Home » Portugal » Escape from LAgos (12 Random Musings on Portugal and Cadiz)

1) Portugal is definetly and defiantly not Spain. Before I arrived, I too would have been hard pressed to distinguish between Portugal and its larger Iberian cousin. Portugal does however, retain an immediate and distinct atmosphere of its own, although this atmosphere is hard to define. I suppose it seems somewhat Carribean or South American to me, although having never been to the Carribean or South America I'm not exactly an authority on the matter. But it is certainly multicultural and seems much more exotic than other european countries

Escape from LAgos (12 Random Musings on Portugal and Cadiz)

James Taylor
2006-08-23 11:38:12

Displayed times (last time: )

At one point, even the doorman sang a couple of numbers.

This must be how a certain section of Portugese society occupies itself on weeknights. Groups would arrive, sit down for a drink or two while maybe one of their party sang a number, and then leave .With the exception of the musicians and the two original singers, we
were the only group to stay for the entire set.

3) Portugese food is at the forefront of european cusine. Meals tend to come either greasy or with extra grease and one could be considered unlucky (or lucky depending on your taste) if served meat without a huge fried egg on top. Salads are generally shunned in favour of either chips, rice, or more commonly chips and rice.

This is not to say the food is bad. Seafood is very good, as is the roast chicken which is cooked in Piri-Piri sauce. Most importantly the food is cheap and filling. A large meal in a little greasy spoon can be had for about 4 euros 50. But a little less grease would sometimes be nice.

4)There is very much a backpacking circuit within Portugal. People tend to make there way down through Portugal via three cities: Porto in the north (which I didn't visit), Lisbon, and Lagos on the southern coast. Subsequently six of the people staying with me at the Lisbon Lounge hostel also moved on to Lagos at roughly the same time.

5) Hedonism I think, is not really my thing. I just
can't help feeling I'm to old for it all, although this argument seems to loose som of it's validity whan you consider I am only 21. Perhaps I am just boring. It's not as if I haven't tried, I really have. I've attempted to getting mindlessly drunk beyond my bodies capacity to metabolise any more liqiud matter, I've tried acting like a loud, crass and insensitive moron. I just don't enjoy it.

I've tried standing around in black-lit dingy bars, bored to through to my fingernails while ...