With our rental car we drove along the east coast. In about an hour you can get to the Spanish boarder by the way.
Our first stop was Tariva. In the middle of the town there is a river which has more or less water according to the tides. One of the bridges that combines the old town with the center is from Roman times. We strolled through the alleys and admired the old houses that are still completely tiled. You can also find tile pictures in the church. There is also a lush golden altar. Very special. In the middle of fortification walls there is a shadowy garden with lots of flowers and trees. You can also find some fruits there. From the top of the walls you have a nice view over the village.
Near the Spanish boarder lies the dreamy fishermen’s village Cacela Velha. Here only a handfull of houses exist. They are quite small, have only one floor and are painted white. Around the door and the windows they are decorated with colored stripes. Very nice. There is one restaurant that is open during the day. And there is a church. And there is this huge beach with a long sand bank. The two other restaurants are only open in the evening.
Two different ways lead down to the beach. One is longer and has a lot of steps. The other one is a sandy path. According to the tides you have to wade through the water to get to the beach. Some tourists use the big puddles as a bathing tub. The beach and the sandbank are so long that there is a lot of space between the parasols. You can find thousands of shells and there are numerous crabs that hide quickly in the sand when you get near to them. From the church you have a great view over the beach and the sandbank and can check out where to go to.
We went further to Vila Real de Santo Antonio. The town is build like a chess board. And you can look to Spain which is on the other side from the water right from the promenade. You can get lost here very easily because every street looks the same. Also the shops and restaurants look all the same. But we had the best ice cream there.
After that we drove to the fisher village Santa Luzia. Here time stood still. At the harbour which is only for professional fishers you will only see working materials. And at the small fisher huts you can see men repair their nets or reuses. Or the play cards after work. At the quayside there are some snack bars which are visited by tourists and locals.
At the city limit you can see a saline. Between the roundabout and the supermarket. Amazing. You can also spot some very old olive trees with wide stems and huge fig trees.
We ended our tour in Quarteira at the restaurant Rosa Branca. We ate at the terrace at the first floor with a view and enjoyed the fish that has just been brought in from the fisherman. Wonderful.
There are way more villages waiting to be discovered. That was our tour. What was yours?