Yesterday in the afternoon, I touched down at Farò airport at the Algarve coast. The next days, I will explore the coast and make my way up north to Lisbon and Porto.
My hostel (Blablabla) that I book via Airbnb is in the city of Farò, less than 5 min from the bus stop and less than 10 from the Marina and Old Town. So after getting my room and with that rid off my luggage I headed to the centre.
On the Arco Vila (one of the three entrance archways to the Old Town) I saw several nests and then the first stork. Walking around the city I found a lot of them - having their nests in all the odd places: on churches, cupolas, water towers, street lamps and antennas. I am wondering about the birth rate here.
The Cathedral also called Sé stood on the main square surrounded by orange trees - there were also a lot of oranges hanging in the trees. Unfortunately, I was too small to reach up. But given all the orange trees, fresh orange juice comes at a very low rate.
The original cathedral dates back to 1251 and was probably built on top of a Roman temple. During the Moorish period is also served as mosque. Most of today's structure was constructed after 1755 and is a mix of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque.
At the marina, I had a splendid view of the sunset and the rise of the moon.
My hostel (Blablabla) that I book via Airbnb is in the city of Farò, less than 5 min from the bus stop and less than 10 from the Marina and Old Town. So after getting my room and with that rid off my luggage I headed to the centre.
Arco Vila
on Arco Vila
on Our Lady of Carmo church
on antennas
on street lamps
on a cupola
The Cathedral also called Sé stood on the main square surrounded by orange trees - there were also a lot of oranges hanging in the trees. Unfortunately, I was too small to reach up. But given all the orange trees, fresh orange juice comes at a very low rate.
Sé
tinted tiles of the cathedral
If you come at the right time, you can visit the cathedral, the little museum, the courtyard and the bell tower. Due to the Easter holidays, I had to come back twice before entering.
bell tower
Eastern also means that there was a procession for which several figures, a coffin and flags where carried through the streets.
Waiting for the procession
Not only the clergy took an active role in the procession, but also politicians, firefighters, boy and girl scouts, choirs and the Algarve Bike Club.
Walking the streets of Farò I saw a lot of beautiful old buildings, some well maintained, others awfully neglected.
estate gate
Another noteworthy church is Our Lady of Carmo that was paid for by Brazilian gold and features baroque style.
Our Lady of Carmo
On the backside of the church is the bone chapel - a very macabre vista: the bones and skulls of 1000 monks served as building material - starting the age of recycling.
Capela dos Ossos
On the coastline is a national park called Ria Formosa which is a spectacular place for fishing, diving and bird watching. I went on a guided tour to Desert Island and Lighthouse Island. Unfortunately, the yearly cleaning had not yet taken place and a lot of liter was lying around.
the tour boat
Birds to be seen
Cormorant
interesting flowers in yellow and pink
walk way on Desert Island
Beach on Desert Island
If you wanna come back to civilization after the nature trip, you can go to the shopping centre Forum Algarve that also has a cinema.
Forum Algarve
To finish the day it's best to have your dinner in the centre - fish is always fresh and all the restaurants offer it.
Dinner
At the marina, I had a splendid view of the sunset and the rise of the moon.
Rising moon on the marina
Sunset on Ria Formosa
