It's sort of insane to think of all of the places that Andrew and I have been together in less than a year and a half. There are the close-to-home spots like New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, Connecticut and (almost) Rhode Island. And then there are the more exotic destinations like Jamaica, Iceland, Spain, and now Portugal. Then in a week and a half, the Mediterranean coast of Italy. And two weeks after that, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France... We're checking so many things off of our "to see" list, and I couldn't be happier. He is the perfect travel companion, which is a pretty essential characteristic in a boyfriend.
Anyway. So. We went to Lagos this weekend.
This wasn't quite a cultural trip like most of my other ones have been. In fact, it wasn't at all cultural, save for the fact that I learned that in the Portuguese culture it's considered very rude for tourists to speak Spanish to you instead of English (bad habit; people didn't like me). No, this trip was all about sand, sea, and sunshine. It was utterly relaxing and the first time I'd seen Andrew in over a month, so I was a smiley little beach bunny.
A few memories I want to write down for my own sake more than for any readers out there, just so I remember them in years to come:
Andrew and I made friends at the beauuuuutiful Praia Dona Ana beach with a guy named Johnny who then introduced us to a few of his friends, and we all sat drinking and chatting on the beach for a while as the sun got lower. All of them, independently of one another at different points in the conversation, said some variation of, "Wow, you two are the coolest couple. You guys are awesome." Not the cutest couple, not the sweetest couple -- the coolest couple. I realize how silly it is for me to have been so happy to hear that, but it was such a wonderful compliment to hear that people enjoy us as a pair.
After Johnny and his friends left around 6, Andrew and I finished our second bottle of wine for the day... which explains why we woke up totally disoriented in our hotel room at 11 to my alarm going off. Our "quick cat nap" turned into a long-ass sleep, and we seriously thought it was morning already and we had missed our chance at the first night out, which thankfully wasn't true.
We grabbed some dinner and went straight to the bar where the rest of our group was, mostly just because with our wristbands we got a free mixed drink and a free beer. As we tolerated bad pop music and sipped these freebies, we watched an extreeeemely inebriated girl and guy going at it at the bar, and cracked up at their audacity. I mean, his hand was literally up her skirt. I think they may have eventually left to go actually have sex on the dance floor. This was the point at which I dared Andrew to go hit on two old women at the other end of the bar, which he declined, and we watched as new-friend Johnny (stoned and drunk -- he's quite the partier) stumbled up without prompting and did just that: hit on the old woman. She bought him a beer! We walked over to congratulate him and he hugged us both, slurring about how we're the best couple ever, then started rambling about how bad the music was and how he'd literally "whip his dick out" if they played some Michael Jackson. What an interesting place.
So naturally, Andrew and I left and found a bar next door where a live band was preparing to perform. The band was pretty good (the man on the sax in particular; I bought him a beer, I thought he was so good), but more importantly, one of this bar's patrons was a freaking legend. He was an old man and he walked into the bar wearing a weird-ass (hemp, maybe?) blazer with a white t-shirt that clung closely to his potbelly, with a huge grin on his face and long white surfer hair. He came over to the bar and got a beer, winked at me and smiled (but not in a creepy way -- Andrew and I loved this guy right away), and walked to the table across from ours. As soon as the music started playing, this guy was up and dancing by himself, grooving with wild abandon. Andrew and I were slack-jawed and laughing at this sight, and the guy pointed at me to come dance with him, so I did for a bit. He came over to introduce himself to Andrew and I, explaining that he was German but left Germany because he didn't like it there... Given his free-spiritedness, I can imagine why.
Next, we found a bar called the Three Monkeys and went in, and it was amazing. We found a "topless photo op" sign and Andrew took off his shirt in front of it for an amazing new profile picture. Then we sat at the bar and ordered (super cheap!) Sex on the Beach, reminiscing about Jamaica, where that had been our drink of choice. After about three minutes of talking to the bartenders, they poured us free shots. There were surfing videos on in the background, there was good music -- it was just a great bar.
After that we went to a bar that had five different levels all connected by one very precarious spiral staircase, and had Blue Curacao based drinks (still on our Jamaica kick) and some good conversation. We tried to climb to the tippy-top floor but were stopped by some bouncers.
And that was that! We packed up shop and walked back to the hotel, which we found without any issues because we're magical travel geniuses.
The next morning, we woke and got breakfast, then left bright and early for a Sangria Cruise/Grotto Tour. Amazing time. I got seasick (I've never actually been on a boat on the ocean before, just on lakes and rivers, so I had no idea I'd get seasick) so I didn't get to enjoy as much of the free sangria as I'd have liked, but it was still so much fun, and Andrew took such good care of me. God, I got a good one.
Once we were back on land and my stomach was no longer topsy turvy, we walked to Meia Praia. On our walk, the girl behind us spoke very graphically about what she wanted to do to some guy that she knew, and Andrew and I literally stopped our conversation to listen dumbfoundedly to hers. We decided that people are the worst. Then we found a little beach-front restaurant there. We shared wings (soooo American) and made friends with a few English guys. Andrew found yet more Germans to speak to, and I was still struggling not to speak Spanish to the Portuguese people. We finished our tasty meal and walked down to the beach, where we slept and got sunburnt for a few hours, taking breaks to frolic (and pee) in the crystal clear, absolutely frigid water. We walked back to the bus and Andrew picked me a pretty, neon violet colored flower. I still have it.
Back at the hotel, we showered and got ready to go to "The End Of The World" at Sagres, the southwestern-most point of Europe which people used to literally think was the end of the world, before they knew that the world wasn't flat and that America existed and all of that. Andrew brought a bottle of rosé and we drank it overlooking the ocean, feeling very small. He held me close to shield me from the wind. It was lovely.
From there, we headed back into the center of Lagos, where we found a sushi place where we paid 14.95 each for unlimited food. We added a bottle of wine to the order and were very full, very tipsy, very happy campers. One of the rolls they gave us was fried banana with frozen strawberry cream cheese. They also gave us some kind of custard dessert soup. We laughed a lot. Then we wandered back home to fall asleep together, which is my favorite thing in the world.
We woke at 6am to Andrew's alarm, because he was taking a flight back to Germany that day so that he could make it to his program's trip to the Swiss Alps the next morning. I was sad and groggy that he was leaving, and sleepily watched him as he packed. Finally he came back and let me snuggle against him until he had to leave, at which point we kissed and he left and there I was with a day by myself in Portugal.
I spent it reading in the sunshine on one of the lounge chairs by the rooftop pool overlooking the beach, so all was not lost. Still, I always find myself counting down the days until I'll see him next, and I can't wait until I don't have to do that anymore. I'm working on the whole not-living-for-someday thing, and trying to focus on living in the moment and enjoying happiness as it happens rather than thinking I'll find it in the future... but I don't think I'll ever stop being sad the day of his departures.
Regardless, it was a lovely weekend and it only makes me all the more excited for our five-day adventure in Italy next week. So soon! I love when the short breaks happen instead of the long ones. Lerici, we're coming for you.
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