We are back from another road trip and are tired!! This will be a short post because, for some reason, and it may be related to the size of my posts (with ++ pictures), we have been having increasing trouble posting the entries I submit. It is very, very frustrating and makes me feel like I don't want to put all the effort into writing extensive blogs, just to wrestle with an app bug! Maybe if it is a small entry, it will post quickly and successfully! Here's hoping!!!...... :-)
Today, we travelled along the N125 road, to the northwest part of the Algarve. We stopped in the city of Faro and really did not like it that much, at all.....we found one shop that had some good things for us to buy for our kids, and we had a cup of coffee & a pastry, listening to a great busking trio, but other than that, it was not an enchanting city and we left it o head further into the hills. Our destination for today, was a small city called Silves. The drive was scenic and interesting, in that you just seem to leave one community and you enter the next one!! It is is just one little - moderate size community after another! They are all very similar!
The highway signage is excellent so we did not have any trouble making our way there and back! This is a huge relief!
Our original plan, for today until Wednesday/Thursday, was to be travelling in Spain, but the weather has gotten very cool, windy and a bit rainy. With this being our ONLY time to explore Spain, we wanted it to be sunny! A have decided to go to Spain, on Wednesday, when it is supposed to go back to being sunny, hot and beautiful! We will continue to explore the costal communities in this Algarve area until then.
Okay....so back to Silves.....it it's quite a pretty little city and it has a long history dating back to it's beginnings in the 8th century!! It is nestled into the hills of NW Portugal, with a tiny river flowing through. It has a castle and of course a few massive, churches .....one that was originally built in the 15th century! There is soooo much to learn about, history-wise!! We just simply did not have time to do/hear it all! This was kind of an 'appetizer' visit!!
They are very proud of their heritage and host a medieval festival each year to commemorate their history!
We walked around the town....had lunch at one of the MANY coffee shops/cafes....absorbed it's charm and beauty, then left to make the 2 our drive back to our Tavira 'home'. It feels soooo wonderful coming back to our comfy apartment after a long and adventurous day! Here are a few pics of Silves (pronounced 'sheelash').....
Typical streets with cafes and stores.....very inviting!
Notice the stork & nest on the top right had corner of this brick building....there was a baby in the nest!!
Looking down, at this square, from the upper balcony of the brick building.
They have such interesting doors and windows in their homes.
Up, up, up!!
The view!.....
The inside of the church that was. Built in the 15th century! Amazing how it has stood the test of time!
Pole dancing in Silves!! :)
A park that seemed to be a tribute to the Moorish history in this settlement.
It was a good day!!!
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What great pictures! Thanks again for posting! I love the picture of the tiled street with the red cafe chairs and tables bookmarked by the brick buildings!
ReplyDeleteI must start having a rag close by to clean up the drool on the keyboard after reading your jottings and viewing your photos!!!
ReplyDeleteWe too love going off the beaten path and seeing how people live and guess what, checking out the crops and seeing what is going on and what grows in the area. I will always be a farmer's daughter. Life does have its twists and turns.