Today we recovered from our Wales trip (which was itself relaxing so not hard!) and prepared for the upcoming weeks. Savitri booked our stays in Porto and beyond for May. We agreed on some sights and hikes we want to explore in the area surrounding Porto, and matched them up to our shared time with Steve and Jen. I have yet to lock down a place to play badminton in Portugal, but Porto seems like the best bet and I’ve found some clubs there so hoping I can sneak off for a night and play with the locals!

We also sketched out our next few weeks here in Lagos. Again we matched that up with visiting friends, but since this area has already become quite familiar and accessible it’s all pretty straight-forward. Also, other than the hearts of the coastal cities (Lagos, Portimão, Albumfeira, Faro… maybe Quarteira?) the Algarve is much more rural than the Lisbon and Porto regions so easy to drive around.

After all that was sorted we were of course ready for a late lunch out. We went to Casa Chico Zé just outside Lagos.

They are a local family-run place specializing in grilled meats and fish. The food was fresh, delicious, and the prices very reasonable. We got there around 3:15 so it was fairly empty and we had the run of the place.

Next door was a huge indoor & outdoor pottery store. We definitely plan to come back!

On the way back to our apartment we refilled the brand-new Jeep Avenger with petrol. Even with the lowest price unleaded it was 1.93€/liter ($7.79/gallon)! Considering that one tank (69.76€ = $74.32) brought us from Lisbon to Lagos, to Ferragudo and back, to Faro and back, and several trips around town.. it’s still financially viable.

For dinner we had a Savitri special- simple ingredients made amazing! Chicken and rice with salad and bread, followed by warm apple turnover with salted caramel ice cream. Not looking for pity.