Duff , in his research of 'interesting things to see and do in the Algarve', suggested we go on the 'Tour Of The Serra', which took us along the south facing slopes of the Serra do Caldeirao, which boasts a landscape of olive, almond, fig, Carob and palm trees. It was an amazing scenic drive with deep gorges, Interesting vegetation, extremely narrow, winding roads and VERY dry terrain!!!!!!!
We stopped at a little cafe/store about 1/2 hr our of Tavira, where we had drinks and a taste of fresh, locally harvested almonds!
Our travels took us to a village called Cachopo, which was the 1/2 way point on this tour. Cachopo is a 16th century village, which treats its visitors to what life was like 500 years ago, through its museums and a traditional weaving demonstration, featuring linen, cotton and wool (did you know that linen is derived from flax????). A lovely lady, named, Olita, proudly showed us how traditional weaving is done, from plant to fiber to cloth....she also took us to a 500 yr old home, set up as it would have been, in its era!
From there, Joan & Duff toured the archeological museum while the rest of us went for a cold drink! We found THE MOST AMAZING little place with an outdoor patio, that was COVERED in grape vines and which had fruit trees growing all around!!! It was like a jungle of tropical growth and it was sooooo beautiful!!
Joan and Duff joined us and we enjoyed our time in this beautiful, tropical haven!
We were allowed to pick some of the grapes, which were incredibly sweet and delicious!! Pure, organic grapes....no pesticides of any kind!!
We got back on the road and drove on an intensely narrow, winding road....in fact, there was not a single spot where the road went straight. We were excited to find the cork trees! This country produces and harvests cork, from these fascinating trees! It is a HUGE INDUSTRY , here!!
Eventually, this cork will be made into purses, like this......
.....or a WIDE assortment of fashion/personal accessories!
From there, the journey becomes a bit difficult because we took a wrong turn, got lost and had to back track through the INCREDIBLY winding road, to get home! It was a real 'corker' of a road trip!! :-) because many people, in the car got quite nauseated/car sick and felt quite green around the gills, having to re-experience that challenging road TWICE!! The great thing was our competent driver, Lawrence, got us safely back to Tavira, where we parked and then hoofed it over for pizza, to comfort our souls!!
Tomorrow's trek will take us to Sagres!!!....
We stopped at a little cafe/store about 1/2 hr our of Tavira, where we had drinks and a taste of fresh, locally harvested almonds!
Our travels took us to a village called Cachopo, which was the 1/2 way point on this tour. Cachopo is a 16th century village, which treats its visitors to what life was like 500 years ago, through its museums and a traditional weaving demonstration, featuring linen, cotton and wool (did you know that linen is derived from flax????). A lovely lady, named, Olita, proudly showed us how traditional weaving is done, from plant to fiber to cloth....she also took us to a 500 yr old home, set up as it would have been, in its era!
From there, Joan & Duff toured the archeological museum while the rest of us went for a cold drink! We found THE MOST AMAZING little place with an outdoor patio, that was COVERED in grape vines and which had fruit trees growing all around!!! It was like a jungle of tropical growth and it was sooooo beautiful!!
Joan and Duff joined us and we enjoyed our time in this beautiful, tropical haven!
We were allowed to pick some of the grapes, which were incredibly sweet and delicious!! Pure, organic grapes....no pesticides of any kind!!
We got back on the road and drove on an intensely narrow, winding road....in fact, there was not a single spot where the road went straight. We were excited to find the cork trees! This country produces and harvests cork, from these fascinating trees! It is a HUGE INDUSTRY , here!!
Eventually, this cork will be made into purses, like this......
.....or a WIDE assortment of fashion/personal accessories!
We stopped and enjoyed the picnic lunch we had packed, in the shade of a couple of cork trees. (We forgot a blanket, so we had to stand while eating).....
From there, the journey becomes a bit difficult because we took a wrong turn, got lost and had to back track through the INCREDIBLY winding road, to get home! It was a real 'corker' of a road trip!! :-) because many people, in the car got quite nauseated/car sick and felt quite green around the gills, having to re-experience that challenging road TWICE!! The great thing was our competent driver, Lawrence, got us safely back to Tavira, where we parked and then hoofed it over for pizza, to comfort our souls!!
