two backpacks and a diaper bag

Sunday, May 29th. Sevilla-Faro-Lagos. Today was a long day. But the extraordinary view of rock formations along the coastline at the end of the day made the early morning start well worth it. Here’s a sneak peek of the spectacular sight.

We woke up at 4:30 so that we could leave the apartment at 6:30 to catch our 7:30 bus to Faro. Sean had tried to make an advance booking for a taxi yesterday, but there were no taxis available for advance booking. So as we were getting ready to leave the apartment, he tried to order one. At 6:25 in the morning, it seemed that no taxis were available for booking. We wondered if the timing was too early in the morning. But, there must be taxis to pick up the stragglers from their Saturday night fun, right?

Since we could not get a taxi from the app, we decided to just walk out and hail one down. And if we couldn’t, we would just have to walk the 30-minute, 1-mile trek to the bus station.

We turned right and made another right from the apartment. The streets were so quiet and empty. What was lively and bustling with people yesterday turned to be so dark and silent this early in the morning. We were about two blocks away from the Cathedral when a taxi drove down the small street.

We hailed it and it came to a stop. We were so lucky and thankful to be able to get a taxi. I was ready to walk the mile, and hoped that we would get to the station on time, but this taxi was truly a miracle.

We got to the bus station just before 7. The bus platform was already posted. We made our way to platform #13 but the bus had not yet arrived. We were the first ones there.

The bus finally arrived around 7:15. It departed the station at 7:30. Right on time, into the fog.

The bus was about half full. When it made its first stop, at Huelva, most people got off the bus. At the second stop, Ayamonte, one person got off and another person got on.

There was no toilet on the bus, which we found to be odd, especially given that the joinery to Faro was scheduled to be 3.5 hours long. And the bus was going to continue all the way to Lagos, too. Perhaps the reason why the bus made multiple stops and waited for a while at each stop was to give the passengers an opportunity to use the toilet at the stations.

Good thing we didn’t have to use the restroom throughout the trip.

When we entered Portugal, the bus stopped at the border and policemen entered the bus to check passports. Super straightforward.

Faro is an hour behind Sevilla. We were scheduled to arrive at Faro Airport at 10:10, but we got there at 9:50. We were the only four people getting off the bus at Faro Airport. When we got off, there were about 7 people left on the bus. I was surprised at how empty that bus looked. As we got off the bus, I almost left my black merino sweater on the bus. Thank goodness I remembered and the bus hadn’t left yet.

When we finally had our packs on, we walked into the terminal to find the car rental booths. We found out that the car rental offices were at the end of the terminal. The terminal itself looked quite new. It was nice, clean, and sleek, and getting to the car rental offices were super easy. It was surprisingly a nice walk.

At the Sixt car rental office, we didn’t have to wait very long. We got there at a good time, actually. When we were about to get in the car, I saw how many people were in line, and I was thankful that we got there early enough. Otherwise, we would have waited for a long time!

Our first destination was Faro city center. It was a short distance away from the airport. As we tried to look for parking, the GPS took us through the small, cobblestone streets of Faro. The old town looked old and quaint.

We parked the car in the main town square and made our way to a restaurant for lunch.

This walk was different from other Old Town walks. The buildings were not tall at all. This place reminded me of the time we spent in Aero Island in Denmark. It had the same feeling of solitude and warmth. The surrounding felt almost like Greek islands, but more approachable, sleepy, and down to earth. I enjoyed the short walk to the restaurant.

At the restaurant, things moved quite slowly. Even though we were the first customers there, service was still slow. But maybe this is how they do it in the Algarve. No one was in a rush to do anything. That was fine for us. We weren’t in a rush either.

We ordered a cataplana seafood, veal strips, and grilled mackerel. I loved the cataplana!

Even though service was slow, the food was super good, and the ambience was just perfect.

After lunch, we walked to the sea and around the old town wall.

We even took the time to sit on the grass to attempt a nap.

It didn’t work. The sun was too bright and it was too hot for a nap in the outdoor. The lighting was really good for a picture, though!

When we felt ready to go, we walked back to the car and made our way to Lagos.

We told the Airbnb owner that we would check in around 5. It was only 2pm when we left Faro.

Sean had put Arthur to sleep before we left Faro. Arthur woke up about 30 minutes later, and we stopped at a gas station along the highway to feed and soothe him. I, then, put Arthur back in the car seat, and pretended to be asleep. Somehow, it worked, and Arthur went back to sleep. When we got to Lagos, we debated whether or not we should park in the old town and walk around. We decided to head to Ponta da Piedade instead.

It was a good choice. When we got there, Arthur was still asleep, so Sean and Illona got out to look around first while I waited for Arthur to wake up. I didn’t have to wait long.

After a feed and a diaper change, Arthur was ready to go out. We walked around the area and took lots of pictures. There were lots of things to admire. The rock formations, the crystal clear waters, the golden cliffs. So beautiful!

Around 4:45, we drove to the Airbnb place. After settling into the apartment, we did some grocery shopping. Then we went home, cooked dinner, and got ready for bed.

It feels like we’ve been in the Algarve for quite a while now. I’m not sure why. I just feel so comfortable here. I can’t wait to explore this area a little bit more the next couple of days!