28/06/18 -29/06/18 – Faro – Algarve
We stayed in a magical place tonight….a car park just over the road from the airport. A massive well laid out car park with a bit of greenery, which overlooks the Ria Formosa estuary. It was very exciting hearing the planes take off followed by the sheer intensity of the noise and size as they went over our heads, then disappeared into the sunset. Great entertainment for the evening so long as you’re a heavy sleeper…I’m not!! Luckily they didn’t fly all night though.
Over the estuary bridge is Faro beach and a carpark where you can park your camper in the low season. They fortunately have a toilet block which was handy since our toilet in the van was full…eeeew. Yes this is one of the joys of motor homing, the fun of finding service area to dump it, and the actual process, well you can use your imagination. It’s quite a grim job but you get used to it. Dan and I take turns to make it more manageable, and fair. You very rarely see women doing it, which provokes a lot of attention, and not appreciated. Quite sexist of women though!
We’d planned on taking Marley for a walk on the promenade** on Faro beach but it turns out there isn’t one (promenade that it), and the beach wasn’t nice enough for us to stay, so off next to the centre of Faro.
We found that is is quite a run down place but some how this makes it quite attractive…you know how old clothes are re-marketed as Vintage. We enjoyed a couple of hours stroll around. There was quite a young vibe and a few places that reminded me of Brighton, like trendy cafes and graffiti art on the side of buildings.
We had coffee at Padaria Urbana, which wasn’t the best coffee but the cafe itself was very cool. We also tried a Pastel de Nata (pasty type custard tart), one of Portugal’s local delicacies. I enjoyed the pastry but not being a big custard fan, Dan demolished most of it, as of course, he loved it! As well as the old town and the cafes, there are lots of cool shops. I actually bought a bag and purse for 38 euros, made from cork and replicates leather, perfect for vegans, and vegetarians like me. Dan and I are still in shock at my purchase as I don’t normally use either and haven’t really for years, but since he’d lost his wallet, I thought it was about time. If you would like one too see the bottom of the page for the link to something similar on Amazon
Next onto Estoi a small town just 15 minutes drive away, to see the beautiful Estoi Palace. Given it was mid day by then, we took turns to see it, so we could keep Marley cool in the van with windows down. This system works well for him given the hot temperatures, but also means Dan and I get some time apart. If your thinking of motor-homing, longer term, this is so important to do when you live in such a confined space and are in each other’s pockets. Otherwise we may end up killing one another.
We felt a bit cheated by Estoi Palace as we had seen beautiful photos of it. It transpires though, that it’s been turned into a hotel meaning we could only peak at it through the gate. It was still worth the trip though – the town is quaint with a church adorning the square. As I walked around I admired the white buildings, with their individual chimney pots (something I’ve noticed in the country side during our drives through Portugal) and the aroma of lunch time fish dishes being cooked.
I was intrigued by the cemetary so took a stroll around. It was very different to English cemeteries, each grave was colourful with flowers (albeit most of them were fake) and had a photo of the person/s, which made it feel more personal, and like a celebration of their life. The birds were singing and it felt uplifting.
**Dogs aren’t allowed on any beach in Portugal during the ‘bathing season’ and apparently they are pretty strict on this. Even during the off season, they are supposed to be on a lead at all times.
