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Portugal and Islands - 2019Portugal and Islands - 2019
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Portugal and Islands - 2019

December 2018 - April 2019
A 96-day adventure by Ladyandtramp Read more
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  • LadyandtrampPortugal and Islands - 2019

    Cacela Velha Fortress

    January 1, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    The morning after the big night... We briefly saw our first clouds today and as it promised to be a warm and sunny day, we decided to jump into the car and go to an old village called Cacela Velha.

    As we drove on the road towards Spain, we were pleasantly surprised by the changes in the countryside. Low rolling hills with pine trees. Then orchards of orange trees full of ripening fruit. As we got closer to the village, we saw fields of flowers and flowering trees.

    During the 10th century, a castle and Islamic town were built on the site of Cacela Velha. Archeologists figure that it was an agricultural centre that was also used as a stopover for Greek and Phoenician navigators.

    The current structure, that consists of a church, priest’s house and a few other buildings within a fortress was built between 1770 and 1794.

    The views from the village were lovely. We walked down a set of stairs to the beach and just enjoyed being in the sun by the sea while watching the sea birds do what seabirds do.

    The beach on the sandspit below the village has been rated as one of the best in the world. To get to it, you have to take a little ferry from a place called Fabrica, which we didn’t do.

    I included a photo of an Algarve fly screen. A series of ribbons hang down in doorways to repel flies. We will have to try that on our little trailer doorway. I wonder if it works for mosquitoes...    Read more

  • LadyandtrampPortugal and Islands - 2019

    Walk to the Market

    January 2, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We started out a little late. Fish markets open early here and by the time that we sauntered into the market, most of the stalls were covered up and closed. But we had a lovely walk in the sun and were able to buy two avocados there.

    As you probably have noticed, the river goes through the centre of town and people gather on both banks, sit in tiny outdoor cafes and drink coffee while eating their breakfast pastries in the early sun. We joined them and had Galaos ( 1/2 coffee and 1/2 milk) while people watching. We really like the quietness and calmness here. It’s like drinking chamomile tea. Quiet and calming. We noticed that Portuguese drivers don’t honk their horns impatiently or drive fast and always stop for pedestrians who are crossing the road.

    Today the teachers go back to school (not the kids) and we saw several teachers heading to work carrying their books and dressed for work.

    We have been on the lookout for nesting storks. We haven’t seen any yet but we are checking the tops of buildings.

    We did see a large dredging boat working today, pulling up silt from the river. It is a clean river that goes up and down with the tides as it flows to the ocean.

    Most of the houses here are white, or tiled in white and blue, and they stand out against the brilliant blue skies. It seems like there is a lot of renovation going on in the town. Our apartment was in a very old building that had been renovated and divided into four apartments.

    We are starting to see stores that are selling articles made from cork. The shoes and purses look amazing. When we head into the cork forests, I am sure that I will be motivated to write a blog about cork harvesting. Haha.

    Right now, we are going to sit in the sun for a bit and make plans for the afternoon.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampPortugal and Islands - 2019

    Cabanas

    January 2, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Just outside of Tavira, is a town called Cabanas, which once was a fishing village made up of cabanas or cabins where the fishermen kept their tackle and gear. Now it is a tourist area with condos, hotels and restaurants. We kept seeing signs to it so we decided to see why it was so popular.

    I ‘borrowed’ an aerial photo of the area to gave it some perspective. From the ground, it doesn’t look very impressive. You can see the 7 km sand-spit/island that has an amazing beach. To get to the island, you have to take a water taxi.

    Also, you can see an old star- shaped fort that has been made into a hotel. What you can’t see are all the condos to the right of the photo. It is winter now so the town is fairly empty and seafood restaurants are mostly closed, but we can imagine that in the summer it is a hopping place with the beach so close by.

    We drove to Cabanas on some very narrow lanes through orange orchards and farm fields. When we got to the fort, we parked and got out and walked on a long boardwalk beside the waterway. The sun was shining and it was very peaceful and quiet.

    We drive home and walked to a well-spoken-of tapas restaurant that is close by called No de Gosto. Delicious food, a homey atmosphere and wonderful service! Our friend Donna will have to go there when she goes to Tavira!

