Lagos

Lagos, Portugal

Lagos is very popular with the Brits. Like most of the Algarve, English is widely spoken, which is very helpful for people like us, who grew up outside Europe and haven’t acquired the multi-lingual gene. This beautiful city is situated in the Algarve, in the southwest of Portugal. ..

It has everything that the holidaymaker or retiree could ask for. Beaches, great climate, old town, amazing cliff walks for hikers, great restaurants, and reasonable real estate.

We’ve been fortunate to experience several months living like a local just outside Lagos, in the village of Burgau. Needless to say, we got to see a lot of Lagos… it’s where most of the grocery shops live.

So how did you end up in Lagos?

We came here initially as a result of our membership of Trusted House Sitters in 2018 and returned again 20-21 at the request of the property owner.

It all started when my wife and it decided to travel through Europe in a Motorhome and later by Caravan. We were also members of Trusted House Sitters and mixed our caravan travels with house sits throughout Europe.

The history of Lagos goes all the way back, even before the Romans came. The first known inhabitants were the Phoenicians, then came the traders: Greeks and Carthaginians. Followed then by the Romans of course. Lagos has a natural harbour that allowed traders from afar to call into Lagos and ply their wares.

The Romans named the settlement Lacóbriga, so now you know where Lagos got its name, right. Who came next? Yes, you guessed it, Moorish occupation, they named the town Zawaya (meaning lago, or lake). The Moors fortified the town with a wall that still exists.

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City Wall

The Portuguese captured old Logos from the Moors with the help of other European nations in 1189. The Moors recaptured it two years later, and it wasn’t until the 13th century that the Portuguese came back stronger and kicked the Moors out for good.

Going forward to the 15th century, the Age of Discovery, Lagos took on an important role. It was the famous Henry the Navigator who sailed from Lagos with 200 ships, to attack North Africa and start the era of stealing and pillaging. This was the start of the Portuguese expansion in the world.

Modern Day

Enough of the history, and back to exploring the old town with Milo the Stafford-terrier and Lucy the Great-Dane. Do you notice how beautifully tiled the pavement is and how narrow the streets are? Not surprising as there is no traffic, you can walk around the centre of the old town without worrying about traffic. So quiet.

Scattered around the old town, of course, there are lots of shops for you to spend your money in, and lots of little restaurants. Portuguese food centres around the sea, so lots of local dishes featuring fruits of the sea. A must is Bacalhau (cod) and cataplana, which is really a kind of fish stew. Another highly popular choice in Portugal is Sardines. We became quite partial to the seasonal treat. Our favorite though is chicken Piri Piri (butterfly chicken) turned over coals and finished by smearing olive oil infused with garlic and chili (a Piri Piri sauce).

Over the years with Trusted Housesitters we experienced a lot of lovely 😊 people. To help others considering a membership we thought that it would be a great idea to write about our experiences.

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Marina

From the number of boats in the marina, I would say almost everyone living in Lagos has one. There are lots of booking agents lining the beautiful promenades of the marina. Here they are selling day trips to visit the coastal caves, and beaches, along the local coastline.

We spent the whole of the 2020 summer in our housesit in Burgau and the weather was great. The average temperature was around mid-twenties and it was a dry heat, with no humidity to speak of. Mind you, that isn’t the case all year round. You can check out our house sit here Trusted Housesitters Portugal

Beaches

Well, the beaches, where do I start.? The beaches of Lagos, Luz, Burgau, Salema, Sagres, and so many others are all scattered along the Algarve coastline within a short drive or boat trip. The coastline itself is truly an exciting place to visit. Caves, cliffs, coves, and beaches all stretch along the coastline. If you like to hike, then you will love the walking trails. Some of them link the beaches and coves and most with pretty special views.

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