Our last stay on the mainland before heading off for a couple of weeks on the islands was on the beautiful southern tip of Portugal, in the tiny town of Bagau. The Algarve is known for its white sand beaches, abundance of storks, and picturesque fishing villages. Being that we were traveling in spring we knew we would have to deal with some rain so were not dismayed when we got socked in for a few days at the beginning of the week. Fortunately we had a lovely near-to-the-water and very comfortable condo for waiting out the storms while being able to also watch the changes in weather.
One of the changes, and a complete surprise to us, was the arrival of rain combined with a dust storm comprised of sand that originated in the Sahara Desert. When we got the alert for “clay rain” on our phones we were not quite sure what to expect. The top portion of the photo is at sunset on the first day of the approaching storm. The bottom photo was taken 48 hours later, at the exact same time in the evening. (Neither photo edited.)
At top, a sunset during the clay rain; at bottom the sunset taken at the same time, again 48 hours later, again unedited.
The post-storm residue that coated everything outdoors, including our car.
We took one very nice day trip to Faro, the capital of The Algarve region and about an hour away from Bagau. Though crowded, we had no trouble finding parking near the pedestrian-only town center. The building directly in from of where we parked is Lethes Theater, a former Jesuit collage.
On our walk to find some history and some lunch we came across this vibrant window display. Couldn’t resist taking a photo.
I admired this set of windows for their cheeky asymmetry, the iron window detail, and the harmonic components of the rooftop.
Sometimes it is just a sweet window statement that stands out.
Sometimes it is a peak into the past via a look inside an old wall.
Then there is this beauty to enjoy: the tiles on the front, the undulating balcony railing, the lunette about the windows (maybe French doors?), the flower garland tiles and the banister atop it all.
Our destination was Arco da Vila, the gateway to the city through the original Moorish wall.
Close-up of the vaulted ceiling.
On top of the Arc – storks, of course!
For reference: that Arco grouping does not compare to what we dubbed “stork hotels” that are abundant in areas with electric power lines stretching across the countryside. (I apologize for the lack of definition on this photo. It was taken as Bob was motoring along the toll road at 120km/hr.)
We have a wide range of lunch options. Our choice was not this pastalaria as we wanted more hearty fare, but I did like the sentiment in the window.
On the way back to the car I spotted this mural in an alley. Too pretty to be hidden away.
Took a different route back to our beach digs. We were rewarded with this architecturally stunning bridge.
I have a new tree to add to my list of favorites: Stone Pine. Bob kept calling them lollipop trees. He claims he couldn’t remember the name. I gave him a mnemonic to use (think of our friends, Judi and Brad Stone) but he has yet to adopt it.
Back to our flat. Every time I came to the top of the stairs and saw this cutout in the wall I had to remind myself that I am was not viewing artwork but looking at the hillside. I am now officially on the lookout for images that are framed by architecture.
One final dust storm photo before I end this post. And we are off…