    We met a Swedish couple there who have a holiday home in Cabanas and we ended up having a wonderful conversation about Portugal with them. It was an interesting night.

    A little note...the lady next door to us heard Chris coughing and brought him a jar of honey to add to his tea. So far, Portuguese people have been living up to their reputation as kind and caring people!    Read more

  • LadyandtrampPortugal and Islands - 2019

    Last Full Day in Tavira

    January 3, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Across the river from where we are staying, is the location of the old walled city. A few days ago, we went to the remains of the castle through old city walls, but we didn’t realized that there was a lot more to see on that Santa Maria Hill. We headed out today to visit the old water tower that houses a camera obscura (pin hole camera) with a revolving lens that projects telescopic images of the town below onto a large concave screen. Unfortunately, it was not open but ...

    We decided to explore the old town further and we discovered a fair bit in a small area.

    From river level, we could see a very large building with a gallery or covered veranda running all around it. Well, that 16th century building is called The Palace of Galleries and now houses the Municipal Museum of Tavira. The museum has revolving art exhibitions, but it also houses a permanent collection of regional artifacts, including pieces from Phoenician origin, Islamic sacred art, and medieval implements form the Algarve. Under the building archaeologists have discovered circular wells which were dug by the phoenicians between 800 and 600 B.C. We could stand on a glass floor and see the wells and tunnels. Very cool.

    We continued to wander the streets and came upon the white Church of Misericordia. We weren’t sure what that meant but went in.

    We paid a couple of euros for a ticket to visit the small museum which houses some paintings of the Holy family as well as informative panels explaining the history of the building and the importance of its role in the history of the city. Then the curator whisked us to the base of the bell tower where we climbed the steep circular steps to the belfry. We hoping that the bells weren’t going to ring when we were there! The views were great!

    As soon as we got to the base, the curator found us again and led us into the church. Nothing quite prepared us for the stunning interior of the church. It’s not very big but the blue tile (azulejos) frescos were amazing and the carved gold high altar was magnificent.

    Apparently the church was built between 1541 and 1561 for aiding the poor and sick people following the Black Plague. I think that the frescoes on the walls illustrate the 18 physical and emotional ‘works of mercy’ people can do to aid the poor people.

    Lots of hidden gems in Tavira! It is a old town with a long history.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampPortugal and Islands - 2019

    On to Lagos with a Stop in Loule

    January 4, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    We have made the move to Lagos, still in the Algarve, but on the west side. Tavira was on the east side near the border with Spain.

    When we first arrived in Faro, we rented a car at the airport through a small company called Luzcar and it has been very handy. We packed it up and drove the hilly 115 km to Lagos, on the toll highway, with a stop in Loule for lunch.

    After reading about this little town, we were motivated to visit it. We read that it is “a likeable town that offers fascinating tourist attractions, a traditional Portuguese Saturday market, and a delightful historic centre. It is one of the few destinations in the Algarve whose primary focus is not tourism; it is a town full of ordinary Portuguese going about their daily lives.” That sounded nice.

    Today is Friday so the market was not in full force but we were able to visit it and have a coffee and a piece of Dutch apple pie with whipping cream in a tiny cafe.

    Then on to Lagos. Another 50 minutes.

    Our google maps app took us right to our hotel. The app has been great as many of the streets here are one way, narrow and the street names often are nowhere to be seen.

    Our hotel, Lagos Uptown BnB, is in a good location just outside the old city walls. Everywhere we would want to go in town is no farther than a 10 - 15 minute walk. On the top of the building there is a wonderful common room and outside terrace that overlooks the old town and the ocean. It is heated in the evenings with a pellet stove. Really cozy.

    Our friend Donna from Elora was due to arrive by train from Lisbon at 9 p.m. we had arranged to pick her up but she arrived on an earlier train and took a taxi to our hotel. We were pleasantly surprised to see her. What fun! We walked to a local pizzeria, ate a delicious French pizza and drank sangria, while getting caught up on trip details.

    Then off to bed after making a few plans for the next day.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampPortugal and Islands - 2019

    Lagos and Donna

    January 5, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    So, after 4 months of our talks of travel to Europe, Donna and the two of us have hooked up in Portugal. She is an experienced traveller so we know that we will have an easy and fun time with her.

