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Faro-trip,to see the Marina and Old-TownClick here to return to Homepage Ken & Chris visit the Algarve capital in the raging heat of june 20th -23rd june 2011.Temperature were up in the late thirties but the Algarve breezes kept it comfortable most of the time.I was ok with this but it was easier for me in my powered wheelchair than for poor Chris having to walk it. We stayed in a really nice 3 star hotel 10 minutes from the marina and old town,in the Best Western Dom Bernardo Hotel..."Twas" very nice and very friendly,very clean and a great breakfast every morning.We loved every minute of our stay! Although the heat was intense we were able to cope better than if at home in the UK in these temperatures.There is no doubt it is a very different heat most of the time.My wife was keen to get a nice tan to show off to her week-end workmates and we all love a bit of that,"do we not". The idea was to get first hand experience of the city so I could write with knowledge (or close to it anyway)and to get some nice photographs to show to you.This was the reason behind choosing an hotel 10 minutes from the marina and the magical old-town. We had heard the old-town was truly magical and wanted to see if it lived up to its description and reputation.It did!It is the first example I have seen where the entire circle of the medieval part was totally still standing.The old town was the highlight of our Faro-trip without any doubt.
First we went through the arch, not really knowing what to expect.The cobbled street was steep and very bumpy in my powered wheelchair but we stuck with it,hoping it would all be worth it.It was to prove a very good decision we had made.The old buildings either side of us were greatly attractive and interesting to say the least.They spoke of centuries of human strife and history,of attacks and times of pleasurable peace.I can tell you the "vibes" were good.I travelled to many jobs in many places in my thirty year carreer as a scaffolder and could always pick up the vibes of a place.One place with horrible vibes turned out to be a hanging place.Another was where slaves were unloaded into cellars.Glastonbury literally had me feeling really happy all the 14 days we worked on a tyhe barn there.Faro old town was very good,not quite Glastonbury but very nice.Our Faro-trip was proving to be a good choice!
We were pleasantly suprised by our hotel and its setting in a poorer location in the city.Just down the road was the municipal market where all the local citizens buy their daily food.It was well worth visiting as a demonstration of the daily lives of the people of the Algarve-Faro.There were plenty of other shops around to keep us busy for half the day.Since we were on our Algarve-vacation for 3 days it was good to have found things to see and do, without having even got to Faro-marina or the old town... The weather on this day was bright sunshine and over 35 degrees celcius.My wife having to walk was feeling the heat more than myself but we were both coping better than we expected in these temperatures.Still it was nice to get back to the air-conditioned lounge in the hotel to cool off a little,before we started our walk down to Faro-marina.
We saw the above and were told locally it was the Cathedral.I am not so sure now on returning home as another less spectacular building is stated as being Faro Cathedral.Apparently the one we visited above was very spectacular inside but I could not get in being in a wheelchair.There were storks nesting on the towers of this building as well The walk down to the marina area was not too bad as it was all downhill.We did get lost once but a lovely friendly Portuguese lady noticed we were lost and though she did not speak English and we do not speak Portuguese,she managed to send us on our way in the right direction.We passed through a number of pedestrianised shopping streets before we hit the narina area and were delighted to feel a lovely cooling breeze.It was great to sit and have a nice cold drink by the boating area.It was not the most picturesque boating arena in the Algarve,like for example Lagos but the buildings and scenery around it more than made up for this. Below is a scene in the square next to the marina,which gives some idea of how pretty it is around the marina...The trees in the picture are very old Oleander plants.Normally you see them as very pretty shrubs growing to around ten feet but these must have been converted into standards a very long time ago and as you see have developed very sustantial trunks.They were even more spectacular than they are in the photograph.There were many planted areas we spotted which being a keen plantsman made my Faro-trip a lot more intersting.
The building you see behind the Oleander trees is very typical of the houses you find all around Faro.Not just found in this city though,you will find this sort of house all over the Algarve and some are extremely attractive This shot was taken looking towards the Marina.The Marina is just a few meters beyond,so demonstrating what lovely areas are all around the boating area.
There were lots of cafes and restaurants around the Marina area and generally they were reasonably priced,in my opinion.On the right as you look at the Marina is a very large and luxurious hotel called Eva,which has many balconies overlooking the Marina.We had a look inside and it was very plush indeed in the foyer area. Just past this hotel you can find the main Faro bus station and a little further still will bring you to the Algarve Faro railway station .So our Faro-trip to the old town and marina proved to be very well blessed,because there is so much to do and see and everything is in close proximity.Greatfor the disabled and for families with young children.
