We are staying in the historical centre of Lagos that encompasses three hills so very seldom are you walking on flat ground unless you are near the ocean. Everything is close but up a hill and if you are going down hill, you know that you have to go up again. It has been great exercise and a great lesson in how unfit I really am. The beautiful sites and discoveries help take your mind off of the sore muscles and it’s getting easier day by day but by days end you feel every one.
We started Saturday (March 11) morning by venturing to a neighbourhood village by Uber. There is a port/marina there and we had booked a tour to go out on the ocean and along the coast for 2 1/2 hours. There are some famous caves and if the tide and weather is right – we can explore them. We lucked out in a bunch of ways – first we were the only ones on the tour so it was just us, Ricardo and his Dad. Secondly, the weather was gorgeous- hot and still – perfect for being out on a boat, and lastly we were able to play a bit with the tour itself since it was just us, so we told him to skip the touristy stuff – the stop for a drink of champagne and just take us where he would want to go as a first time visitor.
It was wonderful; we followed the coastline for about an hour and then reached the famous Bengali cave – it is actually one of the ten natural wonders of the world. He took us in – he had to be a very skilled driver as even though it was calm, there were small ocean swells and there were rocks in the entry. Wow. Wow. Wow. What an experience. He also took us in a second cave that was almost as beautiful and then we meandered along the beautiful coastline coming back to port.
We found a coffee shop nearby for morning coffee and tomato toast and enjoyed the warm sun. (Not realizing we were both getting sunburned) we headed back to Lagos and walked to the market and stocked up on local strawberries, pears and oranges for supper, headed for home and spent the afternoon on our rooftop terrace. About 4 o’clock we went in a new direction to see what we could see. We discovered some beautiful plazas, the old slave market, the first church of Lagos and a street of street art by some very talented artists. Lastly we discovered a gelato shop – yeah!!! After a nice long visit with the owner and many tastes that he was excited to share we each had a double scoop and called it supper. A great Lagos day!
Tomorrow is Sunday and everything will be closed except for a few restaurants. We are going to enjoy our rooftop in the sun and get packed up to move to Lisbon on Monday – hoping our train will run but if not we’ll take the bus. The strike is still on for a few more days. to be continued …… in Lisbon.
An add on. We did have a packing day and a get ready day – we learned that the first morning train is running so we will leave early. But we also had a new discovery, because our breakfast pattiserie was closed on Sunday we walked the opposite direction looking for a coffee. We discovered a real windmill made into a cafe. A great cafe where we enjoyed breakfast. So neat. We will miss Lagos. I think it was the perfect trifecta – beautiful weather, the ocean and a rooftop terrace at our Airbnb.
Lagos looks absolutely stunning! A “wow” everywhere you go kind of place!
Definitely “wow” with beautiful cobblestone streets and wonderful sights. On my bucket list for sure!