(21-26 JULY) We flew from Frankfurt, Germany to the airport in Faro, Portugal, on the south coast not far from Spain. Unlike most of the coastal Algarve, the city of Faro is not a beach city, but lies inside a large coastal salt marsh with outer barrier islands, the Ria Formosa.
The barrier islands have beautiful beaches, one of which can be accessed by bus or ferry, and others by ferries, speedboats, and water taxis. The Ria Formosa is a Natural Park that is home to numerous types of fish and wildlife, including some of the largest populations of seahorses (now protected species) in the world. Tourism is a big industry in Faro and the Algarve region, so as you can imagine, there are many types of boat trips offered (hawked) by private companies.
Here is a link to a photo album of Faro.
Not counting travel days to and from Faro. We spent 4 days there in a small city house [ADD VRBO LINK] just a couple pf blocks outside the Old City wall. Our travel style is usually to not speed around from attraction to attraction but to relax, enjoy the place and people, and choose things to do that give us a good sense of place. We took a ferry to Ilha Farol (Farol Island), where there is a large lighthouse (farol in Portugese). We had a wonderful lunch, including a nice discussion with a couple our age from Belgium at the next table, walked and sat on the beach, collected a sand sample for the Museum of Sand in Portland Oregon, and took the return ferry to Faro. Another day we took a ferry to Ilha Deserta, sat on the beach, I snorkeled for about 10 minutes in the chilly Atlantic, ate a delicious lunch at the only development on-the island, NAME Restaurant, and returned to Faro on a speedboat (15-minute ride instead of 45-minutre ferry ride). We also went to a performance of fado music, including a short documentary about the history of fado, at the municiple museum in Faro, and then toured the museum exhibits. The museum is in an old convent built during the early 16th century in the former Jewish Quarter of Faro after the Jews had been expelled (or killed). The building is beautiful, built as a square around a large courtyard. We learned a lot about the history of Faro, including the periods of Roman and Moorish rule. They also had an exhibit of surrealist art. It is a small museum, well worth a visit if you happen to be in the area. We walked around the Old City and the pedestrian streets of the Faro shopping district. A lot of the streets in the shoppoing district are pedestrian only, with many restaurant outdoor tables and a diversity of shops, not just touristic, but for locals.
One of our favorite parts of travel is meeting people, including local residents as well as fellow travelers. The hosts of our rental house, Veronica and Bruno, are a wonderful young couple who have created a cozy and well-equipped home away from home for travelers in their vacation rental. From the moment she greeted us with a big smile we felt welcomed and at home. Veronica and Bruno, and their 1-year old adorable daughter, came by with a bottle of sparkling wine as a gift for our anniversary (53 years), and we got to know them a bit more.
We did not meet any Portugese people who didn’t speak English, and many who spoke other languages, as well. We learned that English is taught in grade schools, and of course, in tourist areas English is somewhat a universal language. I always feel very fortunate to be an English speaker, and always very envious of people who are multi-lingual. As a result, we had no trouble communicating in Faro (and everywhere we were in Portugal), and learned a lot about Portugese life and culture from taxi drivers to barkeeps to locals we met. Portugal seems to be a fairly easy-going place where the people are warm and friendly, the food and wine are good, the lanscape and cities are interesting and beautiful, and, for tourists at least, the cost of living is less than many other parts of Europe.
On the speedboat back to Faro from Ilha Deserta we sat with two couples from Ontario, Canada. I broke the ice by apologizing for the way our Dear Leader had insulted their Prime Minister, and they assured us that they like Americans in spite of our bizarre leader. we laughed a lot, and I suggested that we all go for a drink when we got back to Faro. We walked from the dock into the Old City where I led the group to the Old Tavern (established in 2018!). We had been there the day before for a coupkle of drinks, and got to know the young bartender, who has a moustacher like Salvador Dali. When Sherry told him that we liked his Dali moustache, he said, “Of course, Salvador Dali; my name is Salvsador!” We truly hit it off with Salvador, and told him he would fit in perfectly with the hipster scene in Portland. Needless to say, we and our new Canadian friends had a fun time sitting outside at the Old Tavern with cocktails and beers.
We enjoyed Faro. Next stop, Lisboa!
—-
