Wafted in from Paradise

Not quite paradise - just Luton Airport and no Campari!. Most Brits over 50 will remember the Lorraine Chase ad. Today I am Lagos in southern Portugal still without Campari. It was a relatively painless trip through a very quiet airport to Lisbon - a long queue to get my dabs on the EU system followed by a couple of days doing the sightseeing trek round Lisbon and then onwards to the warmth of southern Europe - or not. It is actually not very warm at the mo and perhaps my wardrobe is not quite appropiate for wind, and dare I say it? RAIN!

Lisbon after the rain

I commend Portugal on its public transport infrastructure. I used it to the full - cheap and efficient. I am not so pleased with the Tesco mobile promise of being able to use my phone for free in 26 countries. I can't get a signal in Portugal. errrr. This has impacted mt plans. I had my dinner down by the Tagus on my first night and then planned to go to the Time Out Market for breakfast the following morning. My hotel in the Bairro Alto was really central for getting to these places on foot despite it being a hard climb to get back to my base. Unfortunately the market didn't get going  early enough for breakfast so I went off to the Monastery Jeronimus to visit De Gama's tomb. He was the man who cut into the profits of the Silk Route. What he did was fifteenth century entrepenuership with a big human price. No internet so no advance ticket bookings for me - twenty-first century frustration -  and as I wasn't about to sit around for three hours waiting for a spot to go inside, I looked around the outside and then went to the Moorish quarter and onward to Castelo de sao Jorg - lovely views, really old olive trees all in a veritable fortress first built in 1147 - originally constructed to fend off the Muslims!

Castelo de sao Jorge

Dinner that evening did not go smoothly and that wasn't anything to do with a lack of internet. I went to a restaurant near my hotel, Lots of people were there already so it looked busy which equals "good" in my experience. The waiter took my order and dropped his Samsung tablet on my leg. It left a dent. He brought the olives and wine from my order but not my main course. I sat and read my book and waited... and waited. In the end I called another waiter over. I told him I was waiting for my sardines on toast (Portuguese style- not the British way).

He told me the other waiter was so embarrassed he had hurt me, he forgot to put the order in. I was invited inside the restaurant as by this time it was getting nippy. I was given another glass of wine gratis, had lots of apologies bla-de-dah. I told the waiter that this was not a good place as  - first I got attacked, then starved and got cold waiting so as compensation this waiter was trying to get me drunk... All was good. The sardines were especially worth waiting for and now I can laugh about my extended evening at Leve Leve.

I have since explored Lagos - very small with quaint bits annd a fort - very crowded with people from all over the world. I stepped off the bus and the first accent I heard was strong Mancunian. Obviously lots of Brits escape the British weather only to be soaked out here in slightly warmer rain. 

My studio under the arrow

I am sharing a studio at Dom Pedro. I am cut off from world happenings and world news  - limited internet - and therefore relaxing. My place overlooks the sea and it is quite nicely laid out - a good choice for location and comfort. The organisation of the resort, however, leaves much to be desired. There are two of us sharing but only one breakfast included. Crazy!