ruthkennedysretirementblog

Touring in the Algarve Portugal 2020

A sunny Saturday morning, a car and the Algarve to explore.What a winning combination. We had a few destinations in mind, but no “must sees”.

There were several pottery shops along the roads. We made our first stop at Porches Pottery. The entire shop is a work of art.

We actually got to see one of the artists at work. I have to say there is a negative and a positive to travelling with only carry on luggage…. it restricts what you can purchase, and it restricts what you can purchase.

We ended up doing a part of the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail. It is a very popular and scenic hike. Even though the rock formation is similar along the Algarve coast, every time I look at it, I get a “pinch me” moment. Marinha Beach has been awarded as one of the top 100 most beautiful beaches in the world, although not sure how anyone could decide as they are all beautiful.

My GPS said we did 3.85 km out of the 11.9 km if you had completed the trail, out and back.

Mostly the trail was easy, except for the couple of parts where you had to use your mountain goat skills. Daryl managed it in flip flops.

There was very little wooded areas on the trail, mostly it was along the rocky coastline.

When you don’t have a hat on a hot sunny day, you make do!

After all that hard work it was time for relaxation. We had read that the Quinta dos Vales Wine Estate had a sculpture filled garden. We were not disappointed, and must have spent an hour wandering the extensive grounds as there had to have been hundreds of sculptures.

This is just a small sampling of the sculptures throughout the extensive grounds. And of course we had to try the product and gave it a big thumbs up.

Cheers

Ruth

Sagres, Portugal, 2020

We went to the end of the world. Our first stop was Capo de Sao Vincente, this most southwesterly extremity of Europe, up until the 14th century, was known as the end of the world. It is wild, rugged, beautiful and windy.

I read somewhere that in the 16th century the first “lighthouse” was a protected fire. The current lighthouse has been operational since 1846.

We also visited the museum. There were a couple of walls of maps from the 16th century.

Apparently the originals are in Vienna’s Imperial Library in Austria.

The landscape reminded me of going “down the coast” in Newfoundland. The vegetation and trees are stunted due to the constant battering with the wind.

Sagres is known for its surfing, maybe the wind helps a bit:) After leaving S. Vincente we passed a beach where the parking lot was full of all kinds of motorhomes. And lots of surfers.

There was a paved path, and steps, down to the beach. The beach must have been sheltered from the wind as somebody was using an umbrella.

Our next stop was Fort Beliche. This fort was built before 1587. It was damaged in the big earthquake of 1755. There has been some restoration done and there is a restaurant that was not open when we were there.

And my favourite sign of the day. It is unbelievable how many people go outside the walls, and the sea is a long way straight down.

Our last stop for the day was at the Fortaleza de Sagres. Apparently it was here that Henry the Navigator devised his 15th century explorations.

There is no way to capture the sheer size of the fort. There is a 1.5 km cliffside walk inside the fort.

This giant wind compass was used to guide early navigation, to determine wind direction.

The date on this canon was 1824, but others were lots older.

The water cistern.

“The United States Power Squadron honors the memory of Prince Henry The Navigator 1393 – 1460 whose school of navigation, founded on this site, opened the way for worldwide navigation in the great age of discovery”

There were lots of hardy flowers in this desolate, wind swept landscape.

While this Ice Plant is beautiful it is not native to Portugal and is considered an invasive plant.

Our visit to Sagres was memorable for being so beautiful, rugged and windy. For sure worth visiting.

Cheers

Ruth

Lagos, Portugal, 2020

We took a day trip to Lagos, which is another small city not far from where we are living in Praia da Rocha. Each time we go out exploring, I think it is not possible for the sights to be even more beautiful, but it always is.

Our first planned stop was Ponta da Piedade. On the way we passed this old ruin. While there are many restored buildings and walls, there are many that are not.

After the pathway along the top of the cliffs to Ponta de Piedade there is a staircase to the beach that seems to be cut from the cliff face. At first I thought there was no way I was going down there….no hand rail… but thankfully I did.

The views of the yellow and red limestone were stunning.

We walked down a very long hill towards the promenade and the town centre. Since we have been here, we have climbed more hills and steps than I thought possible in a lifetime!

S. Goncalo was a local Lagos boy (1360-1422) who became a priest. The story goes, after he died he appeared in a miracle and guided a shipwrecked relative to safety. He was beatified by the pope in 1798.

Our next stop was Forte da Ponta da Bandeira. This is a 17th century fort that you have to cross a drawbridge to enter. There are several small restored rooms inside the fort, including a chapel and a dining room. Mostly it now seems to be an art gallery.

Across the street from the fort is the old walled city.

Just inside the wall, this plaque was mounted….with my google English translation. This is the same gentleman as the statue we passed on our way to the fort.

