We Uber to the bus station and buy tickets for the 9:45 am Rapido bus to Faro. A Rapido is supposed to take 55 minutes while a Local bus takes 90 minutes. 9:45 comes and goes...and goes some more. Finally the Rapido arrives at 10:15 am. Hmmm... seems to us that the Rapido takes as long as the Local.
When we arrive in Faro we spot a few pedestrian streets so we walk through them after we get off the bus, stopping for coffee.
A few blocks further from the Faro bus station we find Jardim Manuel Bivar, a small park near the marina, and just beyond it is Arco da Vila. The monumental archway with bell tower was build in the early 19th century on top of the old city walls and gateway.
When we arrive in Faro we spot a few pedestrian streets so we walk through them after we get off the bus, stopping for coffee.
A few blocks further from the Faro bus station we find Jardim Manuel Bivar, a small park near the marina, and just beyond it is Arco da Vila. The monumental archway with bell tower was build in the early 19th century on top of the old city walls and gateway.
Passing through Arco da Vila we find winding brick streets lined with old buildings leading us to the Sé (Cathedral). Portions of the Cathedral date from the 13th and 14th centuries, while the interior is mostly from the 17th and 18th centuries. The side alters have a large amount of gold leaf gilding and are remarkable. We enjoy the church and the small museum then make our way to the bell tower. The views of Faro from the top are outstanding.
A small side street leads us to Porta do Sol, a gate in the old city walls. We're a little surprised when a car comes down the street and squeezes through the narrow opening. Outside the walls are companies selling boat tours to Rio Formosa National Park. No boat tour for us today. We wander around the old city streets. There's a curious mix of dilapidated, modestly maintained and restored buildings. Fun!
The Museu Arqueologico de Faro is our next stop. In front there is a statue of Afonso III, who was king of Portugal in 13th century. The museum is the 16th century convent, Our Lady of the Assumption. There are some engaging artifacts and pieces from throughout the centuries. There's even a Roman mosaic of the sea-god Oceanus that was found near the Faro train station in the 1970's, excavated and moved to the museum.
By now we have worked up a good appetite. We check out the menus of a couple of nearby restaurants. We choose Restaurante Vila Adento, grabbing a table outside under an umbrella. A server quickly brings bread, dips and olives while our waiter takes care of our drink order. We glance through the menu and select three tapas: chorizo sausage, baked goat cheese in filo dough, and mussels on the half-shell. Delicious!
After lunch we have a little over an hour before the next Rapido bus to Albufeira. We wander around the streets slowly making our way back to Jardim Manuel Bivar. People are enjoying the park, including two men playing cards on a park bench.
The 4:30 pm Rapido bus originates in Faro so we leave on time. By 5:45 pm we are back in our Albufeira apartment. It was a fun day.
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