Vila Real de Santo António

The coastal line continues its unhurried way to the Spanish border. Vila Real de Santo Antonio seems at first a backwater but it's got a majestic waterfront, best seen early in the morning. The Guadiana, forming the boundary between Portugal and Spain, is 500 metres wide here, about the same as at the Thames Barrier in Greenwich. Or at another international border, Windsor in Ontario which I saw about 18 months ago. There's no river view from my guest house but the town looks its best in the late afternoon (it's good in the morning as well but the heavy dew means sitting down requires a towel on the seat). Vila Real's Saturday market is outdoors, with all kinds of memorabilia on show. There's also a lively Christmas spirit on the river!

A short day excursion to another gorgeous town, Tavira, shows a festive spirit as well, and its own waterside atmosphere. Down river, a walk towards the estuary takes me past the salt pans whose product helps flavour many a dining room table.

With Christmas fast approaching, this is my final overseas stay this year. Highlights of 2023? The cactus garden in Mexico, the almost "white nights" in the Baltic states, the mosques of Istanbul? It's sad to be leaving the Algarve but it would be nice to claim, as Arnie would say, "I'll be back."Les mer