Loulé to Tavira

 

 Sat Oct 14


Final day of riding! We knew from the GPS track that the only real hill would be in the first part of the ride, then we’d slide downhill to the ocean. An easy 43 km. Did I ever think I’d write that phrase?

But first, the market. While the building is huge and beautiful, the market was like any other big market in Europe, if quite a bit more spacious. What set this one apart was the tour groups going through. Seems the market is marketed to tourists. (Please forgive me for that sentence.) We shoved our way through the crowds, and paused at a few displays. Outside the market, there are tiny streets dedicated to alternative markets. It’s organized such that certain dates are flea markets, certain dates are for crafts, etc. Today was a crafts day, but the pickings were fairly sparse. This is the end of the season, and I think many of the craftspeople have finished for this year. We liked it, though, seeing genuine artisanship rather than made-for-tourist things that I, for one, have come to mistrust.

Tour group ahead

Teas and spices

The market building

 

 

We checked out of our deluxe little hotel, and recovered our bikes from the underground garage. We battled the traffic jams out of town and were soon heading up the one major hill of the day — which turned out to be…hardly anything. Our route was fantastic, almost all on small roads with few cars, through orange orchards and ritzy enclaves. When we arrived at the coast, we encountered the famed (to some) blue-paved Eurovelo and rode it several kilometres into Tavira. We checked into our new deluxe little hotel, stashed the bikes in a space under the stairs, and actually took a rest.

Tourist tuk-tuk

Our hotel, the highly desireable Marés Residencial. If you look closely you'll see the photographer reflected in the glass door, waiting while Elly checks us in.

Interesting things come to those who wait. This was a stone sett (cobble) that had come loose, showing that the black surface we see is laminated onto a regular cobbleatone. Are they all like this??

Tavira is tourist heavy, like Salema and Lagos. I guess the reality is that any visit-worthy place in a visit-worthy season is going to be full of visitors.  

Looking across the river from our hotel

Another not-Roman Ponte Romana, like the one in Silves

Wedding shot, and a resourceful photographer, on the Ponte Romana

Our hotel here, the Marés Residential Hotel, has a very good restaurant, and tonight we finally tried the Cataplana, a specialty of the Algarve. This fish stew is made in a special copper pan, and is very much like a Boullabaise, cooked in a light broth of tomatoes, onions, and peppers. This was by far the best fish we’ve had this trip. 

In the Relive embedded photos, catch a quick glimpse of and orange orchard, some carob pods on the tree, an upscale gated community in the middle of nowhere, and the blue bike path leading into Tavira -- among other sites.

After all the exercise, yes, we were able to eat most of the Cataplana!

A toast to our accomplishment