Going to Tavira with an aching in my heart...

I received some sad news this week. I don't necessarily want to write about it here, but suffice to say that I'm grieving a loss. Part of the reason why I went on this journey was to heal from other losses, and now, I have a fresh wound to heal. I decided to stay an extra night in Faro to give myself some space before jumping back into dorm life in Seville. I decided on Tuesday to get up and go to the nearby town of Tavira rather than mope in my hotel room. I figured that getting out and doing things would be the best way to pull my emotional socks up.

The town of Tavira is close to the border with Spain. It was recommended that I go there by my former supervisor as well as some locals from Faro. I consulted the train timetable and set out with my beach gear, and an open mind. The train runs about every hour from Faro, takes approximately 30 minutes one-way, and costs €6.30 return for an adult fare.

Upon alighting from the train in the town, I was struck by two figures outside the train station, a man in a military uniform waving goodbye to his love across the way (the female figure was in the roundabout, the male figure was right outside the station). The plaque on the wall outside the station said it was to commemorate those soldiers who left for war, but also for their wives/partners who were left behind. A very poignant tribute. In a way, it reminded me of saying goodbye to everyone back home before I left for my trip (especially true of a Bear and a Bird - you know who you are). 

To get to the main part of town, you have to walk more or less diagonally away from the train station and down the hill towards the water. Tavira is known as the "Venice of the Algarve" because it's surrounded by a number of canals, rivers, and of course the ocean. 

Above: Left side of the frame shows the "Roman Bridge" (so called because of its design, not its antiquity), and the right side of the frame shows the iconic four-sided rooves of the buildings along the waterfront of the Rua de Liberdade. There is some speculation about why Tavira has these four-sided rooves...my guidebook said it was because of the often sudden torrential rains in winter - that the rains would more easily run off the rooves - but in town, I heard it was possibly due to Chinese influence in architecture at the time. 

Above: walking up to the old part of town amidst whitewashed walls (a Moorish influence). 

Tavira has 21 churches (so many for one town!) but only two are available for visitors to explore, both are located in the old town, up the stairs and just around the corner from the tourist office. The Church of Mercies is a gorgeous church with "mercies" depicted on one wall in the now familiar blue azulejo tiles, and the other wall depicts miracles also in tilework. The stairs leading up to the alter are painted aqua and the alter has a stunning nucleus of the Virgin Mary. Entrance to the church is free. Unfortunately, photos are not permitted inside the church. The roof needs some repairs (I could see sunlight coming through a chink in the ceiling) and the church depends on the sales of postcards and donations to carry out restoration works. I bought a postcard to send to my mom, I think she would've loved the place.

Next two photos: The second church visitors can see is Santa Maria and like the cathedral in Faro, it was built on the site of a former mosque in the 13th century CE. The church suffered major damage from the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and was rebuilt in the baroque style. Inside there is a crypt where Dom Paio Peres Correia lays, surrounded by his seven knights who were killed by the Moors despite a truce existing at the time between the two ethnic groups. Tavira was reclaimed from the Moors shortly after.

The interior is a jumble of chapel alterpieces as this church serves as a museum of sorts, holding a collection of sacred art from a number of the town's now closed churches. Entrance costs a mere €1.50 and includes the museum upstairs as well as the cathedral itself. The church has a gothic clock tower that still keeps time faithfully and is a major landmark in the old part of the town. 

Below: one of the alterpieces from another church on display in the Santa Maria church. I'm not sure which saint this is (anyone know?) but I'm assuming she's a saint of sailing due to the anchor, and I thought she was lovely.

While I was in Faro, I met two pensioner gentlemen (Flannegans, a pair of cousins from England) who told me about the opportunity to see a camera obscura in action. I had to ask about three different people where it was because the directions from the tourist office were vague, and map they give you is so tiny, it's hard to make out the street directions. The Tower of Tavira where the camera is housed is a former water tower for the town. What's interesting to note is that camera obscura have been around since at least 500 BCE (both in China, and later during Aristotle's time - 384-322 BCE). We know that Leonardo da Vinci and Johannes Keppler also used them. The design is basic: two lenses and a mirror, but the results are startling.

