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.
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!
I hope you find comfort dealing with your loss and grief. ~Some crazy woman in Naples, Florida.
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