The Algarve in February
A couple of days to cover southern Portugal seemed like an ambitious holiday plan. The Algarve is best known for its seaside package-holiday resorts, such as Albufeira - but in February, we were hoping to see a more authentic view of Portuguese culture and life. It didn't disappoint.
We stayed at the Resedencial Dandy in Faro; a pleasant, rather quaint little place near the town centre. Faro itself is a pleasant enough Mediterranean town, with cobbled streets and a walled centre - but not particularly extraordinary. It seemed very quiet, and probably comes more alive in the tourist season.
On arrival at Faro airport, we picked up our shiny VW Golf and, rather than heading into town, headed east. First stop was an interesting Roman villa and temple at Milreu. This has clearly been well looked after by the Portuguese government, and had a very friendly and enthusiastic tour guide to show us around - I think she was quite glad to see us, as we might have been the only visitors that day! The site included some nice fish-themed mosaics, and a temple to Neptune, all surrounded by almond trees in bloom.
Next stop was Tavira, a few more kilometres to the east. This is a pleasant riverside town near the sea. Again, lots of windy cobbled streets, some nice churches and the remains of a fortress now containing a pretty flower garden. Also of interest is a bridge which, at least partially, dates back to pre-Roman days.
Further east, near the Spanish boarder, we stopped at Castro Marim. This is a slightly unreal-feeling village within sight of the developments on the other side of the border. The area is dominated by two hills, each with a castle on top. The one we visited had some lovely old walls and fortifications, now rather ruined; the one on the other hill looks much newer (possibly Napoleonic era) and tidier - slightly antiseptic. The village borders an area of saltmarsh that acts as a nature reserve - a singularly unimpressive place to visit, apart from the flamingoes!
After the coastal route, we struck inland. Following windy minor roads though the hills, we passed farmers with donkeys, vistas of cork oaks and almond blossom, and the occasional heard of goats. We stopped at a marked walking route, and went for a short wander though hillsides scented by herbs. Sadly we didn't get far before the weather took a turn for the worse. As we continued along the road it really closed in, shrouding the otherwise excellent views in cloud and rain.
The following day, in bright sunshine, we set off to the west. First stop (after breakfast at a little local cafe in Faro!) was Silves. This is an attractive town well inland, with an imposing red-stone castle at the top of a steep hill. The view from the top was pretty good too - and the storks nesting on the nearby crane seemed to agree!
Next stop was Monchique, a peaceful village surrounded by wooded hills. This had a relaxed atmosphere and some twisty lanes wandering up the hill, towards a ruined monastery. The owner of the site was kind enough to let us have a look around the slightly eerie, untouched remains, set amongst a grove of cork oaks. Nearby is the mountain of Foia which at 902m is the highest point of the Algarve; it certainly gave a good view!
Next to the west coast; a long rocky coast punctuated by excellent beaches that has largely been spared the development of the south, due to most of the area being a nature reserve. The first stop was at Arrifana; a surfer's beach backed by high black rock cliffs, with a single stack out to sea. The bad weather on the previous day made for impressive waves - better keep your eye on them if you prefer dry socks!
Next was Figueiras; a deserted beach with serrated orange rock formations, several kilometres down small roads and dirt tracks. Deserted, that is, until the small yappy dog turned up! After this we moved on to Bordeira; a wide beach at a river mouth, backed by reeds and sand dunes. Overlooking the beach are some high rocks, from which we got some of the best views of the trip, of Atlantic rollers crashing on the cliffs and along the beach as the sun started to set.
By the time we reached Cabo ce Sao Vicente - the south-westernmost point of Europe - dusk had fallen. None the less, it was an impressive location, jutting out into the Ocean - a fitting terminus to the trip.
One other time of interest - Portuguese food and wine. These were great; excellent seafood, and inland tasty pork and sausage-based dishes, all very reasonably priced. Sadly the cuisine is heavily based around meat and fish - for vegetarians, about the best thing that can be said is that the tomatoes are quite tasty...
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