The Tower/camera obscura viewing costs €3.50 for a general adult ticket. You take the lift up to the top which puts you at about 100 meters above sea level. The guide presents a live-action 360 degree view of Tavira through the camera that lasts about 15 minutes. 

Below: a clear shot of the town from the camera obscura. Whatever you see is actually behind you due to the optics of using a mirror.

After the a tower, I decided it was time for lunch, which I ate just outside the ruins of the castle walls (also affected by the 1755 earthquake) and took a stroll along the ruins to take in what my guidebook described as the best view of the town, and enjoyed the gardens therein.

I then walked down into the lower part of town and took in the former market (seen below). If you see the aqua dress on the far right side of the frame, it will look familiar from my last blog post. I bought it off an elderly Portugese couple that fussed over me. The woman helped me try the dress on, and she was pulling at the slip under it, she did all but pinched my bum. It was a funny experience that helped lighten my mood.

Tavira is also known for it's stunning beach on the adjacent island. A 15 minute ferry-ride costing €1.90 return, takes you to this sandy beach that borders the nature reserve on one side, the salt pans on another, and the ocean on the last side. I didn't want to get caught up in any tourist traps, so I literally took the road less travelled and promptly found myself in the middle of nowhere. 

Above: selfie taken on the ferry to the island. I'm wearing the silver & jet pendant I bought in Santiago de Compostela. I think jet is good for grief.

Below: I'm where now?

It's a good thing that I have a solid sense of direction. I managed to steer myself towards the beach and hid between two small sand dunes because the wind had picked up and it wasn't fun to sit out in the open. I think I had a nap, and woke up feeling like I was being sandblasted due to the wind. A quick dip cleared my skin but the sand was so fine, I found some on me hours later after I returned to Faro. I decided that the wind was only getting more intense, and so I packed up in a hurry and ran to catch the ferry (which runs every hour, on the hour from the island). I caught sight of a neat piece of beach art, and stopped to snap a quick shot before running off to the ferry and then "home" to Faro for my last day in the Algarve, and indeed in Portugal. Until next time!

Faro - Capitol of the Algarve

Unlike Lagos with its rolling hills and impressive sandstone cliff faces around the grotto beaches, Faro is built on a flat expanse of land that borders on marshes. I did a double-take when I got off the two hour train ride from Lagos and thought to myself, "this is the same Algarve region?" But yes, the Eastern part of the Algarve is the yin to the Western Algarve's yang. The town of Faro is accessible on foot, and easy to navigate once obtaining a free map from the tourist centre.

Above: the Arco da Vila, built in the 1812 by an Italian architect. The portico is originally Moorish (the only one of its kind in the Algarve), and served as a part of the protective walls encircling the old town. Three items of note: the statue over the arch is of Saint Thomas Aquinas, patron saint of Faro; secondly, see those large birds and nests on the top and left of the arch? Those are storks nesting! The birds are protected and cannot be removed though their droppings are negatively effecting the structure; and lastly, the tourist office is just adjacent (to the left) of the arch for landmark purposes.

Above: the roundabout near the Palácio Bivarin at sunset. My hotel was just left of this frame. I treated myself to four nights here because I badly needed a break from the dorm life of hostels.

Wandering around Faro without any real designs of what I wanted to see on my first day lead to some lovely sites around the old part of town. Here are a couple snapshots from my meandering walk:

Above: a beautiful flowering tree (possibly bougainvillea?) in a broken pot holds court over this little street.

Below: these two gents were outside near my hotel every morning playing an assortment of folk and famous songs (like "When the Saints Go Marchin In") and they were very good. Definitely a pair of characters. 

My second day in Faro, I went to the beach (or Praia in Portugese). The beach lays just beyond the airport (the bus #16 costs €2.22 one way) and is one of the longest beaches I've ever visited in all my travels. I walked for miles before finding a spot, built three little "walls" of sand to shelter me from the gusty winds and relaxed. The beach is located alongside the Mediterranean Ocean, and despite knowing Morroco was in that direction, there was no hint of it. Only two weeks now until that part of my journey!

Below: On my way back, I was feeling revitalized after being overtired from traveling and walking. I took a photo of my footprints disappearing into the surf. Everything changes, everything passes away, everything is transient. The only time that exists is the present moment...

