Frank & Stephanie in Portugal
Faro/Algarve
The Algarve is the southern region of Portugal. With its Atlantic coast famed for beautiful beaches and great weather, it is often compared to Southern California.
Faro
On Saturday, November 12 we took a 3-1/2 hour bus ride from Lisbon to Faro, the largest city in the Algarve with a population of about 40,000 people. Faro is located on the delta of the Ria Formosa, a massive wetland ecosystem. The ocean beaches are located about 4 miles from town.
Looking south at the Ria Formosa delta from our 7th-floor AirBnB apartment in Faro
Looking south at sunset
Looking north from our apartment
On Sunday morning we strolled through the old central part of town, observing a weird mixture of decay and renovation. The far end of old town is dominated by some ancient fortifications, which subsequent generations have built upon.
A street in old town with remnants of the old fortifications
A charming little courtyard at an old town residence
A whacky little tourist train pulled by a minibus
We came upon this church, the Ingreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo (Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel), built in 1719. It features a 19th-century Capela dos Ossos (chapel of bones), whose construction incorporated the bones and skulls of over 1000 monks.
Ingreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo
Due to its proximity to coastal marshes, Faro has many seabirds nesting on roofs and cell towers around the city. We saw this stork atop the dome of a beautiful old church.
We had breakfast at one of the many newer restaurants in old town. Once again, the weather was remarkably warm, at about 72°F. Seated outside, we enjoyed a huge meal consisting of coffee, fruit juice, bacon, eggs, ham, cheese, bread, and cake. The price: 10€ each.
From an expat destination point of view, a possible dealbreaker in Faro might be the Faro International Airport, very close to town. On the Sunday that we arrived, huge airplanes landed continuously very low over the city with a deafening noise. The waitress at the restaurant assured us that planes do in fact come in every day, but we did not hear them on the next two days.
Tavira
We wanted to see more of the Algarve before heading back to Lisbon, so on Monday, November 14, we rented a car so we could explore the Algarve from east to west. At the eastern side, not far from the border with Spain, is the little town of Tavira. On the western side is the city of Lagos. Only about 100 miles separates the two, so we set out to see them both in a single day.
The rental car that we got was a small Fiat, the kind we see a lot of in Portland. Stephanie really likes these cars, and so it was a big thrill to actually drive one for the day. We noticed that the model was "Dolce Vita," just right for us.
Tavira is a small town of about 30,000 people. Of all the towns we visited in the Algarve, Tavira had the most upscale vibe, with the least evidence of abandoned buildings and graffiti. We had lunch at a cafe on the town square, and it seemed like every one around was a tourist or an expat. We heard a lot of English being spoken. The shops were full of trinkets that would appeal to tourists. Although it was a nice looking town, it seemed kind of remote and not terribly interesting, so we scratched it from our list of expat destinations.
Tavira town square
Lagos
Leaving Tavira, we drove west across the Algarve to Lagos. Lagos is also a city of about 30,000 people, apparently more spread out and varied in appearance than Tavira. Stephanie had been doing a superb job of driving the Fiat all day, but we were especially challenged as we blundered into old town and were quickly lost in a maze of tiny streets and alleyways barely big enough to fit the car and filled with pedestrians. We emerged unscathed and managed to park the car and see a few of the sights.
The old town is dominated by some impressive 14th-century fortifications built by the Moors during their occupation of the region.
An impressive fort build by the Moors, complete with a moat and drawbridge
A miniature golf course above a parking garage with medieval fortifications in the background. It kind of tells the story about old town Lagos.
We were out of time, but we didn't feel the need to expand our survey of towns in the Algarve. The region features some beautiful natural areas, but the towns seemed to be pretty much tourist places, with a bloated population of wealthy visitors in the summer months. And it does get really hot there in the summer. Of all the places in the Algarve that we visited, we liked Faro the best, the airport notwithstanding. But we preferred something more urban, so back to Lisbon we went.
Back in Lisbon, we passed this mysterious residence just a few steps away from our apartment. "Moradia Amor Eterno" translates to "Home of Eternal Love." Again, just right for us.
Moradia Amor Eterno (Home of Eternal Love)
