Lisbon, Cascais & the Algarve - Portugal

Portugal is a country of contrasts.

There’s clearly wealth, based on the vehicles being driven, but it’s also less developed than I expected.

Stunning buildings with tiled walls or paint colours sit adjacent to run-down facades with external wiring and chipped stone. Here, according to a local tuk-tuk driver, tiles mean wealth; some helpful context explaining the stark differences between neighbouring homes.

The photos themselves even feel more like a mishmash. Some are of stunning beaches and the mind-blowing coastline, others of the derelict buildings right opposite. Some feature the beautiful mosaic pathways, others show the innumerable pothole-filled carparks.

While the streets of major towns are almost all hand-paved with a sheen mosaic-like stone (which is like walking on art), there are the weeds growing in rural beach towns, which are still removed one at a time, by hand, with ancient hoes by men who look like they’ve lived hard lives in the sun.

Portugal seems to be investing in the environment and has a few better, or perhaps just more obvious, initiatives than Australia. Kilometres of brand new boardwalks line key tourist attractions along the coastline, to prevent further damage to the environment that’s already been done. The erosion was like nothing I’ve ever seen. You have to pay for every bag, ‘seconds’ fruit and vegetables are sold alongside the perfect ones, and lids are an extra cost if you’re getting takeaway coffee.

The sense of community is strong. People sit on park benches, chat in groups, sing and dance together, tell stories and laugh, and in general seem to live at a slower pace of life than we do in Australia. These are the best parts of the European lifestyle that I haven’t seen anywhere else in the world. It’s a reminder to take stock, and wonder about the pace of life we’re so drawn to as Australians.

The Time Out Market was a Lisbon highlight. Big, long tables - which 100% promote community - run through the centre of a food hall. Cheese boards, woodfired pizzas, fresh seafood, prosciutto & goats cheese salads, hot dogs, donuts, gelato, Portuguese tarts, wine, coffee…all being enjoyed by hundreds of people at any time of day.

We ate the best ice cream we’ve probably ever eaten in Lagos (and that’s saying something), and found great coffee in a country that has adopted the Flat White. Ironically, both of these were made by expats who have made Lagos their home.

Ultimately, we all left feeling differently about Portugal. I think it’s quite reflective of the country, being a destination that would grab some, and not others.