My third day in Faro, I took a day trip to the very pretty town of Tavira, which will be the subject of my next post. Stay tuned.

For my last full day in Faro, I decided to try and squeeze in the main sights of the town.

Below: on the left of the frame is the view of the Moorish Castle (which is poorly maintained and not open to visitors) and the marshlands beyond from the top of the tower of the Sé (cathedral). The marshlands are considered to be one of the 7 Wonders of Portugal, and are a wintering ground for many species of waterfowl such as Cattle Egrets, the Purple Grallinule, and the Red-Crested Pochard. I unfortunately didn't see any of these birds as I arrived in the wrong season. Apparently Flamingoes also winter here. 

Faro has been the Capitol of the Algarve since 1756. Like other towns and cities in Portugal, it was previously a Roman settlement (as early as the 7th century BCE), and it's name was Ossonoba. It changed hands several times over the centuries, being an important Moorish port before it was recaptured by the Portugese King Afonso III in 1249. It was then sacked and burned by the Earl of Essex (favourite of Queen Elizabeth I) in 1596. The city was rebuilt, only to be damaged by the great earthquake in Lisbon in 1755, and the fact that Faro is about 300 kilometres from Lisbon shows the magnatude of that quake.

Below: a rather austere statue of Dom Afonso III, Portuguese conquerer of Faro, just outside the Museu Municipal.

Next two photos: Housed within the Museu Municipal (entry is €2 for the exhibits only) is a huge mosaic depicting Oceanus/Neptune flanked by the North and West winds. This mosaic was originally discovered near the train station in Faro in 1926 but wasn't extracted until 50 years later. Unfortunately, the mosaic was damaged in the 20's when it was first being excavated. The mosaic was commissioned by four individuals during the Roman settlement circa 3rd century BCE. It's size indicates the weath of the town at the time. On the adjoining wall is an artist's depiction of what the completed mosaic would've looked like.

I decided that it I also wanted to see the Recital de Guitarra Portuguesa in the Mesuem (an additional €3), which consisted of a slideshow/video exhibition of the history of the Portugese guitar and demonstrations of the various types of Fado and original compositions by a local guitar player. This exhibit/recital was worth the extra €3 as it gave a great overview of both the instrument (which is similar  to a citar with its twelve strings), luthiers, and it's cultural importance in Portugal. 

There are two types of Fado: Lisbon and Coimbra styles. Fado originated in Lisbon by the poor people (Maria Severa was one of the founders), and Fado means destiny. Often the poor people would sing about the harsh realities (or destinies) of their lives. Fado, as I mentioned in my blog entry about Coimbra, expresses soudade or the feelings of loss/longing. The Fado of Coimbra is considered more elitist because it's sung about university life, and is more formal (with no clapping during performances), and only men may sing Fado in Coimbra (sexism, in my opinion). Whereas the Fado of Lisbon is more informal, being founded in the poorer classes. 

Below: a local Portugese guitar master João (didn't get his last name) demonstrating the passion of Fado. I bought the CD for €10, because it was honestly that good! His guitar is made in Coimbra style with its longer neck and tear-shaped finial.

The Sé of Faro is also known as the Santa Maria Chruch, and was originally located on the site of a mosque. The mosque was destroyed during the Portugese reconquest, and the cathedral was built on its location. The building has undergone many revisions to its architecture due to the transference of the archdiocese from Silves to Faro in 1577, the devasting fires caused by Robert Devereux (2nd Earl of Essex) during the British attacks in 1596, and then of course, the earthquake of 1755. What remains today is a mixture of Medaeval (the tower façade), gothic, and baroque periods.

Below: the exterior of the Sé from the main square in the old part of town.

Above: one of the side-chapels inside the cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria. Check out the ornate azulejo tile works, they stretch all the way up into the archways of the ceiling overhead. 

Below: the stunning 18th century organ covered with Chinese motifs. Concerts are given on this organ, but none where happening when I visited the cathedral. A pity really, I would've love to hear this magnificent organ sing and resound against the high arches of the cathedral's ceiling.

