“Travels to a Different Time” : 25July2005: Lagos, Portugal: BBQ Chicken and Saturday Night at the Bullfights

By God, another buffet breakfast. Yes they are excellent but when will they ever end? Almost as if there is too much choice with foods we simply do not have in Canada. The cheeses and the eggs are unbelievably good. The watermelon was particularly sweet this morning. There was a Brit dad with his young daughter but no mother. I am thinking he has custody for vacation time. We headed up the to the hills. Higher and higher on a dusty dirt road. As we climbed upwards the vegetation turned from brown to green. We arrived at a small-town Monchique and parked in a side street then a rather ancient Portuguese couple came to greet us speaking German. Do we look like Deutschlanders? Up the stairs to the fountain then back down to the town square. Had some Sumol at a café. We headed up higher in the mountains much to the terror of a certain passenger. A spectacular road and much red soil and sparse green vegetation. Reminiscent of Sedona in Arizona. On our way back down stopped at a shoe warehouse and purchased a few pairs of shoes. Very high-quality leather here in Portugal. I wonder how long that shoemaking tradition will last? As we were heading to Lisbon tomorrow for our flight back to Toronto we had our “last swim”. We passed by a beach soccer tournament and a dance contest. More interesting was watching the cliff diving. Poor Andrew’s damp bathing suit gave him some crotch rot so it was a painful walk home for him. Luckily I had some cream in the room which was applied and gave some relief. So a last night at the telly eating Frango Assado (two whole chickens), salad, and fries for 15 Euros. After Saturday night at the bull fights broadcast from nearby Spain.