More On Porto, And Then South To The Algarve

Carrie and I loved Porto. It’s a little bit gritty, with crumbling buildings, grafitti everywhere and more homeless men than we’ve seen so far on this trip. But when you look past those negative aspects you can see a great historical city where the elaborate designs of blue and white tiled walls meet the flowing black and white brick patterns on the streets and sidewalks. Along with the dilapidated buildings there are new construction projects going on throughout the city and the streets, shops and restaurants are packed with both tourists and locals. You can spot a piece of Portugal’s history every time you turn around. There is the wealth created from Portugal’s golden age of discovery evident in the magnificent Stock Exchange building. Outside of the building is a statue of Magellan, the explorer, pointing to the horizon. Across the river from here is Vila Nova de Gaia, home of the port houses where Porto received its name.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We took the bus from Porto to Lisbon to pick up a rental car. Much of the next two weeks will be driving around the Algarve area, seeing the cliffs and beach of the seaside villages. From the Algarve we plan on driving to Marbella, Spain to spend a few days with Renae, one of our pilgrim friends. We will explore Gibraltar together and we want to visit Tangiers, if Covid allows entry.

The Algarve

The Algarve is all about natural beauty. The breathtaking cliffs and vast beaches lead to the ever changing colors and temperament of the Atlantic Ocean. There are dozens of windswept secluded beaches to meet the needs of the sunbathers, surfers, hikers shell pickers who flock here year round. We noticed that the most prominent element of the region is the infinite number of variations in light and hue of the sunrises and sunsets. It seems we marveled at each one and photographed them constantly.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•