    Chris is still suffering from a bad cough, especially at night, and decided that the over-the-counter cough syrups and lozenges just weren’t doing enough. He needed to see a doctor to get a prescription for an antibiotic.

    After a good breakfast in the upstairs lounge overlooking the ocean and the old town, Chris walked to the nearby hospital and Donna and I walked to the Saturday fruit, vegetable and fish market down by the marina. It was great - lots of organic foods, grown in the surrounding countryside, as well as honeys, baked goods and homemade jams and jellies. Just look at the giant tomato I am holding!

    We returned back to the BnB and saw that Chris had just returned. He had ampicillin for bronchitis and something to relax his throat while sleeping. We are looking forward to our first good night’s sleep in Portugal, without any coughing.

    Donna needed to pick up her rental car before heading to her time share at the Belmar Resort so we drove her the short distance down to Luzcar. Once all was settled, we all drove out to see the resort. What a place! Pretty posh. Lovely. She will have a great week.

    We had packed a picnic lunch with white wine so we sat on her patio, enjoying the sun and the food.

    We spent the late afternoon resting and just let the medicine get established. Later we were able to watch a Jack Reacher movie. Haha.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampPortugal and Islands - 2019

    Ponta de Piedade - Our Walk on the Cliff

    January 6, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Chris finally is on the mend and we had a decent sleep. Yay!

    Fernando, our host, suggested a great walk on a boardwalk on top of the seaside cliffs just to the west of Lagos. The boardwalk was fairly new and led to a group of rock formations forming yellow-golden cliffs around 20 meters high. Almost every Portugal brochure has a photo of these beautiful caves, grottos and sea arches and we were excited to see them.

    We drove to the Belmar resort, picked up Donna, then on to a little parking spot where the boardwalk started. It was a glorious day and the views of the ocean and the cliffs were something else. As we walked, we found it easy to step off the boardwalk onto old trails that went close to the edge of the cliffs. There were several danger signs that mentioned the instability of the sand cliffs and we had to be careful that we didn’t go too close. It was a steep drop to the ocean!

    After walking about 2 km, we got to the little Lagos lighthouse and saw a set of stairs with 192 steps that would take us to the sea level. Down, down, down we went, into an amazing eroded ‘hole’, Ponte de Piedade. The rock formation and the water rushing in and out of smaller holes on the sides of the hole made for an exciting and noisy walk.

    Hundreds of birds live in little holes on the sides of the cliffs and it looked like they were preparing their nests - flying in and out. When we got close enough to identify the birds, we realized that they were pigeons, maybe rock pigeons?

    We had heard that the best way to appreciate the beauty of Ponta de Piedade is from the sea. We couldn’t imagine that anything could more beautiful than the walk on the cliffs. But now that we were at sea level, we were curious and an opportunity (that I will talk about in the next footprint) presented itself.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampPortugal and Islands - 2019

    The View from Below

    January 6, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    We made it to the bottom of the 192 stairs, while oohing and ahhing all the way down and we saw that a little fisherman’s boat was attempting to dock beside a rock ledge. The waves kept pushing it in and out. A couple, who were smiling from ear to ear, jumped out and raved about their experience going with the fishermen into the caves and grottos. They told us that we would love it.

    We decided to grab the opportunity, and quickly and carefully jumped into the rocking boat. That was the beginning of our mini adventure.

    There are numerous boats trips available from Lagos that will take you around the rock pillars, through the natural tunnels and into the grottoes around Ponta da Piedade, but most of the boats are fairly big and can’t fit in the caves. We were in a small boat, and by bending our heads, were able to fit under the arches of the sea caves. How cool!

    The water is wonderfully clear and the bright sunshine filtered through the holes and fissures in the rocks and reflected off the water. It was beautiful.

    The fisherman showed us his catch of fish and octopus and told us the names of many of the formations - the camel, the gorilla, the Titanic, the Sphinx, etc.

    He said that he loved his job and we could tell.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampPortugal and Islands - 2019

    To the End of the World ...

