“Oh, salty sea, how much of your salt Is tears from Portugal?” -Fernando Pessoa
Long before we realized that Knoxville, Tennessee would turn into a deep freeze for Christmas, we (meaning me, as it is "my year" to plan the anniversary trip), determined to go to the south of Portugal for #11. The journey has been in fits and starts, but at least it hasn't been in subfreezing temperatures. Even Amsterdam was warmer than Knoxville, Tennessee !
Our first stop was Chattanooga. Having spent a weekend with my brother and his family at the beginning of December to celebrate the holiday together, visiting Paul's sister was the next goal. She is a newlywed and we were pleased to not only enjoy lunch with Lee and her spouse, Alan in Ooltewah but to also have Alan's brother and sister-in-law join us. We ate at a place called Neighbor of Wine Down. They serve a very generous and tasty brunch and I would recommend this location for the millions seeking a place to eat in Ooltewah! 😅Okay, I jest about the numbers but not the food. There was a fountain in the midst of the parking lot and it was frozen solid. But our hearts were warmed and it made our journey feel so much more like Christmas.
The next stop was ATL where we caught our flight to Amsterdam with connection to Lisbon. We looked for a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer during the Christmas Eve flight but alas, no luck. In the Netherlands, though, Santa visits by way of boat originating in Spain and landing on December 5th. Who can blame Santa for staggering his schedule? We stayed at the airport Sheraton which conveniently did not require going out into the drizzling Christmas All-Day rain shower.
The Sheraton at Schipol. A convenient locale for a layover.
We enjoyed a well-deserved nap then a traditional Christmas repast of--- hamburgers and fries? before taking off again for Lisbon. Lisbon's international airport also has a convenient on-site hotel, The Melia, but not a covered walkway. Thankfully, the rain had stopped and we were able to get there dry and enjoy a Portuguese-style gin and tonic before winding up Christmas "travel-style."
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| The Algarve:Southern Coast of Portugal. We are hiking in the Eastern section. |
The next day we were off to Faro, the southernmost city in Portugal in the Algarve region.
The Phoenicians colonized this area and used this as a trading center in the 4th century B.C. Between the second and eighth centuries, the city was under the domain of the Romans, then the Byzantines, and later Visigoths, before being conquered by the Moors in 713. So people have been around these here parts for a spell. We spent an overnight in Faro, finally got out in good weather for an introductory walkabout in town and then a very nice dinner at the Michelin-recommended, Alameda restaurant.
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| Who even knew Michelin rated restaurants in small Portuguese towns? |
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| The pirate savors his glass of port in where else? |
The next morning we were off to our base for our hiking trip, Tavira.
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| Tavira is in the Eastern Algarve, southernmost Portuguese Coast. The Sequa/Gilao River runs to the Atlantic. |
Tavira shares the same historical timeline as its nearby neighbor, Faro, both of which were liberated from the Moors in 1242 AD after a blood battle lead by Dom Correia. I couldn't gather much historical informaton between 1250-1700 , but in the 18th century, the port on its river was of considerable importance for shipping produce such as salt, dried fish and wine. Like most of the Algarve, its buildings were virtually all destroyed by the earthquake of 1755. This earthquake is thought to have reached 8.5–9.0 on the moment magnitude scale and caused extensive damage throughout the Algarve due to high intensity shaking and tsunamis. You would never suspect this tragedy today looking out over the whitewashed village of 15,000 people.
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| Our view of Tavira from our hotel room--the town with river in the left corner and ocean in the distance. |
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| Captivating narrow cobblestone streets |
We had a bit of the afternoon to explore our host city and went out walking the city streets. There is an old convent now turned into a hotel that is the start of the Portuguese camino (and we thought it started in Lisbon!) The main cathedral is quite beautiful and there is still the remains of an old Moorish castle which has been turned into a garden. There a quite a few snowbird UK, German and French tourist here over the winter, so the riverbank has a nice strolling area and garden as well as plenty of places to eat, have a beer and some shops for souvenirs. It's touristy enough, but hasn't turned into Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg yet (praise the Lord.)