I would think the double arches were the rear entrance way for the delivery of goods and for letting in soldiers in a safe manner.Obviously both arches wouls have had heavy security doors and goods and soldiers would have gone in through the first arch which would close behind them,before the second archway was opened up.To the right as you look in there is a large area to the right which would i think have been to take loads of soldiers in one go,before closing the outer arch. The picture below is inside the main square of the old town and shows what I now believe is Faro Cathedral (I will be happy to be corrected,if this is not the case)
Our Faro-trip now goes inside the Old Town to look at some of the buildings.When you look at the lovely belltower in the picture above it does suggest this would be a cathedral.This is the first building you see as you come up the cobbled road leading from the front entrance .(our top of page picture)This is where you first notice the good vibes inside the old town,it does have a nice affect on your mood.I do not think life could have been too bad inside these walls. At a guess I would think it was mostly the rich who lived in here,the poor people probably lived outside the walls and walked in to do their various trades.Through the archways at the back,for sure! Our Faro-trip continues with another shot of Faro Cathedral below,it may not be the biggest but it does have nice clean architecture and really sits well in the large square inside the Old Town walls.
The Cathedral is the centre point in what is a pretty big and beautifull square.The whole inside of the old town is so well kept it appears almost pristine and makes a fitting tourism showpiece for the entire Algarve.If you visit the Algarve try if possible to visit this great tourist attraction.Try not to forget your camera as there is so much to photograph both inside and outside the Old Town. Another photograph from our Faro-trip showing perhaps a quarter of the area within the encircling walls,hopefully giving some idea of the size of the square. Still inside the Old Town is this garden and statue of King Alfonso,the great saviour of the Algarve.It was he who stopped the Spanish stealing the Algarve from Portugal in the 14 century.. font color="purple">Things to see and do in Faro When visiting the Algarve and Faro if you like enviromental tourism or ecotourism or just like to study flaura and fauna then there is a company called FORMOSAMAR operating in Faro and the Algarve that concetrates on bringing the wonderfull nature reserve, the Ria Formosa to life for holiday-makers and serious naturalists alike.They organize activities and tours in the Ria Formosa and in fact all along the Algarve coast.Their mission is to promote the welfare of the Ria Formosa,which is known as one of Europes most important conservation areas.The founders stated intention, "to offer a wide selection of integrated tours, activities and nature tourism on the Ria Formosa" . Tours and activities at sea and on land,are available for tourists to experience this Atlantic paradise on the wonderfull Algarve coastline.they have daily departures from Faro operating throughout the year and offer trips by boat, kayak, cycling or on horseback and these are of course always accompanied by guides to help tourists explore the wonders of Europes premier nature reserve the Ria Formosa.Great Faro-trip Formosamar : Telephone : Website : Email : Of course there is also the Old Town I described above,do not forget that! It is a "Must not Miss". The Capela Da Nossos is Another "Should not Miss"on a Faro-trip. The Capela Da Nossos is a chapel of bones of great religious significance and a good but weird tourist attraction as it houses many bones.It is not a very big establishment but its is the 2000 skulls housed within its walls.Last known Cost was 1.50 Euros per person. There are more to be added as soon as I get time from other pages which need updating.Call it Work in Hand for the Faro-trip page.
Faro-trip to Worldwide Rental property from Owners
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Above is the magnificent entrance arch to the Faro old town.Complete with its bell tower and storks nests.Later we take a walk inside and even a minature train ride through this wonderfull ancient part of Faro City!
ected in these temperatures.Still it was nice to get back to 
The picture above shows the Faro Cathedral,just a couple of minutes walk from the hotel.What a rich tourist location we had chosen for our Faro-trip
This lovely park is just 50 meters or so from the entrance into the old town.Our first picture at the top of this page shows the entrance into the old town.Just past this little park you can take a Faro-trip on the little train.I say little but it is quite a bit bigger than the little minature train we see so often by tourist beaches.This train was able to take me around Faro as it had a carriage with a ramp on the back.I did not even have to pay as I am disabled,I do not even get that in the Uk.For a twenty minute or longer,ride around Faro this train costs about 3.50 euros per adult.I think children were able to go cheaper.
Above we see the double archway into the wonderfull Old Town.
