und Luz

      December 9, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

      Nach einer kurzen Orientierungsrunde in Lagos bin ich zum empfohlenen deutschen Metzger gefahren. Also das ist schon ein kleines Abenteuer zu Walter zu kommen, aber was tut man nicht alles für Leberwurst und Pfefferbeisser. Er wurde mit hemdsärmlig beschrieben und man müsse über hygienische Sauberkeit hinweg sehen. Aber er ist sehr nett und wir haben ein bißchen geschwatzt. Die deutschen Gasflaschen lässt er unter der Hand in Portimao auffüllen und tauscht sie für 30 € in eine volle um. Top das man sowas im tiefsten Portugal am Ende Europas findet. Danke an Liz an der Stelle.
      Aber der hat noch nicht einmal fließend Wasser und muss Regenwasser auffangen um mal Baden zu können. Ist schon echt crazy so in der Einöde zu leben. Camping dort 1 € die Nacht ohne alles! Ich glaube da bleibt man nur wenn man getrunken hat, oder Witterungsbedingt nicht mehr wegkommt.
      Sei es wie es ist auf jedenfall ein Erlebnis mit heimischen Kontakt.
      Lagos und Luz werde ich heute nochmal erkunden aber mich interessiert wohl doch die Felsküste hinter Portimao. Mal sehen wie das Wetter so wird. Die Woche war auf jedenfall nicht so prickelnd. Letztes JHr hatte ich um die gleiche Zeit mehr Glück und nur blauen Himmel.
      https://www.komoot.de/tour/991687289?ref=aso
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    • Day 118

      Frisörbesuch ✂️ und andere Besorgungen

      November 10, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

      Heute war nicht viel los bei uns. Die Männer waren beim Frisör und wir haben unsere Bettwäsche mal wieder gewaschen.

      Vorgestern hat unser Pürierstab den Geist aufgegeben, er war uns ein jahrelang treuer Begleiter. Hinzu kommt, dass wir einen Teil unseres Bestecks im Ferienhaus vergessen haben. Für beides konnten wir zum Glück in Lagos Ersatz besorgen.Read more

    • Day 12

      Afternoon of browsing

      April 5, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      What a gorgeous day to browse. Lagos has many local musicians striking up a tune outside the shops, restaurants are busy, many tourists and locals enjoying the day outside.
      We are not really shopping for anything but Tom (the shopper) found something he liked!
      After the afternoon of browsing we sat outside on our deck with some nosh and drinks!
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    • Day 32

      Lagos

      May 25, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

      Lagos is one of the larger cities in the Algarve, the southern portion of Portugal along the Atlantic where the shore faces south. (NB. All words and place names in Portuguese that begin with Al- are remnants of the Moorish/Arabic period of Portugal's history.)
      Lagos is an important tourist city with it's weather, beaches, scenery and more. In fact, I was told that 75% of the local workforce is involved with tourism, either directly or indirectly.
      Historically, Lagos held more importance than tourism. It was held at various times by the Celts, Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Christian royalty. Lagos was a major port during the age of discovery, and Prince Henry the Navigator had his primary residence locally. Also, there was a shipyard here, and Lagos was a center of the slave trade.
      The 1st picture is the main square with it's modern statue of Dom Sebastião. He became king at age 3, and was killed in action during an ill fated crusade against Morocco.
      Near Dom Sebastião is the local market. The 2nd picture is the ground floor which is a fish market that sells the catch of local fishermen. Upstairs in the 1st floor are fruits, vegetables, and other goods. Up top is a restaurant.
      Across the way from the market is the local harbor and marina. The 3rd picture is the view from the market restaurant.
      The 4th picture is the reconstructed fortress that protected the town, primarily from pirates. And the city was walled, most of which is gone. The 5th is a portion of what remains of the wall, taken from the outside in a garden full of specimen trees from around the world, refecting Portugal's maritime history.
      The 6th picture is an example of street art here. The city has a program of approving street art . This one is interesting as it appears 3 dimensional with layers reflecting successively later periods of history.
      The 7th picture is said to be the most photographed building in Lagos. It has art nouveau tiles with a painted border at the top. This was the style among the rich.
      The 8th picture is a water house. When the city upgraded it's water system, several of these houses were built to provide water to the people of the city. I'm told these were still in use well into the 20th century.
      The last 2 pictures are typical street scenes: one showing one example of the interesting way many of the pedestrian streets are paved; and the last of a random street in the old town, this one with a blooming jacaranda tree.
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    • Day 10–14

