Sintra and Lagos

Sintra was by far the highlight of the Lisbon surroundings. The day trip brought me to a small town with so much history and beauty, and of course tourists (but not too many). There is the Mourish Castle at the very top of the city (pic left), which is just amazing because it mingles at many spots with the mountain; not just sitting on but immersed in it.......and the view, forget about it. The hike up through the mountainside was so worth it! You also have a good view of the Pena Palace from up there (pic right).

In town there was also the National Palace which I visited and was very beautiful. A nice mix of different eras and cultures in the decoration of the various rooms; very luxurious! You're not allowed to take pictures but I sneaked a couple in. Pic on left is of the chapel ceiling within the Palace........so intricate!

The water in portugal is supposedly some of the cleanest in the world. The fresh water springs have no bacteria, so you can just drink water straight up. In Sintra there were several water outlets that came straight from the mountain and the locals fill up their water bottles for the week (pic left). There was also a very cool statue (pic right).


Lagos, Lagos, Lagos

I love this place. It is my number one so far. It is on the southern tip of Portugal. A gorgeous small beach town with shops, bars, surfing, shopping and parties. I was expecting to relax here and regroup for the next leg of my trip but I just couldn't go against the flow. And whatever........I had such a great time doin it......Only I spent a little too much. People seriously come here for a weekend and stay for the summer. I want to come back and do just that sometime............or retire here.

The hostel was simply awesome! Three floors, with 3 kitchens and many bathrooms. Super clean, cheap and the roof terrace is just amazing (view from terrace, pic left). People would always eat up there (BBQ) and then just drink and mingle all together (pic right), and then go out around midnight until whenever.........I've been seeing people that I met in Lisbon also at the other hostel. It's great partying with so many different people at the same time. It's also strange, so many canadians, americans and aussie's at the hostel and in town. Everyone is a tourist, and everyone speaks english.

And of course, I went surfin' baby. Took a package. They picked us up at the hostel (me with 2 quebecers and two Ontarians) and drove us 25 minutes northeast to Carrapateira on the Atlantic coast, gave us the wetsuit and board and lessons (pic left). It was friggin radical dude! So much fun! It's so hard on the body though. I'm still soar 4 days later. The beach was gorgeous and I spotted a cool little crab (pic right).


The most surprising aspect was the breathtaking coastline that you can walk down and then pick and choose from the many secluded beaches down below with the many grottos and caves.......simply majestic. You have to walk via the water or sometimes through the rocks (pic right).I also have some video footage but I can't put it on this blog.

As I finish my stay in Lagos, the sun is coming up and I'm getting ready to catch the bus.

Well.........Things are fantastic.......Many more things to see. I can't wait to keep movin.
Next comes Faro for a day, and then Sevilla Spain......and then.......Morocco!

a la prochaine la gang.
Je vous aime tous tres fort!!!!!!