Cerro Malpique Aparthotel Albufeira

... of the trip, played some frisbee and then decide weºd go for an early evening stroll around Lagos old town; Annabelle splashes out on a new pair of fishbone earrings (made of silver!), we pop into the local Ecomarche, pick up 4 frosty ones and decide to sit opposite the marina on the esplanade and chill for a while. Then itºs back to base where we have a chat with some very friendly Belgian silver surfers, who inform us they have been camping ...

... since we left the UK). We learn that there is a campsite in the town centre. Initially we viewed this with some trepidation and indeed it was less than rural surrounded by apartment blocks, however, cheap (euro 10 a night) clean and run by a very friendly Dutch lady; ideal for a couple of nights of cosmopolitan living (Lym gets to put his jeans on for the first time since leaving the uk).

so Saturday night on the town... for starters we had a ...

... Imposing cliffs drop into the sea, and it has an "end of the world" feel to it. I forgot my camera, so you should just google some photos.

I returned to the hostel to check my emails. Good news for a change! I have a host in Seville through couch surfing, and a host in Badajoz willing to take me on for a couple weeks of olive picking. Life is good. I joined Kirsten for a celebratory beer, and a wander through the streets of Lagos.

... to the station. I sit on the bench and pick away at the ruby red fruit. Pomegranate is similar to sunflower seeds, in that psychologically you are eating, but physically you are consuming so very little.

I arrived in Faro early in the day, located the nearest internet cafe and sent out a flurry of requests to both Couch Surfing and WWOOFing hosts. I wander the streets, hoping to accidentally find the youth ...

... from this chef. Daniella laughs, she is the chef. She obviously finds it more amusing than I.

Dinner is also a simple affair here. Daniella leaves to take a shower before dinner. I'm given no directions as to how I should finish the meal, but it is obvious that I am expected to. I have no idea how long the meat has been in the oven, and to be honest I don't really care. A quick count on vegetables and dessert portions and it becomes obvious that not enough food has been ...

... the kingdom of Dom Manuel I, the headland already had a beacon kept lit all night by the Capuchin friars. With a range of 95 kilometers, the present-day lighthouse is one of the most powerful in Europe. From the fortress of Sagres a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean is unforgettable.

Night show at Hotel Algarve Casino was spectacular. The dancers and the light show were truly unforgettable.

In Albufeira, we went to a Portugese bullfight, not the real deal as in they don't kill the bull, rather they stab them in the back with a bunch of arrows. I thought it was mean, especially the first bull because it was pretty much still a baby and looked scared instead of angry. Jon ...

... there, he was hilarious and exactly like a euro version of an American beach bum.
We also went to check out the lagoon, I got out for a couple tacks, the wind was super light and I crashed my kite and it deflated... fun. I had to walk my kite back through shallow water ...

... not "surfers" but we we’re much less scared of getting tossed by the big waves this time. We also came to the conclusion that it maybe wasn’t us that, but that it’s the size of the board that was hindering our performance....

http://picasaweb.google.com/Jonny.D .Lawrence/20091011Sagres?authkey=Gv1sRg CMmMtI7egbGKvAE&feat=directlink

... that the world is full of luck, serendipedy and conincidences, but sometimes these things make me wonder Who's writing this story anyway? Is my accountly merely an abridgment? Anyway, mysticism aside, Felipe had some arrands to run before work, so I agreed to meet him at Paradise in ten minutes. Trying not to show my embarassment, I awkwardly dragged my oversized bundle down the bar strip and into Paradise, and waited for Filipe in the obscurity of a shadowy corner ...