      Lagos, Portugal

      November 16, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

      We're meeting our friend Madli and her daughter Naiara in Lagos and will share a house for 4 days with Louie. Madli is from near Talinn, Estonia and unfortunately, she lost her phone in a taxi in Lisbon on the way here. So we were getting worried when we didn't hear from her in 2 days. She didn't have our info memorized, but she contacted her mom, who contacted Peter, the owner of Izhcayluma in Ecuador (where we met), who contacted Deanne to let us know where to meet her in Lagos. We did that and went out for a celebratory dinner that night.

      It took another day to get her phone, which was no small miracle. By borrowing phones, she managed to contact the taxi company, who agreed to drop it off at a bus station in Lisbon and then they would deliver it to Lagos' bus station. We made 2 trips to the station and she made a few phone calls, but it arrived in the early afternoon the next day for 6 Euros. I can't believe it. It took at least 4 honest people in that transaction.

      Madli used to live in Portugal and knows Lagos. So she took us to a beach in the city. At low tide, you can walk through some tunnels in the sandstone cliffs to go to farther beaches. The weather is unseasonably warm and dry. It hit about 76 that day. I went swimming in the Atlantic for the first time in a long time. After lunch in the old town and some gelato, we went grocery shopping and back to our luxurious house. For under $100/night for a 3 BR house with a pool, it's a steal. It's the off-season but the weather trends may be changing the defintion of off-season.

      There's a BBQ grill by the pool, so we decided to grill some fish and enjoy the house. The nearby grocery store, Intermarche, has a great selection of fresh seafood and the bonus of the day was that the woman working the counter gutted, cleaned, and split the 2 Dourada for us. We had a feast and I didn't burn the fish! We plan on doing it again. Already, I'm getting tired of eating out all the time, so cooking in is nice.

      The next day, we headed west to the charming resort and beach town of Salema. We walked around the town, which was quite dead, but you could tell it gets busy in the high season. It hit 21C or about 70. Then we drove to the SW point of the Algarve, which happens to be the most SW point of Europe: Sagres. It's the namesake of the most popular Portuguese beer. It's also where Henry the Navigator's ships left to sail around Africa, the world, and to Brazil. We walked through an old fort to a lighthouse and enjoyed the steep cliffs and blue seas on both sides of the peninsula. In the distance we spotted a nice beach.

      We found a highly rated local seafood restaurant and tried the classic dish called Cataplana. It's like French Bouillabaisse, chock full of fresh seafood (including a lobster) in a tomato and onion sauce. Yum. Then we headed to that beach, Praia do Martinhal for a couple of hours. The temperature was warm, the sand was soft, and it made a great spot to rest after the large lunch. Back in Lagos, we bought more fish and groceries and we BBQ'd again, this time with more Dourada and a couple of Robalo (Bass). We wiled away the hours with charades, a strange kazoo game, and a fun game Louie had on is phone that resembled the TV show, Password.

      Then it was time to say goodbye to Madli and Naiara and drive the car back to Lisbon with Louie, who would catch a flight from there. We'd kill some time after turning the car in and catch a train north to Aveiro.

      More photos and videos are here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/niRhE3qAYX3ExrNp6
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    • Day 8

      Lagos

      May 24, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      Lagos ist unserer Meinung die hübscheste Stadt von denen, die wir an der Algarve besucht haben.

      Und es war bisher der heisseste Tag hier unten.

