Faro
Seaduced
John & Jane Craven
Sat 21 Aug 2010 18:38
As we were so near to Faro, we decided it would be a shame to miss a visit to the capital of the Algarve. I had an idea that it was a 'stag night' kind of place with lots of groups of drunks and very little else - how wrong was I? Faro is a beautiful city and we spent a few hours wandering through the streets and around the old town areas which were certainly a surprise for me. We looked at the anchorage which was quite small and busy and decided that we had made the right decision staying where we were despite the early starts!
Suzanne had decided to spend the day topping up her tan on the boat and when we got back we decided another dinghy ride to find a suitable bar for a sundowner was needed. There didn't seem to be many places in Olhao to go at night, although you would't think so from the noise they make until the early hours, so sundowners and dinner on the boat seemed a good option and there is no need to shower and change so you save water!
This time we set off in the other direction, out towards the anchorage and found Isla do Cultura, another place where the tourist boats take the sunbathers to. This however was very different and we landed in a small fishing port. Although the houses were again quite small, there was a definite community here and lots of locals clearly lived here, giving the bars a much different atmosphere - they were more relaxed and less 'done up' to attract tourists in the same way as the previous place.