My first full day in Faro was pretty fabulous, I must say! I borrowed my Airbnb host's bike and rode downtown, where I met up with a small group of tourists for a free walking tour of the historic center. YES! Amazingly, this WAS free- 2.5 hours worth---and our guide, Andre, spoke excellent English. He was articulate, interesting, funny... a walking encyclopedia of history, clearly passionate about Portugal and his town. It was really, really great...I gave him a handsome tip at the end!
Not so great: My 10 euro lunch of the famed cod... with "chips" (I think they had been frozen.. definitely did NOT taste fresh!) and a pathetic salad of head lettuce. The cod was tasty but terribly oily... I had an upset stomach after this meal!
But, the rest of the day was fine... I went into a local pastry shop and sampled a little custard tart, as well as bought the regional cake (for later)--forget the name, but it was made from carob, almonds and figs! Interesting combo, to be sure... not a fave, but was tasty. I must confess that I am not impressed with Portuguese cuisine in general, as you can tell.. and unquestionably why it is not spoken about when one talks about good food in Europe!
After the meal, I wandered some more, finally winding up at the famous "Igreja do Carmo", or Carmelite church. The church itself was spectacular (I was glad I paid the modest 2 Euro price of entry), but most impressive was the "Capela dos Ossos" or "bone chapel" (built in 1816). Apparently, the church ran out of burial space in the small church cemetery, so the bones of the monks were dug up and stuck into the chapel walls! Macabre, to be sure... and I LOVED it! It was definitely a popular destination for tourists... I happily lingered there for awhile before cycling back-- in the scorching afternoon heat-- to my Airbnb.
1) The church and bone chapel:
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A wall of the bone chapel: what a fabulous reminder of our own mortality! I tapped on a few of the skulls to show my appreciation!
An exquisitely beautiful church, to be sure...
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One of the adornments of churches I always love: The organs. They are so frequently so beautiful!
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Lots of gold...everywhere!!!
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| The floor of the bone chapel was covered with these stone markers for monk burial sites. Hard to read, but it shows that the fellow died in 1776, freed of his earthly body in the same year that America won ITS freedom! Auspicious, indeed! |
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A prettily decorated little side room of the church
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Altar in the bone chapel! In addition to the skulls, one could see thousands of pieces of vertebrae! I had to wonder , though, what they did with all the rest: the limbs, hip bones, and so forth... hmmm...
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| The ceiling was incredible! Imagine being the guy having to stick all the skulls way up there... don't you wonder what they thought/felt as they did this very strange "decorating" job?!?! I certainly did! |
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SO perfectly symmetrical, and strangely beautiful, no?!?!
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2) The walking tour with Andre:
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Some sort of government building...note the stork's nest on the roof?! (top left) We saw a lot of these on high buildings. While once almost extinct (because of nest destruction), these beautiful birds are now protected, and happily thriving!
Amazing animals! A telephoto lens would have been nice... |
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Another beautiful and historic building...significance no longer recalled...
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A close up of some beautiful wall tiles...
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Andre explained that the door handle in the form of a hand is called a "fatima" and is said to ward off evil and offer protection to the inhabitants... a belief originating in the middle east. Since Portugal was occupied--for centuries--by the Moors, it is not surprising you can still see their influence.
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Full view of the historic house with the beautiful tiles and fascinating door!
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A 300 year old theater...
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Lovely stone tiles with royal symbols lined the historical center's pedestrian walkways.
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As in Madrid, I was happy to stroll the streets covered with the shade cloth you see here. By contrast, I was NOT happy to see more Americana--ubiquitous in every city of the world now, so it seems-- (such as the United Colors of Benelton) on this lovely street! Also, this is where I got gouged using the only available ATM! (Always an assortment of mixed blessings, wherever one wanders in this world!!!)
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Once the residence of a wealthy nobleman, it is now occupied by his successors. I wouldn't mind living there myself!
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Lovely arches that separated the historical - walled and protected- town center from the rest of the city.
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An old convent
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One of the many picturesque streets...
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A different portal to the old part of the city...
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3) The food experience:
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Specialty of Algarve: a layered cake of carob (top), almond and fig (bottom layer). Definitely unusual! Tasty, but I wouldn't personally seek it out. Andre had recommended it, so it was worth a try!
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| Also in the same pastry shop: These cute little marzipan animals! I did NOT get one... they were quite pricey! |
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| My unimpressive lunch of the famed cod of the region, along with the sad "chips" (that really actually look like chips, do they not!?) and salad... forgot to tell them to leave off the raw tomato and onion, which are ubiquitous in European salads, and which I can NOT eat!!! |
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