The road leading southward from the Alentejo to Sagres is a very pretty one passing through old towns such as Odemira, Aljezur and Vila do Bispo. Times haven’t really changed in these towns. Old men squeezed into jumpers that look a size too small…Read More

The road leading southward from the Alentejo to Sagres is a very pretty one passing through old towns such as Odemira, Aljezur and Vila do Bispo. Times haven’t really changed in these towns. Old men squeezed into jumpers that look a size too small still sit in cafes around the main squares drinking Medronho and playing dominoes. Dogs lie in the middle of the road, sleeping in the midday sun. Sometimes they look like they have been shot and don’t even move when a bus turns a corner. When the road branches off to Sagres the landscape changes slightly – you are able to see more houses, apartments, cafes and the odd hotel. Thankfully, the town hasn’t been too over developed and you can still find a narrow lane leading to the beaches that have wonderful yellow sand, remain quiet and unspoilt.

On this western coast of the Algarve, the scenery is quite different with its wild, secluded surfing beaches which are backed by granite cliffs sometimes flecked with amber and red. A couple of the beaches are reached only by surfers who know the terrain well; long unmade tracks amidst the marshes or through the rocky heath and farmland, sometimes hilly.

It was here, in Sagres, that Henry the Navigator established his school of seamanship. All that remains is is a small chapel and a gigantic rosa dos venhos or ‘compass card’ carved out of the stone. To reach this historical sight you will have to travel a little way out of the town in a northerly direction but it is definitely worth a stroll as the wind blowing through your hair and around your ears is a wild experience and the views are stunning.

Warm currents give Sagres mild winters, but the constant winds make for chillier summers than in most of this region. The small fishing harbour is colourful with many hand painted boats in colours of red, blue and yellow. It is still a working harbour and each day you will see fishermen bring home their catch which is usually sold to the local restaurants.

In 1755 when the Great Earthquake hit Portugal a lot of the buildings in the main square in Sagres were destroyed. Consequently there aren’ t many points of historical interest. The main square is the heart of the town with a good selection of cafes, restaurants and a good supermarket. If you want to try out a top fish restaurant then I suggest Mar a Vista. This pretty restaurant is set back and above Praia da Mareta, east of Sagres. The views are fantastic and the décor is kitsch with fishing nets, lobster pots and other fishing paraphernalia. As you might guess the main food on offer is fish and seafood, in traditional dishes or simply cooked. Try the perceves and don’t miss out on the local wine.

On my trips back to the Algarve I generally visit Sagres at least twice during my stay. The town I can take or leave but I do love the sandy beaches especially Praia do Martinhal which is just east of the town. The sand here is soft, golden, very peaceful and there are lots of sand dunes which you can tumble down when playing with the kids or hide behind if you want to sunbathe in peace without an audience.

Sagres isn’t the prettiest town in the western Algarve but because of its location near to Land’s End, Cabo de Sao Vicente (Cape St Vincent), and the historical connection with Henry the Navigator it is definitely worth seeing.

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Caros leitores do dia bom: To those readers who don’t speak Portuguese, this merely means "Good day to our readers:" but if you are reading this in the afternoon, then it is"bom tarde" and at night it would be "bom nuit." …Read More

Caros leitores do dia bom:

To those readers who don’t speak Portuguese, this merely means "Good day to our readers:" but if you are reading this in the afternoon, then it is"bom tarde" and at night it would be "bom nuit."

My English is much better than my Portuguese, and, as I found in Portugal, so was their English. Any who is offered the opportunity to visit, should "GO FOR IT!"

We arranged to get two more weeks with our RCI time share, at the Montechoro Beach Club and J M Vacations was kind enough to arrange our flight two weeks ahead of the rest of the group which was to leave Feb.1. So off we went to this foreign land, which can only be described as "one of the most historic and beautiful countries we have ever visited."

Perhaps it was because of the fact Portugal was, up until l977, ruled by a dictatorship government.

Situated on the "corner" of the Atlantic Ocean and the nearby Mediterranean entry port of Gibraltar, Portugal is bordered on the north by France and on the east by Spain. However it is now a free country and fast growing in the field of tourism.

Our base was first at the Montechoro Beach Club, for the first two weeks, a plush resort tiered seven stories above the sandstone cliffs, with easy access to the beaches of Albufeira. Of course to truly enjoy Portugal, you must be avid walkers, as my wife and I found, because, not wishing to venture into the snakes nest of roads traffic circles that predominate the country, we opted to use Shank’s Mare and either taxis or buses on trips out of town.

There is a multitude of things to see and do about Albufeira in the Algarve region or province. At low tide, one can walk for miles and miles along the ocean front from town to town. Indeed Villamoura, another tourist town, was nine miles away by beach and some 18 km. by road.

