Faro, Portugal

 

View from the Bell Tower

At the end of our last post I described Dermot’s open defiance of the clearly marked barricade right in front of two police officers. Having gotten away with that, we then committed two more acts of lawlessness - one on each side of the border. We left without paying for our campsite then drove on toll roads without a transponder in Portugal. Upon reflection, we decided we didn’t want to be internationally wanted criminals because a campervan isn’t an ideal get-away car. So we did what we could to make amends but there’s no telling what’s going to happen next. 

Our photos here

Faro Campervan Park, in a suburb called Montenegro, gave us the typical mix of good access and poor facilities. The gravel lot was light on shade and had coin-operated showers and toilets (yes, $ .50 every time). We broke out our bikes and followed the provided map into Parque Natural de Ria Formosa to the place we were most likely to see flamingos. No flamingos, but there were lots of stork nests and salt flats. There weren’t many other birds and our trip was cut short by a fence that wasn’t on the map. 

The following day we headed to the historical center of Faro which is encircled by 8th century Moorish walls and we entered by way of the 11th century “Arabic Door.”  

Faro’s cathedral is in the heart of the old town square lined with citrus trees. 

Once a Roman temple, then a mosque stood here. There are gothic, renaissance and baroque sections, many featuring the lovely tile Portugal is known for. We climbed the bell tower to take in the sweeping views then checked out the peaceful cloister and bone chapel which was poignant. 

There’re many boat tours available but the types of wildlife we were likely to see were the same we’d see in abundance at home so we skipped them. 

The restaurant we chose this night was filled with locals whose amiable banter left us feeling we were enjoying a true neighborhood restaurant experience. It didn’t matter that we weren’t local, they treated us as if we could be. Dermot’s plate of ribs and mine of cod fritters were satisfying and homey.

Next stop: Lagos