Lagos, Portugal is the place where the first ships left Portugal in search of new lands, they left the port in Lagos, a beautiful small city on a hill, and sailed south, around the Cape of Good Hope and out to Asia... They sailed west, to the Americas. They cut down almost all of their trees to make fleets that would sail out so as to spread their empire, those once mighty Portuguese fleets. In the following years many trees were imported to Portugal, and by now they have rebuilt a lush, green country. They brought the first African slaves to the market just opposite the marina in Lagos, the first ever slave market, which is now a memorial square.
But on this fine and sunny June day I did a different kind of sailing. The wind was whipping and the water was chilly, but I could not deny the invitation to go out Harry's catamaran. He's been sailing since he was a teenager and knows the seas well. His boat is small with just enough room for two, so I had to quickly learn the ropes, literally. We sailed out in the Atlantic ocean and up the coast, viewing small coves and private beaches along the way.
The city itself is small and charming, with ice cream shops, restaurants outside in the squares, and lots of wine shops. This time of year the Jacaranda trees are in bloom, with the most vivid purple flowers. They have leaves similar to a Mimosa Tree, delicate and light green, but they are easily ignored by the bursts of color seen throughout this region at this time of year:
From Portugal with love, N
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