Below: Apart of the cathedral complex are two exterior chapels. One is dedicated to Saint Michael, slayer of the serpent, and another small one called the Chapel of the Bones where the altarpiece is comprised of human bones and skulls - some are relics.

Below: a photo of myself on my last day in Faro taken outside the old walls of the city.

I would definitely recommend visiting Faro if one is planning on visiting the Algarve. It's proximity to other gorgeous towns, it's history, and charm are not to be missed. I may be back one day...

Lagos, it's pronounced La-goosh

After my time surrounded by the history and culture in Lisbon, I took a four hour bus ride to Lagos in the Western Algarve province of Portugal. This bustling resort town is still quite full of tourists despite nearing the end of September - many from England and Germany, with the odd Polish couple wandering around. The town is clearly geared towards tourists, with shops of souvenirs, pricey posh restaurants lining the promenade, and talented buskers plying their trade (check out "Streetwise" on YouTube, those guys were amazing!) 

My hostel was located a street up from the centre of the action, but it got so noisy at night, we simply had to shut the window dispute the stifling heat. The window of my shared dorm was at street level, and after two nights of hardly any sleep, I snapped. I realized that I haven't had a full night of undisturbed sleep since I left my Aunt Marie's house in Ireland almost a month ago. It was time for me to shell out for a decent hotel so I could get some sleep and also some space from dorm life. I moved up the hill to a rather posh guesthouse, but the cost of the stay was worth the sleep and peace I got in return. Plus, it was closer to the Praia do Camilo beach that I found on my second day here in Lagos.

But first, some scenes from the town. Lagos is easily walkable, even if you are a bit outside of the town. There are a few hills, but nothing like the ones in Coimbra! The main square is called the Praça do Infante, after Henry the Navigator (also known as D. Alfonso Henriques), and his statue sits gazing out at the sea.

Above: Henry the Navigator, perched at the edge of his domain. 

Below: the beautiful main square of Lagos. The church nearest (left side of the frame) is Santa Maria. The church towers in the distance (middle frame) belong to the impressive church of Santo António.

Santo António is no longer an active parish church. Instead it is now a museum and it's adjoining rooms hold the rather eclectic ethnological collections of the Meseu Manicipal Dr José Formosinho. Entrance to the church and museum costs a mere €3 for adults. The interior of the church is astonishing to behold. The lower half of the walls are covered with blue azulejos tiles; the rest is covered (and I mean covered) with carved, gilded and painted woodwork of cherubs, angels, and spiralling vines, a rather overwhelming example of Baroque style run amok. Around the church are eight paintings depicting the miracles of Saint Anthony. You are not allowed to take photos inside (probably to help preserve the paint etc) so I had to settle for taking a photo of a postcard I bought instead. But you get the idea.

Just across the main square is an edifice of sad history - the first slave market in Europe. Slaves were brought here from the Sahara in 1441 by Henry the Navigator's explorer Nuno Tristão. There is a commemorative wall and apparently a cultural centre with a film but I couldn't locate it despite walking around in circles for the better part of half an hour (signage is important people!) Still, I'm grateful that the Portugese here own up to their history.

Below: the first slave market in Europe. And yes, there are bars on all the windows. Sigh.

Next two photos: Along the waterfront of the Avenida dos Descobrimentos is the imposing-looking Forte da Bandeira, a 17 Century fortress (built between 1680-90) that used to defend the harbour. At the time, it was considered the most advanced military fort in the Algarve due to its quadrangle layout, moat, and drawbridge. I wanted to go in, but like many attractions in Portugal, it was closed from 12:30-2pm and I walked by right at 12:25. Oh well. 

The main walks of the town are filled with cafés, bars, restaurants, souvenir shops, beach-wear stalls etc. One really awesome store is called the T-shirt Shop, which is owned/operated by a lovely Polish couple named Agata and Michael. They have some really fun and funky designs for all ages/sizes, check them out. 

Like other towns/cities in Portugal, it has the classic square-shaped cobblestone streets and paths. The streets of this town are very narrow, and mostly one-way - I wouldn't recommend driving here! Especially as most of the roads are crowded with people as well. Still it's a really pretty place.