    January 7, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Yesterday, after our walk to the Ponta da Piedade, we went back to Donna’s hotel for a charcuterie board lunch consisting of a variety of Portuguese meats, cheeses, fruit and nuts. Then a refreshing cup of tea. Yum!

    We talked about our plans for the next day and decided it was time for us to go to Sagres and Cabo Sao Vicente, which before the 15th Century was known as ‘the end of the world’. It was believed that sea monsters lived just out of sight, a little beyond the horizon, before the earth dropped off into a terrible black hole.

    Of course, our wonderful host, Fernando, gave us lots of tips and suggestions. He has a wealth of information

    From Lagos to the Cape through Sagres was about 30 km. Not far and on a good road.

    We stopped for a few minutes and watched surfers on a beach way down below. It would be quite the trek for them going down and then back up all the stairs from the top of the cliffs to the sea with a surfboard. But I guess, they felt it was worth it.

    The land on the cape was rocky and barren. We were lucky that we went there on a day with little wind. We had taken jackets anticipating a strong wind but we didn’t need them. Before we left, the three of us bought ON Cloudventure trail shoes. We have loved wearing them. They were the perfect shoes for the rough and rocky ground at the cape! We took photos of our shoes that travelled to ‘the end of the world’ and sent it to the store in Fergus where we bought them, as requested. Haha.

    The Romans called Cape St Vincent ‘Promontorium Sacrum’ (or Holy Promontory) and believed the sun sank here. They would come to listen to it hissing into the ocean as it was extinguished and watch it bleeding into the water. They considered it a magical place where the sunset was much larger than anywhere else.

    There is just so much history in this area. The present lighthouse that is at the tip of the cape is 24 metres (79 ft) high and was built over the ruins of a 16th-century Franciscan convent in 1846. It has a powerful light that can be seen 60 km away. The cliffs all around are 60 m. high. The Portuguese don’t put guards or rails around dangerous areas as they expect people to be smart. The drop off to the ocean is something else, as you can see from the photos. Awesome!

    We were a little disappointed that we couldn’t see the little museum in the lighthouse. Apparently it is only open on Wednesdays.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampPortugal and Islands - 2019

    And Back ...

    January 7, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Upon leaving the San Vicente Cape, we drove the 6 km to Sagres to see the big fort that was there. On the way, we passed another small fort called Beliche that has been around since at least the 1500, if not longer. In 1578, Francis Drake attacked the fort and caused serious damage to it. It had a lot of reconstruction work done to it and was not completed until 1632. Then, it was significantly damaged by the big 1755 earthquake in Portugal. Now it is sitting precariously on a crumbling cliff and has been closed to the public for safety reasons. We were just able to wander on part of the grounds surrounding the fortress.

    Now the Sagres fortress was completely different. It was huge and imposing, with a very rocky, harsh landscape. The views over the sheer cliffs were breath-taking, and we could see all along the coast to Cabo de São Vicente. Fishermen with long poles, stood on little ledges, leaned over the cliffs and cast their lines way down into the ocean. Pretty scary. They fish for a small fish called sardos, breem, and haul the fish up in a basket.

    According to legend, this is where Prince Henry the Navigator established his navigation school and prepared the early Portuguese explorers for trips out to sea.

    Inside the gate there is a huge, curious stone pattern that measures 43m in diameter. A sign said that it is called the Rosa Dos Ventos. This strange configuration is believed to be a mariner’s compass or a sundial of sorts. It was excavated in 1921 and no one really knows what it was used for.

    We peeked into a small, whitewashed, 16th-century Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Graça. Inside there was a gilded 17th-century altarpiece. I especially liked the tiled altar panels which feature elephants and antelopes. I wonder why they were put on a church altar...

    No museum here either, just a few plaques with information in several languages.

    By now, we were hungry. Fernando had recommended a good fish restaurant in Carrapateira but it was closed for holidays. Darn. We actually drove around looking for a restaurant but without luck so we stopped in a little place that served tapa-type food, outside, and we were able to share big plates of octopus salad, barnacles and fried prawns with Portuguese bread and beer for a reasonable price. We even got lessons in how to eat the barnacles and shrimp. Everything was tasty!

    Then, home again, home again, jig a jig jig.    Read more

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