Lagos
“Alles ist gut”
Lagos. We ate great food, we got off the beaten trail and explored the coastline. Kati and I went swimming and we had a picnic on that cozy beach you see pictured above. It was secluded from the paths above the cliffs. We joked that we felt like we were on a deserted island. I would love to be stranded there. It’s so beautiful.
I’d only heard of Lagos a week before I arrived there. It was on a whim that I went. A photo of the Lagos coastline in my hostel in Braganza took me there. The cliffs captivated me as I came and went, and one trip past it I stopped to get the name. Lagos. I whipped out my phone and made the plan. After some canceling and additional booking I’d tacked on Lagos to my travel plans. I love being spontaneous.
Above all else, the coastline will draw you to Lagos. The cliffs are striated by differing degrees of erosion. The are all different shades of earth, clay tones. Within the nooks and crevices are hidden caves and even small beaches. Extending out into the ocean are isolated rock formations, that perhaps like to keep to themselves. I am no expert in geology, but it’s an impressive sight of nature. Blanketing these cliffs is a verdant vegetation, dotted, even in winter time, with little white and yellow and flowers. It’s precious.
Then you add the background noise. You can hear the seagulls, the waves crashing against the rocks, the tides and the wind. The smell of the salty ocean carried by a fresh, steady breeze is so pleasing, too.
The nature of course was stunning, but the real beauty of the experience was sharing it with Kati and Caterina. Having arrived solo, I didn’t expect to meet anyone. I didn’t expect to share the entire experience with two fun girls from Germany, who’d be so open to include me in their plans.
My story of meeting them begins at the buses. The bus I missed which left Lisbon at 7:00 am and the other bus I took later in the day. I was out dancing late into the night with friends I’d made at the hostel the night before and completely overslept the departure time. That landed me with them, on the afternoon bus.
As I neared the back I realized that a girl had taken my seat, which was beside her friend. I didn’t want to split them apart so I took another seat nearby. Later that night at dinner we laughed about that. Hey, you know you took my seat right? Which seat did you have Caterina asked me, “20A” “haha, yup”
The entire bus ride you could hear their laughter. I couldn’t understand their German, but I knew they were having a great time. I would have laughed if you told me later that night we’d all be sipping wine and aperol sprits together.
But it wasn’t on the bus that I met them, as when we arrived we went out separate ways. I bolted out from the bus, determined to catch the fleeting moments of sunset from the cliffs. It was too overcast for a desirable sunset, but the coastline was so pretty to gaze at, even in the dusk. They went directly to a car rental service, but encountered difficulty with the availability. Our separate paths would meet again, this time in the center of Lagos where our inn was.
The door of our residence was bolted. It had a chain locking the door and for another promising sign, a piece of the doors corner was missing. It looked like a great spot to spend the night. Haha.
I took a deep breath, searching through my phone for the number of the inn owner to call them. As I was ringing them, praying they’d answer, I realized that standing beside me were the two german girls. The girls from the bus. A smile flashed my face as I could hear the phone dial mix with their german, which, as I could understood clearly, in a confused and concerned tone. They too were lost.
Catherina soon realized that the right spot was literally just down the street. Smiling over the silliness of it all, we bonded very quickly.
I put my things in my room, freshened up a bit and went over to their room to see if they wanted to grab some grub with me. I introduced myself and met Catherina (Kati was momentarily elsewhere). She joked that it would be easy enough for me to know their names, she going by Catherina and Kati, the nickname. She told me she would ask Kati and get back to me. Catherina returned soon after informing me they just needed five minutes. I was thrilled.
And off we went together into the sleepy town of Lagos. Our inn was located on the main street and several restaurants were open. We chose the one at the farthest end of the street, the one across from the church. It was a nice ambience. A heater was set up by one end of the table, I took the seat the farthest from it so they could have the nearer proximity. We kept laughing and the conversation barely lulled. I began a little notes section on my phone to learn a few german words. Here’s a screenshot of it.
After dinner we went bar hopping trying to find any signs of life. We went to a place they described as a stammbar, a bar popular among the locals.
The next morning we met in the hallway and made our way down to the lobby area. Unfortunately, Kati had taken the last teabag, but she kind to let share her tea with me.
As we discussed our plans for the day I decided to stay another night there, in Lagos. They theoretically were going to rent a car, but assured me that they would drop me back off. I felt compelled to stay another night, so I booked my room again. I certainly don’t regret that.
After unsuccessfuly trying to rent the car at three different places, we cut our losses and headed for the cliffs. I had made a pit stop at a grocery market to buy some food for lunch. That was while there was still hope of them renting a car.
I returned with a bag of food in my arms and then waiting outside for me. No car was in sight. I apreciated their determination and also their positive aittude. After a frustrating experience they just left it behind. The only other mentions of the car rentals again was in the context of a joke. We made our way back to the hostel ready to restart.
As they had yet to book a place for the night, they threw their hefty bags into my room and then we departed for the cliffs. Kati’s backpack was so big that when she entered the hostel she barely fit through. It was cute.
This pair of friends had been traveling since Barcelona; Katherina flew to Barcelona from Germany to visit Kati who is there doing Erasmus, studying psychology. They went to Salamanca to visit a friend and hitch hiked there into Portugal. Kati has been all over the world and her travels have just added to my recent found passion for traveling.
The sight of the cliffs instantly encouraged us. We were mesmerized. When Katherina needed a break, some alone time, Kati and I ventured on and found a cozy, private beach to swim in. The water was warm for December 28th and we stayed in it for a solid twenty minutes. With the sun out, it was perfect. And after we had a little lunch on the beach. Katherina came soon after. We all agreed that the Nutella somehow tasted better.
After dipping in the water and having relaxed on the beach, we felt refreshed to continue exploring. We came across a little spot that we got some coffee at, and by that hour it was beginning to get a little chilly. With some warm coffee we ventured to find a good viewing spot of the sunset. We were not disappointed. It was so beautiful.
They were so curteous to speak english nearly the entire time. They could do so because they were so good. And they’d even talk to each other in english, even when I wasn’t fully engaged in the stream of the conversation. It reminded me a lot of how John and I do that in spanish, we won’t break off to speak english to each other, even though that’d be more natural or easy.
They were so kind to just let me crash their plans. I was so greateful for their companionship.
We ended our time together with one final dinner. I ate a nice steak, drank a nice glass of red wine and had a pastel de nata, for one last time in Portugal. God, I am going to miss how delcious that pastry is.
This was a different side of Portugal than the more urban cities of Braganza, Porto and Lisbon I had just seen. The two day stint there felt like a dream. That’s how travel should be. It should leaved you enchanted. It should you leave with stories that make you question, “Did that really happen?”
Mir geht es gut
I’d love to return. That’s always a good measure of a trip, how badly you’d like to return. The sadness you have when leaving is another good measure. I left realizing I didn’t spend enough time.
Now we’ve become good friends. Kati and I have continued to see one another. She stopped by our place last night in Madrid, the place we rented by Gran Via to celebrate New Years Eve. Tonight in Barcelona, she is going to go out with us. To think that I met her on a street in Lagos still makes me smile. In spanish there is a refrain, “El mundo es un pañuelo”.
Lagos. Obrigado.
Hasta luego 🇵🇹 🤍 🇩🇪
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