The city inside the walls is beautiful and vibrant. Just walking the streets was energizing.

There were two churches inside the walls, one had spectacular wood carvings and oil paintings on the ceilings, however we were not permitted to take any pictures.

We had time for one more stop before calling it a day. We went to Praia do Camilo, a beach at the bottom of 232 steps….Daryl counted.

As always, the going down is so much easier that the climbing back up….at least for some of us.

Another day spent in our little bit of paradise. It is also not possible to say how grateful I remain for this opportunity.

Cheers

Ruth

Monchique, Portugal 2020

Another little town not far from where we are staying in Monchique. It is in the mountains, with a totally different look and feel.

The town itself is rather charming. One of the main attractions is a 17th century monastery about a 15 minute walk from town. We did not do it as our day in the mountains was so much colder than any day since we arrived in Portugal and we were not dressed properly.

At the top left in the picture you can see the monastery. It was reduced to a shell by the earthquake of 1755 and not restored.

As you can see, it is a long way down before you start the long climb up.

The other big attractions are the two churches.

This church is rather plain in comparison to so many others we have seen. It is supposed to have lovely 17th century art work rescued from the destroyed monastery. We did not go inside the church as there seemed to be a wake taking place.

The other church, Igreja Matriz, is from the 16th century and is beautifully preserved.

Even the doorway is a work of art.

Apart from the churches and the hilly cobblestoned streets, my main take away from Monchique is the impressive public art.

Even the streets have steps. Luckily enough the sun was shining when we walked up this street.

We also had to try the locally made “hooch”. It had a bit of a bite, can be up to 48% alcohol. Very sweet though.

The shopkeeper told us Strawberry Tree is a made up name for the guide books, the red fruit “kind of” resembles a strawberry from a distance.

**And in case you are wondering, no he does not dye his hair, he said so.**

Another cool little town that we have been fortunate enough to visit.

Cheers

Ruth

11th Century Castle, Silves, Portugal, 2020

We took a trip to Silves to see the castle. It is only about 20 minutes drive from Praia da Rocha, and well worth going. Silves was originally the ancient capital of the Algarve. It was under the Moors from the 9th to the 12th century.

We got our first glimpse of the castle sitting on the hill as we were driving into town. It is really hard to get a sense of just how big the castle and ground are, the guide information said 12,000 sq meters (google converted that to 2.96 acres).

We walked up a really long hill and arrived at a big archway. I thought we had arrived at the castle. But no. This was just the outer walls. And a beautiful courtyard.

We continued our uphill trek to the Silves Cathedral. This cathedral was erected in the 13th century. Some of the information says it was erected on the site of the old grand mosque.

There are lots of sarcophagus along each side of the church. The literature suggests over the years some of the bones have been relocated. A Portuguese King was buried in this cathedral, but he was moved in 1499.

We left the church and walked uphill some more, finally reaching the castle. It was not possible for me to capture the sheer size of the place. There are a total of ten towers.

Even a place for refreshments.

Even outside the walls there is still much of the structure. Those wall do look like they were built to last.

Going down is just as far, but so much easier than the going up!

There is a functional ancient bridge in the town. This Ponta Romana, Roman Bridge, has been around since the 15th century and is still used as a foot bridge. Yes we had to walk on it.

Silves is another pretty little town. Unfortunately it was the day after my hospital stint and there was only so much energy to go around. Thankfully Daryl got some beautiful pictures.

An incredible amount of history packed into one afternoon. No one would have to twist my arm to revisit any of the places we have visited.

Cheers

Ruth

Scuba Diving, 2020, Coiba National Park, Panama

A month ago, towards the end of our stay in Panama we took a trip to Santa Catalina so Daryl could spend a day diving. It took a while to get the pictures together but here goes.

It was about a five hour drive from Pedasi, and so very much worth it.

After some research, Daryl decided to go with the Panama Dive Centre.

Now I would say this boat is far too small for me to go out into the ocean. Guess that is one of the reasons I am not diving:)

The story goes that four Whale Sharks were seen that day. Apparently that is an amazing number for one day. Daryl said they are a good 20 feet in length.

A good belly shot.

The whale sharks were the highlight of the day, but not the only creatures seen. This is a White Tip Shark.

Another White Tip Shark

My personal favourite is the Hawksbill Turtle.

Moorish Idol

A very nice beach to spend your surface interval time.

And then it is time to go under water again.

A porcupine fish.

Star fish

Even the coral is beautiful.

Another favourite of mine is this Frog Fish, just look at that mouth….. I thought for sure it was a piece of coral.

And last, but not least, this yellow Sea Horse

Santa Catalina is definitely a beautiful place to visit, whether you are in the water or watching a sunrise.