 

Below: a toy shop below and apartments above. This building stands out in Lagos due to its unique green azulejo tiles.

The town also has some really amazing graffiti murals. Here are some samples that I really liked. Some took up entire walls, and the bear one took up the entire side of a highway underpass.

One of the main reasons why I wanted to come to Lagos is to have some beach days. I was not disappointed. The views from along the cliffs of the Ponta da Piedade are stunning, almost too beautiful for words. The entire cliff face is eroding sandstone, and so the formations along the water are otherworldly and beautiful. I spent two days on the Praia do Camilo beach as it is quieter than the main beach, and women can go topless there (just say "No" to tan lines!) The Praia do Camilo has two sections of beach, to get to one section, you have to walk through a tunnel. The water is safe to swim in and it's high salt content helps keep you afloat with minimal effort. Here are my favourite photos:

 

Seriously, how picturesque is this place?!

All in all, I had a good time in Lagos. I think that four or five days is plenty time to spend here. Next stop: Faro, capitol of the Algarve.

Sintra - the place that palaces are made of

On Monday I went to Sintra. I must be honest, I originally heard about Sintra via Facebook. No, I'm not kidding. A photo came across my feed that showed an inverted spiral tower into the earth, with people descending. I had to admit, I was intrigued. And from that moment forward, Sintra was on my list of places to see while in Portugal.

Sintra is a 40 minute train from Lisbon (a meagre €5 return) and the train comes every 15 minutes - both things that make visiting Sintra easy to visit. It also ensures that Sintra is crowded with tourists, even if it's pouring with rain. Ask me how I know! The minute I stepped outside of the train station, it started to shower. And of course, I didn't have a jacket and had declined the umbrella loan from my hostel. Oops. Well, for €2 I bought a clear plastic rain poncho. Not exactly a haute couture look, but practical nonetheless. I was grateful that my backpack has a built-in rain cover. I caught one of the many buses that does the "castle loop" around Sintra (bus no. 343 for those of you who are interested). 

Sintra is home to several summer palaces. I think the royals and nobility of Portugal wanted a break from the muggy, busy summers in Lisbon, and Sintra is both beautiful and far away enough from the capital that it made an ideal location. Heck, even their city hall looks like a palace:

Below: the royal summer palace in Sintra. I didn't go inside, I only had a day in Sintra and my palace "dance card" was full.

First stop, the park & Palace of Pena, which was originally the site of a monastery until 1838 when the religious orders of Portugal were abolished. The site was purchased by Don Fernando II, King consort to Queen Dona Maria II. Don Fernando was known as the "artist king" like his cousin Prince Albert of Colberg (who married Queen Victoria), and he poured money into the palace at Pena to add a new wing to the existing monastic structure and beautifed it. The hill was originally barren, and he commissioned gardeners to plant trees and plants over its 85 hectares. Looking at the site now, it's impossible to imagine it had ever been barren.

Above: the bust of Don Fernando II - cousin to both Queen Victoria & Prince Albert. He looks rather Portugese here, but paintings of him show his characteristic German features.

Next two photos: from the "new palace" (the new addition being ocre yellow, and the monastic portion retained it's red colour). Note the Arabic influence - Fernando II incorporated the romanticism of the east, which was the style "du jour" at the time (also evident in the furnishings and room décor of the palace) while refurbishing this palace. The "merman," above one of the entrances is supposed to represent a different spin on the creation myth despite his ominous appearance.

Please don't smite me!

When it's not pouring with rain/misty beyond belief, the palace at Pena looks like this (from the air, of course):

At the same time, the mist only heightened the fairy tale nature of the palace. I just wish I could've gotten a better shot of the building. Still, I was glad to get inside the palace and be immersed in this private family-centred palace. The royals lived here until 1910, although the state acquired the place in 1889.

I don't have to tell you that the rooms in the palace at Pena are stunning, I'll let the photos show you instead...

Below: the courtyard off the main entrance. 

Below: the Arabic room. This room was gorgeous. The photo does not do it justice. One must simply stand in this room to feel its full effect. The walls are painted to look like an Arabic palace, and all the furnishing reflect this style.

