Tour of the Western Algarve

We've signed up for a small group tour of The Western Algarve.  Our guide, Miguel, arrives outside our apartment door at 8:30 am.  He tells us that we are the only people on today's tour then discusses the tour, the geography and some of the history of Portugal almost non-stop during our hour-long drive to the most south-western point of Continental Europe.

Cape St. Vincent lies within a national park with the Atlantic crashing against it's bluffs.  As you'd expect, the red lighthouse is one of it's most notable features along the cape, but our eyes are frequently drawn to the crashing surf.  The remains of St. Vincent were brought here in the 4th Century A.D. and crows guarded the grave.  In the 1100's the King of Portugal had the grave exhumed and the remains brought to Lisbon - and the story is that two crows guarded the remains during the journey.  This is the same St. Vincent whose statue, church, and monastery we saw in Lisbon.  Later in history Sir Francis Drake was sent by the queen of England to destroy the buildings on the Cape.

We drive 15 minutes to the city of Sagres, also the name of the cerveza that William has been consuming here in Portugal (though the beer is not brewed here).   We see the marina and the ruins known as Baleeira then go to the Sagres Fortress.  It is from Sagres that Henry the Navigator planned the voyages to the uncharted western side of Africa in the 1400's.  This started the golden age of exploration for Portugal. The fort provides views of Cape St. Vincent in the distance and has  a modern lighthouse.  Within the fort there is what looks like a giant sundial, but is called a wind compass and a small chapel, Nossa Senhora da Graça.

Next we are on to Lagos, starting first with Ponta da Piedade.  We recognize the lighthouse from last week's boat cruise.  We climb atop the cliffs and look at the rock formations.  There's even one rock formation that looks like a camel.  It is fun to see the shoreline from the top, and also get a closer look at the lighthouse.

Lagos is a delightful city.  It is from here that Vasco de Gamma set sail for Brazil.  We start with lunch in a family-owned restaurant along one of the pedestrian streets.  We choose local dishes, I have the monkfish and rice and William and Miguel have the mixed fish and rice.  The meals arrive in covered pots, the fish and rice prepared similar to a stew.  They are filling and delicious, especially when complimented with a little piri-piri sauce.

Following lunch we walk along the marina to see a replica of a caravel, the 15th Century ship developed to explore the western coast of Africa.  Christopher Columbus' Nina was a caravel.  We walk along the waterfront to Forte da Ponta da Bandeira, a 17th Century fort at the mouth of the Bensafrim river and the entrance to the marina.  We stroll through the walls of the old city and take a look inside Ingreja Santo António.

The final stop in our tour is the town of Silves.  Miguel expertly maneuvers the van through the one-way streets of the city center, driving us up to the castle.  Before entering the castle we stop for a fresh orange juice.  While we are enjoying the juice we notice that the bar has a bottle of strawberry tree (Medronho) liquor.  As we have discussed the native strawberry tree on this tour and our tour to the cork forest William and I agree we must buy a shot and share it.  We sip it, it's a little sweet and it would probably taste better cold.

The Silves Castle is an example of Moorish architecture.  At the entrance gate we pause to look at the statue of Sancho I of Portugal who conquered the castle in 1189.  The castle would go back-and forth between the Moors and the Christians until the 13th century, when the troops of Alfonso III of Portugal overtook the Moors and placed it fully in the hands of the Christians. We climb around the walls and the five towers of the well-preserved and restored castle.  We also have a view of the city, the Arade river, and the surrounding countryside.

​Miguel drives us back to Albuferia in 30 minutes, dropping us off in front of our apartment at 6 pm.  It's been a full, delightful day.