After a light breakfast, I made my way to Coast Supply Co. in town to pick up the mountain bike that I reserved yesterday. The staff were very helpful and they helped me download a .gtx file from their blog to my iPhone, so I had the 24 km (14.8 mile) course ready to follow. They also gave me an iPhone holder, which was super helpful. The course was part gravel, with a rock garden segment along the beach route which was fun to traverse. Although the temp was in the low 70’s, it felt much hotter and even frequent sunscreen applications seemed to be fruitless. I don’t need any more tan!

When I got back to the shop I was drenched. I’m glad I left in the morning.

Although, as I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the hotel is beautiful, the suite had a mosquito problem. I killed two before bedtime, but apparently there were more hiding. I must have a dozen bites, with a nasty one on my right cheek. At first I thought “bedbugs!”; but I checked the bed closely and didn’t see any evidence. As a precaution, I’ve kept the A/C on and the doors shut. I don’t think I’ve had a mosquito bite in ten years. The receptionist confirmed that they were a very recent problem.

Often, small Portuguese towns have The Stations of the Cross built into walls and it’s fun to try to count them. I found one on my way back to the hotel.

On every lengthy European trip, there’s always one “mistake” and Lagos takes the honor this time. Although the hotel is lovely, the town itself is a tawdry tourist trap. For example, I needed to run a wash at the lavanderia since I couldn’t find a nice Airbnb option here and the charge was €6! And I also had the pleasure of a 90-minute wait because of the endless cycles. For Northern Europeans, Lagos is probably a paradise; but Sagres is the only place I’d recommend in the Algarve.

Early tomorrow I head back to Lisbon by train, with a perilously short time to change trains. My Nashville neighbors arrived in Lisbon today and I’ll be meeting them tomorrow for dinner at the chef’s table at Bel Canto. https://www.joseavillez.pt/en/belcanto