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After our morning stroll on the beach, we got a ride to our Air BnB in nearby Faro, Portugal. Our driver was also the owner of this cute apartment and gave us all kinds of tips about Faro. This place was so adorable that I kind of wished we were staying longer—and the view was incredible!
One of Alex’s colleagues joined us for a bit before it was time for his flight, and we all enjoyed the change of scenery. Faro looked somewhat similar to Loulé, but this was really my first time exploring an old Portuguese city in the daylight. :)
I had a list of Lonely Planet recommendations, but our host convinced us those weren’t as authentically local as O Chalavar, so that’s where we headed for lunch.
It definitely delivered a cultural experience! None of the staff spoke English, and we were all a bit confused about how things worked because there wasn’t a tangible menu, just a case of seafood to choose from. But we figured it out, and it was delish!
Alex wanted to check out the harbor, and I really didn’t care which direction we were walking in as long as I could keep capturing all the cool architecture through my viewfinder.
The harbor was worth it if only for this tourist photo-op. ;)
This fun modern signage is right across from the entrance into the oldest part of the city, through Arco da Vila.
This enclosed Old Town reminded me a bit of Dubrovik, but smaller and with narrower streets.
Quite a few touristy things were closed for the off-season, but Faro Cathedral (Igreja de Santa Maria) was open for tours!
The sanctuary was under construction, so we couldn’t see much there. But I kind of loved the symbolism of The Church getting some much-needed work done. Deconstruction? Reconstruction? Renewal? Constant upkeep and maintenance due to both human error and simply the passage of time? Yes, please. ;)
Anyway, while I pondered that metaphor, we took in other lovely details, including my first time up close and personal with colorful Portuguese tile work, which is much different than the Moroccan variety that I fell in love with on our 2017 trip. Instead of each shape being a separate piece of tile pieced together mosaic-style, these patterns are created with hand painting on top of white (mostly) square tiles.
There was a small museum with some interesting religious artifacts…
…but my favorite part was this lovely courtyard, complete with a bunch of orange trees that perfectly complemented the gorgeous blue and yellow tile design.
We almost didn’t notice this staircase up to the rooftop—what a lovely view!
The other places I had hoped to visit in Faro (like Bone Chapel / Capela dos Ossos) were closed, but again, just taking in all these architectural details (and with so few people around!) was thrilling enough for me.
In may ways, Faro seemed shabby and run-down, and yet there were the most beautiful ornate buildings right there in the midst of it, and I kind of loved the juxtaposition. And even the shabby parts were still so charming!
I found this place to be very peaceful.
It wasn’t quite dinner time, but we needed a break (and, real talk: Alex had to log on to do some work), so we stopped in for a drink and snack at Eva. It was a comfy and stylish (and deserted) place to hang out for a bit, but I wasn’t expecting this prawn appetizer to be literally just one prawn, so let’s just say it didn’t spoil my dinner. ;)
Good thing, because Lodo was yummy! This was the first shared pitcher of sangria of this trip, but not the last. ;)
That’s it for Faro! And the end of the not-crowded part of our trip. Off to a much more highly populated (but so beautiful!!) place tomorrow—stay tuned. ;)
Oh, and it wasn’t quite as easy this time, but I stuck with the theme and curated a set of 9 Faro prints for the shop. :)
What do you think?