For sure warrants another visit.

Cheers

Ruth

2020, Alvor, Portugal

On Saturday morning we took the bus into the next town, Alvor, which is supposed to be one of the most famous fishing villages in the Algarve. It was about a 20 minute ride. First stop was for coffee at a little side walk cafe.

The town had narrow cobblestoned streets. There was not much foot traffic once you got off the main drag. We did a lot of walking, climb up and then go down.

The waterfront was absolutely lovely.

Along the waterfront there was a hike overlooking the marshlands of Ria de Alvor Nature Reserve. We did most of it, saw lots of little birds.

Those guys had buckets and shovels….maybe mussel digging??

Part of the walk was along the ocean.

And then we had to visit the church on the top of the highest hill.

Not sure how old the church is, but the plaque is commemorating 500 years.

We also found a cork shop and learned lots of interesting information about cork trees in Portugal, one being the tree is not destroyed when the cork is gathered. After treatment it becomes almost like leather.

Didn’t buy anything yet, the shop closed at three and I needed more time to make a decision, so much to choose from and we have such limited luggage space.

We finished our day with a marvellous meal at a fish restaurant on the beach.

This plaque caught my eye, and Daryls too, gave us quite a chuckle. Anyone who knows me will know this first sentence is so me.

Time for a couple of down days before we hit the road again.

Cheers

Ruth

2020, Museum, Portimao, Portugal

On one of our day trips we went to the museum in Portimao.

There is some ancient history from the time of the Romans and the Moors, but the bulk of the displays are about the sardine industry.

There is displays of some of the equipment used in the wooden ship building industry of Portugal.

The display started outside, showing the baskets that were used to bring the fish into the factory.

Time cards. And just look at those shoes. The life size display is actually in an old sardine factory, and very realistic.

This was a complete process, even the cans to pack the sardines in were made at the factory.

An interesting little tidbit… we learned that sardines left to grow up become herring (thanks Anne).

After the tour I really wanted to try sardines. These are grilled, not canned. The waiter said they are best eaten with the fingers. The marlin prepared Algarvian style was good too.

Made for an intreating couple of hours.

Cheers

Ruth

Portimão Portugal 2020 Town Walking Tour

We are actually staying in a town called Praia de Rocha, which is a new modern tourist town a couple of kilometres from Portimao. On Sunday we decided to do a walking tour of the old town. The streets are narrow, cobblestoned and beautiful.

We found a marked tour on google and followed it around the route. First we had to walk to Portimao, altogether a lot of steps….over 19,000…. by the time we got home.

This retirement thing can be hard work:)

On our way we passed quite a few people fishing, although we did not see anyone catch anything.

I probably won’t remember the order of the tour, but here goes.

The town square. The roads and the sidewalks look exactly the same, with only the grey/blue post delineating.

There are little alley ways all over the place, turn a corner and a whole new vista opens up.

The First of December Square has several plaques that mark Portugals history.

The Tempo Theatre across from the Square. Love the colors!

This Jesuit church, Igreja Do Colégio, is the largest in Portimao. It was built in the 1600’s.

Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of Conception) is quite close to the Jesuit church. Apparently this church used to have two towers, one was destroyed in the earthquake of 1755.

Unfortunately neither of the churches were open to the public.

We followed our trusty map into all kinds of little streets. Guess I should say Daryl navigated and I followed:)

There are old partially destroyed buildings right next to beautifully maintained structures and brand new ones as well.

I am guessing it must be hot in the summer as several of the streets had shades across them.

One thing we have noticed is the amount of graffiti on walls. Well there are also beautiful murals.

What we have seen of Portugal so far is very beautiful.

Cheers

Ruth

Portimao, Portugal, Walking by the cliffs, 2020

One day after we walked up “our steps” we turned right instead of left as we had done on previous days. The wide cobblestone walkway turned into a dirt track with a small fence to keep one from wandering over the edge.

Anywhere you looked on the beach of Praia da Rocha the views were spectacular.

Be nice to know when the stairs on the right were last used…the path goes to the very edge of the cliff.

When you look up close, the cliff walls are partially made of compacted shells.

From the top there are lots of areas with steps that go down to the beach. this one wasn’t too bad, only 85. There are sure lots of ‘private’ little beach areas surrounded by cliff walls.

The colours are amazing. When the sun would come out, the cliffs looked so vibrant.

This is a big circular cliff wall with a hole at the bottom. Hard to capture it.

Look way down.

We did not walk to the end of the path. Apparently it goes on for several more kilometres. By the time we got home the sun was setting. Time to call it a day. And what a day!

And this is all just a few minutes walk from our apartment.

Cheers

Ruth