It is difficult to be in Lagos and not be drawn to the cliffs. For many it is all about the beaches and the surf ( which are indeed beautiful ) but the cliffs are magical, mystical and eternal. Even though the number of walkers has increased and some of the ancient paths have been turned into miles of boardwalks, your eyes are always on the sea and the dramatic cliffs that have endured the battering of the Atlantic for millenniums. They have stood their ground against human and nature’s forces, absorbed it all and speak all of it back to you if you have ears to listen. Each crashing wave, cove, rocky arch, slippery slope and solid rock face that drops into the sea reminds us of our infancy.

So…..with that in mind we are doing our best to walk our socks off in an attempt to complete the last stages of The Fisherman’s Trail. We can’t forget the beach walks, of course, so we continue to do those as well. The other day, while the sun was still warm and the sea quiet, we walked much of the two and one half miles of Meia Praia Beach looking for shells and exfoliating our feet in the sand before returning on the boardwalk to Linda Beach Bar for a bowl of their fantastic seafood chowder. We walked the two plus miles out to the lighthouse ( Ponta da Piedade ), stood on the very edge of everything looking down on a multi-colored sea, sipped a Coke Zero and returned the three miles back to Old Town Lagos (Pronounced Lagosh), for lunch on….yup, another cliffside. So boring.

Our most recent walk was along one stage of the Fisherman’s walk that turned out to be incredibly difficult, at least for us. We took a bus to a little village called Salema hoping to walk along the cliffs the seven and one half miles to Luz (pronounced Loosh). However, the bus dropped us off more than a mile from the trailhead making it a nine mile walk. Which, for Rick and Frankie is a mere morning stroll to coffee. We climbed to the top of the cliff and enjoyed a beautiful section along the edge encountering for the very first time a White Rockrose which was purple. Go figure. Anyway, after several miles we dropped down to a small cove which presented us with our second problem. A river. A way to cross? Nope! The flood waters of constant rain from November to February made that impossible. Two additional miles around bringing the total to eleven miles and still no lunch!?! The remainder of the trail to the first village was two more very steep climbs and two even steeper descents. By then we were approaching late afternoon so a much needed stop at a little French cafe, a short wait for a bus to home and the short distance left to our expected destination would have to wait for another day. Such weenies. Just go home I say! 

Well that little tale was longer than the trail. Anyway, it was beautiful and we survived to walk another day.

For rest, you know Donna and I are all about the coffee and the food and the sun so eating overlooking the sea, watching sunsets and rainbows, sleeping in and trying to say something in Portuguese passes every day. Next week has new adventures ahead and we will keep you all posted.

Jack and Donna

Ta, ta for now,