2013

Monday, September 2, 2013

Our 6:35pm Transavia flight from Rotterdam - The Hague Airport departs more than half an hour late for Faro. The information about the delay is minimal. Just like the on board catering, but that was to be expected. We arrive around a quarter to nine local time at Faro. We have  booked a car through Sunny Cars, which we have to collect at Hertz at the airport. It turns out to be a Citroën Elysee.  In the dark we find  our way to the Pousada of Estoi using our Garmin satnav. It is about 12 km north of Faro. In Estoi itself the Garmin looses track a bit, because the device does not take into account the one-way traffic in the narrow streets properly. Eventually we get there. We have a spacious modern room on the first floor. The rooms are located in a modern wing of the complex. We take a night cap in the bar, which is in the 18th century palace itself. We sit on the terrace with views of the area and the lights of Faro in the distance.

Weather in Faro : 22° on arrival.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

The breakfast offer very wide range of items and we can enjoy it on the terrace.  After breakfast we drive to Olhão, a fishing town about fifteen minutes drive from Estoi. We drink coffee on Av de la Republica, buy stamps at the post office and explore the town center. We buy a Vodafone sim card for mobile internet (10 euros for 1 hour) and find our way through the narrow streets to the waterfront on the Atlantic Ocean. Here are the two buildings that make up the covered market. On the right the fish department, on the left the fruit, vegetable and meat market. It is very busy. With regard to meat, the Portuguese are less weird than the Spaniards. Here no sheep heads, bull testicles or other strange body parts on the table. Fish is plentiful and in a wide variety of species. Obviously we see sardines all around, but also swordfish, tuna and many other species are sold. We walk to the fishing port, the largest of the Algarve we are told. However, there is no boat to be seen. They are probably all at sea.

We then drive to Tavira. A nice town on the river Sequa, not far from the coast. We have a drink on a terrace by the river and then walk to the former Moorish castle. It is next to a water tower, which is now used as a camera obscura. With a lift we get up to the former reservoir and an Englishman explains us a few things for us about the view. He is very proud that he knows some Dutch words too. We walk back to the car and drive to the Pousada of Tavira, a former monastery, where we have lunch in the courtyard. Great food and nice and quiet atmosphere. After lunch we drive back to Estoi.

Around half past five we go to the hotel swimming pool. That is on a terrace overlooking the palace and the surroundings. There is a spacious terrace with deck chairs. There is a Dutch group busy with a fashion photo shoot and that's a bit annoying, but fortunately they are done shooting before long and we can freely enjoy the pool and the view. There is also a wellness center with a sauna and massage. In the evening we dine at the Pousada. We take the daily special of €19.50. The food is not bad at all and the location is great.

Weather: sunny and warm 32° C.

Wednesday September 4, 2013

We drive to Armação de Pêra. In Pêra we drink a cup of coffee first and then drive on to the beach, east of Armação. When we get there the beach still quiet, but it gradually gets more people. The water has a nice temperature, about 22 degrees. The waves are high. There is a constant stream of people walking along the waterline. After a few hours we have had enough and we drive to Albufeira and have lunch at Dom Pipa. It is a Portuguese restaurant with simple but decent fare. I take a sea bream. After lunch we walk around in the center. Albufeira is really a tourist fair. It is a picturesque enough town, but completely overrun with tourists. Authentic Portugal? This isn't it! We walk up to a lookout over the beach and the rocks. The view is nice, but it is so noisy. We take a look at the San Sebastian chapel, where we can admire a beautiful altar piece. Finally we drive back to our hotel.

Around half past five we drive to Loulé. This is a medium-sized town, about 18 miles inland from Faro. We drink a beer on a square and walk along the castle, which we cannot visit. The market hall is beautiful to look at, but we are too late for the market. We buy some Portuguese pottery at a craft store. They have traditional and modern designs. We have a drink on a terrace and before we go and eat at the Praça Flor restaurant opposite the Market Hall. The food is tasty, the service friendly and the decor simple. We walk back to the car and drive back to Estoi.

