Tales of Algarve

So I’m back in Portugal. Way down in the south region of Algarve, to be exact. The town of Faro is kind of sleepy, but since this is my fourth country visited in the last five days, I could use some rest.

Old town of Faro.

The name of the region comes from the Arabic word for west, and in all its beauty it’s a fitting closure to continental Europe. The blindingly white walls reminds me of tiny villages in Greece.

Deserted street in old town.

But unlike other Portuguese towns such as Porto, it doesn’t resemble the “saudade” feeling of sadness. More like a deserted town, left to its own devices as the Ria Formosa grows ever closer.

View towards Ria Formosa.

The Ria Formosa lagoon is a system of barrier islands, located next to the town. From the top of the clock tower in Igreja da Sé, the lagoon can be seen clearly.