      Auch war unsere erste Erfahrung hier unten, das wir uns in den engen Straßen der Altstadt ein wenig verfahren hatten. Und diese Straßen wurden immer enger.Read more

    • Day 57

      Lagos

      March 13, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      Wir machen uns früh auf den Weg in die Stadt, schlendern die Prominade entlang, gönnen uns ein Tostada mit Thunfisch und mit Bacon, Café dazu und machen uns erste Gedanken über die Gestaltung der Heimreise.
      Möchten wir noch Lissabon und Porto erleben? So unser eigentlicher Plan. Kommen aber zu dem Schluß, dass die Fülle an Reizen und Eindrücken, die wir auf unserer langen Reise aufgenommen haben erst einmal verarbeitet werden müssen.
      Ich denke, ab Mittwoch werden wir ins Monchique-Gebiet eintauchen, evtl. entlang eines der großen Flüsse Richtung Spanien aufbrechen. Aber das muss noch reifen.
      Heute bleiben wir in Lagos, lassen uns treiben, gehen in das ein oder andere Geschäft, lauschen den Musikern bei ihren Darbietungen, beobachten die vielen Menschen. Das geht natürlich am besten bei einem Caneca (Cerveja grande).

      Lagos’ Hafen war im 15. Jahrhundert Ausgangspunkt zahlreicher Afrikaexpeditionen, die Portugal unter Heinrich dem Seefahrer (Dom Henrique o Navegador) unternahm. Am 21. August 1415 startete unter Heinrichs Führung eine Flotte von 232 Schiffen zur Eroberung von Ceuta. Die maurische Festung, Gibraltar auf der afrikanischen Seite der Meerenge gegenüberliegend, war seinerzeit Endpunkt von Saharakarawanen und von erheblicher strategischer und wirtschaftlicher Bedeutung. Durch die Afrikafahrten portugiesischer Schiffe gelangten schwarze Sklaven aus Guinea und dem Senegal erstmals in der Neuzeit nach Europa. Lagos erhielt 1444 einen bedeutenden Sklavenmarkt, dessen Gebäude noch heute besteht. Erst 1820 wurde der Menschenhandel verboten. Die ehemalige nigerianische Hauptstadt Lagos, heute die zweitgrößte Stadt Afrikas, wurde nach der portugiesischen Kleinstadt benannt. Sie war Ausgangshafen der Sklaventransporte für den Sklavenmarkt in Lagos/Portugal.
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    • Day 39

      Lagos

      January 25, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 8 °C

      Heute haben wir bei einer längeren Wanderung zu den Klippen und Stränden von Lagos die viel gepriesene Küste besichtigt und sind danach in die Altstadt, in der sich noch ein Stück altes Portugl erhalten hat.
      https://www.komoot.de/tour/1018104417
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    • Day 9

      Bus trip to Lagos

      October 3, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      CONTENT WARNING: Not the most exciting day

      We were looking forward to a trip along the coast from Albufeira to Lagos. Disappointment on two fronts: the day was hazy and visibility was poor, and the bus route was considerably inland to catch the various smaller communities along the way.

      On the upside we got a view of the countryside, but it was not particularly picturesque. Locals say they've had very little rain over the last two or three years. Vegetation that is not irrigated looks parched, brownish and struggling. A lot of cultivated fields look rocky too, so it seems like agriculture is a tough way to make a living.

      It seems like most people live in apartments. At least on the routes we took there were very few single dwellings. Even when looking over a valley the view was taken over by high rise buildings.

      Another interesting feat was the driving skills of the bus drivers as they negotiated roundabouts, maneuvered down narrow streets and worked out right of way with oncoming vehicles.

      Lagos has some old architecture, interesting sidewalk patterns, rocky formations along its coast and a substantial canal leading from the sea to their marina We hopped on a train like a tourist vehicle thinking it would take us by the more interesting features in one hour. It was not to be however as the route just showed us suburbs and got us close to sights without actually being able to see them.
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Praça Gil Eanes, Praca Gil Eanes

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