If you are a history buff like me, then Portugal is the place to go. I marveled at the fact some Roman bridges, built back around the time of Christ, were still in use at Tavira and many of the old Moorish castles were still an integral part of the community. For example in a place called Loule, where we went on a tour to the gypsy market we found the ruins of an old Moorish castle had been preserved, restored and made part of that town’s historical museum. This is a must to visit, in addition to the gypsy market and fresh fruit, vegetable and fish market.

This was the first tour we took. We wandered the streets of Loule for almost three hours and had a bird’s eye view of the town from the castle parapets. Loule we were told, was one of the oldest town’s in the Algarve. The architecture is both Roman and Moorish.

Old towns are interwoven with the more modern structures and preserved for their historic value. This was something I greatly appreciated and one interested in history. I well remember the stories of Vasco de Gama and his sea adventures to India and those stories related to the "end of the world" beliefs of those early years.

Indeed on another tour, called The Best Of The West, we were taken to Sagres and Cape St. Vincent, which is the last land point before the Atlantic, and standing on the walkway of St. Vincent Lighthouse, I couldn’t help but feel just like those of olden days who believed this indeed was "the end of the world" and that feeling that to venture off to the horizon would mean dropping off the world.

It was most interesting to note not only the old Moorish influence on the area, but also to see nature in the midst of this old time fortress. Indeed at the entry to the Old Town of Faro, we looked back after passing through and saw a pair of storks nesting atop the bell tower. Even more unusual was the sight of a pair of storks nesting atop a modern day lamp post in the centre of the new city.

Old town Faro was the first place we visited on an overnight at Faro before going to Albufeira, and as we walked the narrow passageways of this old town, we marveled at the 15th century structures. However, we found even more interest in a tour known as "The Best of the East" which begins at Faro and takes you on through to Spain.

Old Albufeira was a beautiful part of the town to visit, where you could wander through narrow streets, devoid of automobiles, or wander Fisherman’s Beach, which is just what its name implies. Here fishermen base their operations and boats, venturing out in all kinds of wind and weather to harvest the products of the sea, from scampi, to lobster and on to a variety of salt water fish, such as tuna and swordfish.

For one concerned about weight and eating, this is no place to visit for any dieting hopefuls. I vowed to come back 20 pounds lighter after the six weeks, but little did I dream of all the different dishes to tempt the palate from grilled sardine recipes to cataplana , paella and other favorite dishes. Add in coffee time with a rich sample of goodies from the pastelleria and there does the diet.

I take some solace from the fact we did a great deal of walking that left me only a pound lighter than when I left Thunder Bay. I found the walks invigorating and tiring, as some of the climbs up the hillside were exhausting to say the least. One section saw us climbing a stairway 284 steps long.

Another section near our first condo, was dubbed "Cardiac Hill". Occasionally we cheated by taking the elevator in our condo building, up to the sixth floor which brought us out on top of the hill.

Our last trip outside the Algarve was to Fatima and Lisbon. I don’t think there is a Catholic child alive who doesn’t know the story of Francisco and Jacinta Marto and their cousin Lucia, daughter of Antonio dos Santo and her mother Maria Rosa, the three shepherd children who, in 1917, saw visions of the Blessed Virgin on no less than three occasions in the village of Aljustrel.

On the tour we visited the humble homes of all three children and then toured the massive basilica of Fatima.

Francisco and Jacinta, both died early in life. She was in attendance in Fatima on May 13, when here two younger cousins were beatified by Pope Jean Paul II. Their remains are entombed in the basilica at Fatima. Jacinta died in October of 1918 and was followed in death by her brother Francisco a short time later, but Lucia, now Sister Lucia, a Carmelite nun, is still alive and living a life of seclusion in the order, at Coimbra, at age 95.

There is a multitude of things to see and do and it would take many pages of this paper to describe them all. However before closing, let me just say Lisbon is an outstanding city to visit and has many attractions, but one of the least publicized is that of St. George Castle, from which one is afforded a panoramic view of the city from all sides of the castle. You can climb to the top of the walls and walk the parapets to see a vast view of the colorful city and countryside.

Portugal, is definitely a country one should include in a travel agenda. As Will Rogers once said "The Good Lord willin’ n’ the creeks don’t rise," I will again visit Portugal to see much more of it, from the Cork Museum in Silves, to the wine tastings of Monchique, it was a country of vast history and intrigue.

Perhaps in the future we can give you a bit more of the colorful history of this great country.

Until then:

Agradecimentos para ler isto e adeus (Thanks for reading this and goodbye.)