Me and my friend, waiting for my other friend to arrive
I had a friend come to visit me in Portugal, which is great, because I am afterall, in a small rural village where few people speak english. So I was primed and excited for a visitor.
Old doors speak their story
As they had to fly into Faro, I decided it would make for a good visit to take the train down to Faro and meet them there, spend a day in Faro and then train up to my little village of Vale de Santiago. Then head up to Lisbon and spend a day there myself exploring.
Exploring a quiet Faro before going to meet my friend at the airport
So this I did. Down to Faro I went. The last time I was in Faro was in 1985. I was actually meeting my Aunts and Uncles in Albufeiro and I thought I would spend a couple of days in Faro. Well what I didn’t know at that time, is that Faro is not really a beach town at all. It is more mud flats. So this time I knew that and decided instead to concentrate on the old city.
The abandoned ...
Faro is the southern most city in Portugal and is the capital of the Algarve district, which is basically Portugal’s and Spain’s version of the French Mediterranean. It is quite lovely and has certainly since 1985, become more and more of a British enclave. But it was hot, sunny and there were people that spoke english. I am not against speaking Portuguese, but it is a tough language aurally and I only have learned so much.
The defaced ...
Faro has basically been here since before Roman times. Well obviously, geographically, it has been here, but from a settlement perspective, it has been here. Unfortunately with the struggling economy since 2008 and Portugal’s struggles in the EU, Faro, like many towns in Portugal, sports many closed shops and buildings. It was actually quite quiet while we were there, which really was fine by me.
The tiled ...
In fact one night, at about 1 am, below my window, a man started bellowing out the song, “What’s love got to do with it…” or some song like that. It sounded like he was right in my room. It was pretty funny actually and he was quite good.
... and the symbols ...
But in my next post I will focus more on Faro’s attraction … my friend arrived!
It’s nice to see that you’re still enjoying your surroundings while you’re waiting for your friend. (Hey, isn’t that a song by The Rolling Stones?)
As always, I like your pictures of the doors and windows…..
My friend has come and gone. Now just with myself again … ahhh
I am sure it was a lot of fun with your friend – alone again!!!
Yup – you and I both know what that feels like eh Mum ….