Below: sculpted plasterwork in the ballroom. This room was never used as a formal ballroom, instead it was used to entertain guests with games and music etc. Nary a ball was held here. A shame, I think. But then again, I never did live here. If I had, I would have held a ball just to spend more time in this room. All the walls and the ceiling are covered with this intricate sculpted paster. Stunning! 

Below: me rocking my very unsexy plastic rain poncho under the shelter of a minaret.

After the palace, it was time to explore some of those hectares of planted forest. The mist gave the site an otherworldly charm. I managed to navigate the site despite some misdirecting signs. I absolutely loved the gnarly, twisting English Oaks and Strawberry trees around the site.

 

Above and below: scenes from the park at Pena. Like being inside of a fairy tale. 

Below: the Temple of Columns within the park. Definitely reminiscent of Greceian temples. Another great example of romanticism at the time (mid-1800's).

Second stop, the summer mansion and fantastical gardens of Quinta da Regaleira. This site is a mere ten minute walk straight ahead of the tourist office in Sintra (no bus needed). This is the site that has that inverted spiral tower that got me interested in Sintra. But I'm getting ahead of myself. This estate changed hands numerous times over the course of its history (starting in the 17th century CE) until 1997 when the Municipality of Sintra acquired it from the Japanese corporation Aoki.

Quinta da Regeleira was originally just a manor house with some gardens, but when António Augusto de Carvalho Monteiro purchased the site in 1893 at a public auction, the site became something else. I can only say that my impression of the entire site is that it is a place of alchemical harmony, spiritual transformation made real through artiface and allegorical statues, and that I came out of the place transformed. I actually spent more time wandering the garden of this site than I did the entire site at Pena. I can only imagine what it was like to live there for a few months of the year. A kind of manufactured fantasy in the highest atheistic taste as it were.

Mr. Monteiro hired the landscape architect Henri Lusseau but rejected his French neo-gothic designs, and in 1898, he hired a set-designer and architect Luigi Manini - who was responsible for other palace works in Portugal. Luigi designed absolutely everything in the Quinta de Regeleira. And I mean everything! The gardens, the grottos, the chapel, the mansion's furnishings - down to the last chair and door knocker. The result it's a very harmonious site that is hard to put into words. Again, I'll let the photos tell the story.

Above: the mansion at Quinta da Regaleira. To this day, visitors are not permitted to go up into the top of the round tower as that was Carvalho Monteiro's laboratory/study. It maintains an air of alchemist mystic to this day.

Above: the Chimera fountain that holds court over the café on site. I had a very nice cup of tea and a cinnamon & sugar crêpe. All that was missing was maple syrup (a Canadian to the core, I suppose). 

Below: a beautiful door designed by Manini that decorates a wall in the dining room of the mansion house at Quinta.

Below: the family chapel, also designed and commissioned by Luigi Manini. The all-seeing eye was present over the threshold (not pictured here), and there is a tunnel under the chapel as well.

Below: the "Lake of the Waterfall." There are hidden pathways behind the waterfall (a part of the tunnel grotto system ubiquitous in the gardens). Rather idyllic, don't you think? 

Next two photos: As above/So below... The "Iniation Well" aka the inverted spiral tower down into the earth. The path is made of 8 levels of 15 steps (so 480 steps, 4 + 8 = 12, and 1 + 2 = 3, a magical number). If you travel down downwards, you walk towards toward mystery and obscurity towards the four cardinal points. If you travel upwards, you climb towards heaven and enlightenment. Some people make connections to Dante's circles of hell/heaven. Either way, it was definitely something walking the spiral. I'll leave you to guess which direction I walked ;)

Below: Manini's plans for the inverted tower. There are secret tunnel entrances to the tower, which is how I discovered it first. It's nearly impossible to find above ground.

Other than the Grotto of the Virgin, I walked all the tunnels within the gardens of Quinta da Regaleira. All of the tunnels are man-made, and planned out by Manini. Genius really. You enter one grotto, only to end up far away from where you started. I had to double check the map a few times - I'm where now?

Above: I found the tunnel that lead to the other side of the waterfall.

Below: the other side of the duck pond from inside the labyrinth grotto. No, I'm not giving away the path to getting there. You'll have to go yourself. Bring a flashlight!