Flamingoes having lunch in the salt pans.
Flowers in the old Moorish castle.
Still plenty of buildings with tile which was once a sign of wealth.
How's this for a great door knocker?
The remains of the Moorish castle.
The main cathedral of Tavira, Igreza Matriz de Santiago
There appears to be a substantial population of expats here, mostly British pensioners, and we are told that you can live well in Portugal in general for about $1800 US per month. The weather is a very pleasant 50-65 degrees most days, so who what's not to like?
The next day, Paul went for a lovely hike through the salt pans out through the the marshes and onto the beaches of Ria Formosa National Park. Paul will have to tell you about that day in his ponderings as I was afflicted with Balboa's revenge and didn't make the walk.
Yesterday, we did our shortest walk, again along the coast via the city of Olhoa and then ferry to the island of Culatra. This fisherman's enclave without hotels has a not-at-all-crowded stretch of beach on the Atlantic and a very important lighthouse. The southern Portuguese coast has many small islands, so this kept most ships on course to port.
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| The Olhao city market as seen from the water. One red building is ONLY seafood and the other is fresh produce and meat. It was built in the 1920s. |
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| Something for everyone here in Olhao from ice cream to sex. We wanted to see who ran such a shop but even on our way back to Tavira, this kiosk never opened. |
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| The lighthouse on Culatra Island is the most important along the southern Portugal coast. |
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| Obtrusive American tourists. |
Today, we visited the cork forests north of Tavira. I have to admit to having taken the cork in wine bottles pretty much for granted. And yet, Portugal produces 90% of the world's cork! It's a versatile substance and is even used as insulation on the space shuttle and rockets.
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The cork tree...which is a species of oak. Note that the bottom of the tree is dark appearing. This is where the top three layers have been removed to produce what we know as cork. They only remove it to the level of the first branch so as not to kill the tree. A tree can be harvested every 9-14 years. |
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| Our beautiful walk through hillsides, cork , olive and citrus trees. |
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| The fields were frequently covered in clover. |
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| We had to cross a small river and walked much of the day beside a brook. |
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| A home for the bees. |
We had several interesting stops and observations along our hike of approximately 8.5 miles.
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| Picnic lunch beside a small river |
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| A waterwheel irrigation system. This area is often very dry. |
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| This olive tree has been certified to be approximately 2000 years old and was likely planted by the Romans. |
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A nice stop at a bakery that had lovely local pastries with carob, honey and figs. Paul enjoyed two cups of coffee. And if you are unaware, that's quite a compliment from our pirate coffee snob! |
All in all, we have really enjoyed the weather, food, culture and hiking here in the Eastern Algarve and would recommend it to anyone especially in the temperate winter months.
A parting poem by Alexandre O'Neill:
If only, Portugal, you were just three syllables,
a beautiful view of the sea,
the green Minho, the whitewashed Algarve,
a tiny, tranquil donkey
trotting along the mountain ridge,
a mill swinging its arms at a wind as stubborn
as a bull but with padded horns and after all friendly,
if only you were just salt, sun, the south,
the shrewd sparrow,
the meek colloquial ox,
the sizzling sardine,
the waddling fishwife,
the scribbler bundled up in pretty adjectives,
the silent, almondish complaint
of sharp eyes with black lashes,
if only you were just the buzzing of summer, the buzz of fashion,
the decrepit asthmatic dog of beaches,
the caged cricket, the cagey customer,
the calendar on the wall, the pin on a lapel,
if only, Portugal, you were just three syllables...
Paul's Ponderings: We are back in Portugal again after being here several years ago to hike. Given the freezing weather at home, this is pretty nice. We took our time arriving, so don't feel quite so exhausted as we might upon arrival. The town of Tavira is a beautiful whitewashed village near the ocean with an old castle, multiple churches, and some great hiking, not to mention inexpensive good food. This is the eastern Algarve, we are told, so we should get a pretty good idea of the region and perhaps return to the western Algarve in the future!
We look forward to several days of upcoming hiking and....drum roll.....it's our 11th anniversary on New Year's Eve!
