Cloudy with spotty showers

That's what the weather report said this morning, when we got up at a lazy 9:30 (jet lag and all that). If this is what cloudy with showers looks like in Tavira, I'll take it!

We spent the morning, what was left of it, and the early afternoon, visiting Tavira. It is a really nice place, though our waiter tonight told us that no one lives in the town anymore. Everyone has moved to the modern parts outside. Shame. We enjoyed a castle, three churches, several cafés, and some nice river walks. As someone who walks the Camino de Santiago every year, I was delighted to see that there is a Camino from here that is now marked and open for business! I particularly liked the 18th century tiles in the Church of Misercordia, whose didactic messages included the admonition to "give shelter to pilgrims," along with feed the hungry, be patient with the mentally weak, clothe the naked, etc.

In the late afternoon, we hopped in the car and went to the tiny village of Cacela Velha. Wow, just beautiful, with long walks along the estauary or whatever they call that delta part. We ran into lots of English birders talking about cormorants and kingfishers. Lots of French and German RVs hooked up along the water. If I had an RV, I would hook it up here too. It is just lovely. And the food is GREAT! Tuna, octopus, and prawns have been our dinners.

Tomorrow is a holiday, Fat Tuesday and all that, so we will steer clear of museums and churches, all of which are likely to be closed. Maybe we will take a ferry to the ocean.Read more