Surprise visitor

One morning I woke up to the most unexpected call from Steve Dale, my dormmate from the first Lisbon hostel I stay in. We had enjoyed a couple of good days and nights exploring that town, and since then he’d kept up with my blog. When he saw I’d been through Santa Clara he couldn’t believe it – that’s where he’d been based since leaving Lisbon, working for room and board at farmstead that hosted tourists.
So he was calling to let me know he had the day off and wanted to know if I was free for a visit. Having slipped into a very relaxed lifestyle by now, I said sure; there wasn’t anything I couldn’t put off until Amanha (Portuguese for Manyana – tomorrow).
So we met up in Lagos and wonder the streets for a while; checked out the old fort that I wanted to visit anyway. Here we learned that one of the old Portuguese princes in the time of exploration had been responsible for fabricating a sailing and navigating school in Sagres, the southwest-most tip of the country. Fabricated, not founded, as the school never actually existed! This must have been one of the earliest forms of PR I’ve ever heard of. And of course with no “on the spot, roaming reporters” to confirm or deny, the myth stuck. This museum suggested it much more likely Lagos was the main exodus point for voyages of exploration, due to the coastline and population.
We next headed over to Alvor and I was happy to show Steve around this little burg… which took all of 15 minutes, by which time it was beer-o’clock. And of course there was a soccer match on TV, so we settled in for a little chill time.
It was good to see him again, and compare notes about our experiences, and tans, of the past few weeks. It sounds like he’s been worked to the bone at this farmstead (Quenta) and so hasn’t lulled as I have. One of the biggest revelations I took away from this re-encounter was how much I’ve slowed down into the enforced relaxation of this new lifestyle. Well, good on ya Steve, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your travels if we don’t meet again around these parts.