GoPro session at Praia do Cordama

Algarve, Portugal – We test out my new GoPro underwater video camera in some fun beachbreaks at Cordama.

Algarve in autumn

 

South Coast point break in action.

Lagos, Portugal – A quick surf trip with old friends. Just before Europe shuts it doors for winter and its too cold and wild to surf anywhere north of Morocco until next Spring.

More photos to come.

Rangefinder

Lagos, Portugal – Last days here in the Algarve and I’ve been stalking the back streets with my Yashica rangefinder.

I’ve been trying to find a Bresson-worthy cobbled street and a decisive moment. But I think I’ve only succeeded in scaring the shit out of fellow tourists who have rounded a corner to find a camera lens pointed at them.

Tomorrow its back to London and then the day after that it’s the UK general election. Work may have been quiet during the campaigning (civil servants are supposed to remain neutral) but I suspect it’ll gear up as soon as the new government is named.

As always, it’s been great, Portugal.

Beer here

Get it by the crate

Lagos, Portugal – The beer in Portugal is cheap, cheap, cheap. Bank on €0.30 for a bottle in the intermarche and about €1 in a resurant.

Super Bock, pictured above, is the big daddy of the beers. Served ice cold its a wonderfully refreshing lager, but at 5.4% it’ll kick your arse. It kicked mine after a returned late one afternoon having spent the day surfing in the sun and looking for something to quench my thirst.

Sagres, named after the dusty port town down the road, is the tradesman of the bunch. A solid lager, non-threatening and sold in most places in southern Portugal.

My favourite is Cerveja Cristal, a crisp pilsener. Again, wonderful after a tough day battling the Algarve sunshine.

I must point out, all of these beers are almost totally tasteless by European standards. The trick is to drink them ice cold and, if you can, be Australian.

Retiro de Trinidad

Lagos, Portugal – There’s a little restaurant I visit each time I’m in Lagos. Sometimes more than once per trip.

It’s called Retiro de Trinidad. It’s a slightly shabby cantina cum bar establishment, located in the less fashionable area of Lagos outside the quaint Old Town walls.

As a restaurant it’s a microcosm of Lagos, or even the Algarve, itself. Bronzed British expats sit at the outside tables, speaking and ordering in English.

An international group from one of the surf camps occupy the long table under the orange tree in the courtyard.

And inside, at the bar, sits the Portuguese. Mostly men, they arrive in a variety of battered work trucks and smoky scooters. They drink demi glasses of Sagres beer and watch European football on the TV above the doorway.

Europeans on holiday

Luz Bay

Luz, Portugal – Not since backpacking through the islands of southern Thailand have I had such fun watching the northern Europeans in action.

They seem so out of place by the beach and under the hot sun. Ungainly in their flip flops and drawstring swimming shorts. Squinting hatless and without sunglasses into the midday sun. Quickly turning pink then slowly going fire engine red.

I know they’re a stylish people. For 50 weeks a year they walk around a picturesque backdrop of charming Euro cities in fine trousers and blazers. It’s just the two weeks in the Algarve it all goes wrong.

Not that I can be too harsh. My own people – the West Australians – seem to dress for an Algarvian beach holiday for the full 52 weeks of the year (the year 2002, maybe).

Surf scrap book

Big surf on the west coast (yes, that speck is a surfer)

Arrifana rip bowl

The south coast was, quite frankly, going off.

Back in Portugal

Renault four wheel drive

Lagos, Portugal – A quick surf trip before work gets serious after the UK election. Before Europe gets crazy-busy and super expensive for summer.

The choice is easy: Portugal. Cheap sunshine, quality waves.

It all comes together in quick succession. Flights, accommodation and car hire are booked. And then I’m there, squinting in the hazy Algarve sun at Faro airport. Weighed down by my backpack, board bag and and camera bag. But set free by the chance to surf for a whole week.

Airborne

Baggage ‘handling’ at Gatwick

Gatwick, UK – This is what seems to happen when you pay EasyJet £30 to transport your surfboard.

And this is after the nice man at the oversize check in counter assured me they’d be careful with it and I wouldn’t need to attached a ‘fragile’ sticker.

Faro

Faro’s Cidade Valha (Old Town)

Faro, Portugal – Half a day to kill before our flight home to the UK -  plenty of time to wander Faro’s weatherbeaten back streets.

I couldn’t be sure if it was due to siesta time, being a Sunday or just post-Christmas malaise, but the port town was practically deserted when we visited.

The Old Town streets contained a couple of bewildered tourists (apart from us) and a many, many orange trees shading the footpaths.