Weather: sunny, 30° C

Thursday, September 5, 2013

After breakfast we drive to Vila Real de Santo Antonio. At first café we pick to drink coffee we get no attention from the staff. In the second - located on the main square - it is just a little bit better. After coffee we take a stroll through the town. It is planned along a grid pattern, after it had been destroyed an earthquake in 1755. We want to draw money from the mini banco but it does not work for us. We try our luck later at another ATM on the quay along the river with more succes. We top up the Portuguese SIM card at the Vodafone shop ( 10 euros for 10 hours ). Having see most of the town center we get into the car and drive to Castro Marin. This is a small village with a huge fortress sitting on top of a mountain. The fort is open to visitors. It was originally built in the 12th century and is the setting for an annual medieval festival. From the fort we have a beautiful view of the surroundings, the river and Ayamonte, the Spanish border town across the river. There are many salt pans in the area, where salt is extracted from seawater. After visiting the castle we eat a tuna baguette in the village.

After lunch we drive out of the village towards Alcoutim. Just outside Castro Marin we leave the IC27 for a stop at the Sapal Nature Reserve. Near the (closed) visitor center - much to the surprise - we bump into our friends Richard and Thomas. They are on a two weeks' vacation. What an incredible coincidence! We talk a bit and go our seperate ways. From a vantage point we are able to see flamingos searching for food in the salt pans. We continue our trip to Alcoutim, a picturesque village on the Guadiana river with its own castle. Across the river in Spain, is Sanlucar, a very similar village also with a castle. We have a drink overlooking the river and visit the castle. In the castle has a museum with archeological finds from the area and the foundations of the castle, which date back to Roman times. After we have explored the rest of the village we drive back to our hotel in Estoi.

Early evening we have a drink in the hotel bar and we walk around in the village of Estoi, which is nothing special. In the evening we have dinner in the restaurant of the Pousada. I have goat cheese in a puff pastry followed by a lamb chop. Erik takes the Gazpacho à la Estoi(a little thin) and then the steak. For dessert, Erik takes the Tiramisu and I fig parfait with a scoop of sorbet ice cream. There are some noisy children on the terrace, getting their parents in various states of embarrassment. Eventually they are escorted  to their room (by their parents) and peace returns.

Weather: cloudy with sunny periods. 24°C

Friday, September 6, 2013

We drive to Silves. During the Moorish time this was the capital of the Al Gharb, as the Moors called this region. Silves was finally conquered on the Moors in 1242 and the mosque was replaced by a cathedral. After coffee we walk uphill to the Cathedral, which looks quite austere from the outside. The white front facade makes a big contrast with the brick apse at the rear. The church can be visited for just 1 euro. Inside the church there are three chapels. In the chapels and the nave there are several graves of local notables and crusaders who took part in the conquest of Silves in 1242. Also King João II, who died suddenly in the Algarve in 1495 was buried here, but he was later moved to the Monastery of Batalha to the mausoleum of the Portuguese kings. His tombstone is still here. After the museum we walk further up to the castle of Silves. From the castle wall we have a beautiful view of the area and the town. The castle has a church and an exhibition on pirates. In the courtyard there is a very modern bar and restaurant, where we settle down for a bit to drink a large glass of fruit juice. We walk back down and take a look at the Igreja de Miserircodia, where we see a sculpture exhibition with plaster images of Portuguese kings. Finally we want to visit the Fabrica Inglês, a former cork factory, which has been transformed into art zone and entertainment area. Unfortunately, this project did not survive the economic crisis, as it is closed now and heavily overgrown by weeds. We drive back to the Pousada, where we have lunch on the terrace. After lunch we have a rest before going to the airport, around 4pm. We park the car at the Hertz parking lot and drop the key in the designated box. Later we find out that Hertz has registered the return a day too late and charges our credit card for an extra day of rental. We protest and Hertz refunds the money.

Our flight to Rotterdam happily uneventful. At 10.50pm we are in Rotterdam and around half past twelve we get home.

Weather: cloudy with many sunny spells. 26° C

 

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