Relaxing Weekend in Lagos .... Not

So as the title says, this trip during the first long weekend of November was for the explicit intention of getting out of Seville to relax a little and recharge for the home stretch before the Christmas break.

Haha was I wrong on that account. I guess I should have seen the writing on the wall when I booked the hostel in Lagos and it was very highly rated due to its, "social atmosphere." Little did I know that this meant a hostel manager who always had a strong drink in his hand and was ready to start a party at any moment.

So, ever since my trip to Lisbon, I have really wanted to visit Portugal again, and the Algarve region of southern Portugal was circled on my map. Therefore I paid the small price to take a 3 hour bus towards Lagos Portugal, and was looking forward to relaxing by the beach and sleeping in for a long as possible.

Upon arrival to this small hostel I was greeted by this man with a grin that didn't leave for the whole time I was a guest in his establishment. He then proceeded to tell me that since I can't check into my room until 5pm I should hop on a bus and head to the most western point in southern Portugal, Sagres. So that's exactly what I did, and an hour later I witnessing some truly breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean in all its vastness. I was also informed that open alcohol in public was legal, so I felt I could be cheeky and drink a Sagres beer by the water in Sagres (as you will see below).

Having a Sagres in Sagres. I am the coolest, I know.

After making my way back to the hostel, from Sagres, I was introduced to the other guests staying at the hostel for the night. Since the hostel was quite small, there were only about 10-15 of us in total which is likely what contributed to us becoming a large family for the three days we were together.

The Sagres point. Closest I will get to Canada without being there!

So within this group of people there were two guys from the States working in the same capacity that I am, one in Granada, and the other in Seville and coincidentally lives just up the road from me here in Seville. There was also a vibrant quartet of ladies from Montreal, here on a vacation travelling around Portugal/Spain. Finally, there were two guys from Australia, in there late 20s/early 30s who were also on a vacation doing a complete Euro-trip. One of the guys from Australia was an astounding photographer and had an amazing eye for photos, so from that point on I put my little camera away and let Rob take the rest of the photos for the weekend. I, therefore, also have to give Rob full credit for all the photos you will see for the rest of this post.

After getting to know my newfound friends, we hit the Lagos bars and enjoyed ourselves before waking up and having one of the best hikes I have ever been on.

The next morning (ok afternoon technically) Hugo, with hard cider in hand, led us down the coastline for an extraordinary afternoon hike to a remote beach that offered the best sunset I have ever seen in my life. With the sun and, the relatively warm afternoon heat, we were even able to get into our skivvies and go for a nice november swim in the ocean before the sun started to set.

Now describing the sunset that I saw would just not do it justice so I have decided to just put a few photos below so that you will get a good idea of the majesty we witnessed.

Being a good Spaniard and practicing my siesta skills in Portugal.

what we say throughout the whole hike.

Just amazing seeing these formations everywhere. Just astounding beauty at every turn. 

Rob caught me contemplating life again. 

Not bad eh?

I like how Rob managed to capture the fun of the scene on my glasses. 

The gang posing for an artsy photo.

It's incredible how little it takes for complete strangers to be changed into lifelong friends. 

OK, last artsy photo. 

Lagos coastline, just past sunset. 

The remaining day was just one to recover, say our goodbyes, and travel back to Seville in order to prepare for the routine once again. Although, one of my favourite parts of the routine is being able to plan my nest trip.

Hasta Luego, until the next time!