On Monday 7/22, we departed Nazare and the aforementioned Castle of the Templar Knights and Convent of Christ in Tomar, and after about an additional 4 1/2 hours, we finally arrived at the southern Algarve town of Tavira. We were excited to check out the city as many American expats have relocated here and retired. The hotel (Tavira House) is quite nice and is a quaint home consisting of 9 rooms near the city center. That evening we grabbed a late dinner complete with sangria, and strolled around town, taking in the sights of this attractive town.
On Tuesday 7/23 we woke at our hotel and had a nice breakfast consisting of pastries, meats, cheeses, breads, yogurt, fruits, and of course tea and coffee. We decided to explore the town the touristy way and jumped on a small train which took us on an hour long tour of the city. At the half way point the train stopped at Tavira Castle for a photo op and quick opportunity to stretch our legs. Afterwords we worked in a Portuguese lunch of sangria, followed by an Aperol spritz. When in Portugal..... Later that evening we took a ferry boat out to Tavira Island (which, coincidentally, is the primary way most people get to the beach from town). We had no idea that the town was actually not located on the beach/ocean, and tucked back a bit. The round trip journey was nice on the way out, as we had the entire ferry to ourselves. However, on the way back, several hundred beach-goers packed on the boat for the 1/2 hour ride back. After arriving back to port, we decided to cross the street from the terminal and experience the local octopus restaurant. Katie had prawn shrimp and a cold octopus salad, and Mike had octopus paella. Both were delicious!! We finished then evening by getting gelato and walking around the cute old city/Roman Bridge area and taking in the sights of the locals, sounds of local musicians, and smells of the foods from the restaurants.
Wednesday 7/24 began with another hotel breakfast and a morning visit to the Tavira Castle and camera obscura at a former observatory. There, we were able to look at a reflection of the city in real time with a live panoramic view of the whole city and it´s surroundings. Very cool experience!! We also decided that today is a laundry day, so Katie accomplished that while Mike went to the local library to type the two latest posts for our website. Yes, still having issues with the laptop, but hopefully that will be fixed soon! Tonight, Mike is hoping for some Indian food which he has been craving since London :-)
Tomorrow we head for the other side of the Algarve coast to the quiet, sleepy town of Salema. Until then, adeus!!
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