July 4 - Get over to the Oriente station in Lisbon. This is a central hub for trains, metro line, and long-distance bus lines. I have already purchased Flixbus tickets for Lagos. The bus station part is easy enough to understand, and we head south on an inland highway.
Pass large areas of pine trees, a type that is squat and round, with very little undergrowth. Also stands of oak trees (Quercus suber) with segments of bark removed for cork production. This bark can be removed without causing harm to the tree. It grows back and can be harvested again in 9-12 years.
It gets drier as we approach the southern coast. The Lagos bus station is in the middle of downtown. Our hotel owner meets us in his fishing truck and takes us out to the place. The rooms are add-ons to their residence.
There are two Portuguese girls in the pool, so Odette has a few hours to play with them. Though the Lagos area is hot in the day, it cools off considerably at sundown.
I walk some country roads at dusk, meeting up with a pair of little owls that must have a nest nearby.
Eat dinner at the hotel, a fish meal cooked up by the owner’s mother.