Portugal Part 1: The Algarve & stalking the locals in Portimao

Fleeing the semana santa procession gridlock in Granada, we (Maika, Jenny (canadian), Carrie) hopped in our wee rental car packed to the brim with beach gear and snacks. Our first stop was Faro - in the Algarve region of Portugal - where we picked up Jenny (english jenny) who was arriving by plane from the UK.

We drove by Faro's main church no less than 25 times while searching for our hotel in the labyrinthine network of one way streets. Inside this church is the Capela de Ossos - a chapel lined with the bones of monks. The chapel was built around 1816 & it's construction displaced a cemetery where hundreds of their earlier brethren lay buried, so the bones were salvaged and recycled into this somewhat bizarre reminder of mortality

Faro seemed very depressed (lots of abandoned buildings) & was very quiet, but the old town had few nice spots & also and some colorful murals!

After Faro, we headed to Portimao, further to the west in the Algarve. Portimao is a big resort town full of huge blocks of touristic apartments, resort hotels and beach houses. During the summer high season, the resorts & beaches are reputedly packed but luckily we were there in off-season and things were relatively serene.

We stayed in the 'Estrela do Vau' apartments,above, which had the feel of faded/outdated grandeur & was painted an appropriately easter colored pale pink. It was clean, comfortable & cheap and served as a good base to explore from.

Below, Portimao's harbour at the entrance to the City.

Our first night in Portimao we went in search of a quiet local bar - away from the main boardwalk (a clear overpriced tourist trap & discoteca haven). We once again found ourselves driving in circles in old-town portimao. There was hardly soul to be seen, nor any sign of a bar. When we were about to give up, we saw two young, hipster-looking guys walking down the Street. They said they were going to a bar, so we followed them & discovered the "true" Portimao hang-outs (ie we were the only non-portuguese in the bar).

here we are stalking the Portimao locals in our mini-car

Jenny (canadian) and Carrie w/weird portuguese man loitering in background

This guy was a harley enthusiast & world traveler. He told us many amusing tales of his adventures after quitting his job in the banking industry while continuously downing shots of some unidentified potent alcohol.

The next day, we had a wonderful time on the beach outside of Portimao - we went running, played frisbee & did yoga in the sand. The beaches outside of Portimao had really stunning rock formations and caves.

Me & Jenny hanging out on the beach.

One of the many beautiful beaches

The next night, as recommended by our new friends from the bar, we went to the restaurant Pote Cheio and enjoyed a desert platter with traditional Portuguese sweets and a local bottle of wine. The Portuguese really know how to make sweets - in the Algarve they're famous for their marzipan sweets. yum.

Apparently the restaurant is a favorite among the locals & we ran into the same guys who pointed us in the direction of the bar the previous night. At this point, they seemed to think we were stalking them around Portimao & appeared very determined to ignore our presence completely (pesky american tourists!).

Afterwards, once again on recommendation from our friend the waiter, we headed to a live music bar that had a fun funk/cover band. I think we found the best spots in the not terribly exciting city of Portimao!

Jenny, Jenny & Carrie had to head back to Granada the next day, but I decided to take a bus up to Lisbon & explore Portugal a bit more. It was a good choice....

to....be....continued