22 August 2013
Portimão, Portugal
“To me, Portimão (or Lagos) is a land of discovery and easy-living — a place where you find peace and adventure at the same time.”
About a two-hour drive from Lisbon (Portugal’s capital) lies Portimão, a small city famous among artists to travel to for inspiration. Arriving by a cruise ship, we only had about eight hours to explore Lisbon and its neighbouring cities.
Portimão happened to catch our eye and we were not disappointed.
We first visited The Algarve, a cape point where there were little islands protruding from the glimmering sea water, some forming caves and archways of sandstone while others stood gallantly alone against the tide.
We got off the bus and treaded over to the edge of the cliff on hot sand which burned under the sun.
“Below, the crystalline waters of emerald, turquoise and sapphire slowly lapped against the rocks as red and yellow kayaks glided by. I wanted to jump in, to dive into its waters and let the coldness envelope me.”
But it was over 1,500 steps to travel down and there was not much time to explore the city before the cruise ship left the dock in Lisbon. So into the city centre, we all went.
Portimão reminded me of Santorini: the white and cream buildings, the maze-like alleyways with cafés and restaurants lining the streets.
The difference was that in Portimão, there were terracotta-tiled buildings in blue and green, and most balconies were of delicate wrought iron and the streets were paved with slippery stones that formed patterns like one huge mosaic in black and white.
Local shops sold embroidered Portuguese table cloths, leather satchels, and multicoloured clothes that each, I’m sure, had their own unique pattern. Strings of beads and feathers on gold-coloured thread that could be woven into your hair was the trending fashion.
It was an ideal city for retirement, in my opinion. Perhaps early retirement on that note, as there were quite a number of cozy rooftop bars and private terraces that sell alcohol to the public when the sun goes down, as well as nightclubs for the younger generation.
And of course the sea is another open playground that is merely a bus ride away.
Visit Portimão at portimaouncovered.com
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