We
overnighted last night in Madrid, one of my most favorite cities in
Spain, en route to Portugal. Madrid is one of those magical European
cities, for me, that holds a ton of culture, history, and a place where
I immediately feel at home. Gorgeous architecture, a ton of art, green
parks, quaint placa's, plentiful street cafes, restaurants in caves,
and free flowing sangria. It's not as crowded and as much of a tourist
zoo as Barcelona is this time of year, so we take the night to
decompress, enjoy the beautiful late summer weather, and relax with
Sangria and tapas before calling it an early night.
We
found some really cheap flights off Europe's discount airline Ryan Air,
to Fargo, Portugal. These cost far less than taking the train to
Lisbon which was the original plan and then bus it down to the southern
coastline of Algarve, but this flight allowed us to save both time and
money, so we opted for a less adventurous route. The flight over the
Portuguese coastline is gorgeous; long stretches of golden sand beaches
and blue water, small islands and sand bards do the main coastline.
While certainly not to the level of night life and activity of
Barcelona, we were looking for some true rest and relaxation. It's very
peaceful here. The city surrounds, architecture and colors are
calming. The buildings here are white-washed, stucco, and it feels
very mediterranean.
It's
a gorgeous day in Faro, and we found a small guesthouse in a little
alleyway with availability, Sao Filipe Hospedaria with an amazingly
friendly and helpful owner who went above and beyond to help us
organize additional accommodation down the line in the next town of
Lagos. The scene here in Southern Portugal, while still peak summer
tourist season, is much more laid back, personable and friendly than
our experience in Barcelona. Despite our room being tinier than most
rooms we've had during our entire time on the road, and just barely
under $100 USD, it was so comfy, and made us feel instantly at home in
this new country.
We
spend the day combing the streets of the small town, and checking out
the big cultural event of the summer - Folk Faro - a dance festival of
many Latin countries who have traveled long distances to participate
and entertain. There's a big family tourism business here - lots of
beach and boating activity and trendy little cafes on cobblestone
roads. One thing unique to Portugal is the design and use of colored
stones and tiles in the cobblestone roads. We saw it in several other
former cities that had been prior colonies of Portugal like Rio and
Manus in Brazil. Everywhere you look, there are intricate designs
imbedded in the cobblestone roads that create an artful look to
promenades and streets. Faro also reminds us a bit of the Florida
Everglades. There are long channels of waterways winding through
protected marine and parklands. Locals hire out boats for rides
through the channels for bird spotting in the early mornings. We catch
an amazing sunset as dark clouds start to roll through. Lightening
fills the sky as we sip down a litre of Sangria and yummy dinner at a
small family run Italian Restaurant we discovered down a tiny alley. A
great first day in Portugal.
