Current Location: Ferragudo – Algarve – Portugal
On the Car Stereo Today: Radio – RFM
When I woke up this morning it was like being back in England – big black clouds and it was pouring with rain. I didn’t mean to bring the British weather to Portugal with me.
I had breakfast in my apartment and then drove in to Ferragudo for a walk by the small harbour. Ferragudo is a fishing village and some of the small boats were unloading their catch on the quayside.
With much of the day expected to be cloudy and showery, I went for a drive. I went to Estoi, just outside Faro, to visit the Estoi Palace & Gardens. The palace is actually a luxury hotel but for €2,50 you can visit some of the rooms as well as the gardens which are great to walk around. The hotel pool is only for guests, but it does look good!!
On the way back I stopped off in Silves. Once the capital of the Algarve, Silves is a very picturesque city with Arab architecture and a very good castle to visit.
I had lunch back at the apartment and by then the sun had made a welcome appearance – so off I went to the beach – book and my chair in the boot – and set myself up at the far end of the Praia Grande in Ferragudo. A late afternoon swim was very welcome – despite the cloud it was quite humid.
This evening I drove in to Ferragudo for dinner, found a place on the main square to eat at – I had peri-peri grilled chicken which was lovely. After dinner a walk around the village – and I heard the guitarist who was in the square play Zorba the Greek. That got the crowds going!
So tomorrow I leave the Algarve. The Algarve has traditionally not been what I would think of as the perfect holiday location – it is more built up than Greece but I have found some interesting places to visit. There’s certainly more to explore for my next visit to Portugal.
Tomorrow it is off to Malveira – around 30km from Lisbon. I’ll be staying there until Wednesday.
Boa noite,
FH.
Today’s Mileage: 97
Total Mileage: 1646
