Hello friends, we are continuing our trip to Portugal. The weather is currently 22 degrees in the Algarve, which is definitely great weather for a trip. I think the Algarve, known as one of the most popular regions in Portugal, is still an undiscovered part of Portugal for me. This is still quite an unknown place for me because I've only been here once before.
We know that the Algarve is primarily known for its amazing beaches. I visited a beach called Praia de Nossa Senhora da Rocha. There are really many different places and churches here, all dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Rocha. This is a very popular beach, also famous for its chapel. The name Senhora da Rocha refers to a statue of the Virgin Mary located inside the chapel. The chapel is only open to visitors on certain religious days, but it is possible to see the Virgin Mary statue through a window.
And besides these magnificent beaches, it is an extremely rich area in terms of nature. Here we can observe seagulls and it is also a great place for bird watching. There are many silver gulls, black-headed gulls and even kestrels. Of course, we can see other things besides gulls.
The Algarve is quite an aristocratic retreat, with over 30 golf courses here and there is something that interests us as architecture lovers. The latest structure in the golf industry in this region is the Polmeros Golf Club, correctly called Palmeras Ocean Living Golf Club and the clubhouse is quite interesting. It can be said that the building is integrated with the slope and landscape. Part of the roof is covered with greenery, while another part has a broken structure made of several layers of concrete. The concrete here has been used to appropriately match the color of the soil, which is an orange-reddish color, quite uneven. Therefore, this structure integrates very well with the general landscape. The main advantage of this building is definitely achieved with this continuous glass facade that provides a stunning panoramic view.
If you want to go to a Michelin restaurant but don't want to spend a fortune, you can come here for lunch. Because lunches are generally much cheaper, really three times cheaper than the tasting menu offered for dinner. This lunch consists only of amazing snacks. And the size of the local ham is obviously not very big, so I prefer Spanish cuisine more. There is a hot snack with octopus and sweet potato, which is a very interesting combination. Traditionally it is pan-fried and baked and I just couldn't help but admire it, it was really fascinating. Still something I couldn't eat was just magical, this lamb shank. It melts and dissolves in your mouth, but it is impossible to eat it all. So come here with an empty stomach. And finally there is a buffet with desserts, which is the maximum splendor. If you ever find yourself in the Algarve, I recommend you come here to see the architecture and, to have a snack with an ocean view.
And quite an interesting engineering solution. This building has natural ventilation. Especially climate conditions implemented with ideas borrowed from an architect in Egypt, a natural cooling system works in this area too. It doesn't get cold in winter and it doesn't get too hot in summer. But the most impressive thing was that the rain fell exactly during the short distance from where I parked my car at the chapel to here.
Such things happen regularly here and the rain falls horizontally, parallel to the ground. And I wanted to show you a beautiful sunset, but the clouds open up a bit over the ocean and the sunset is really beautiful, right behind the clouds.
There is a lighthouse, but it is currently being restored. Besides there is a castle here, I think they were expecting an attack. But as far as I remember, there was no attack from the sea, because I think everyone knew they were well protected. And I will never tire of repeating the power of the ocean. Here you can really understand how big this body of water is and how small we are. This ocean can swallow us in an instant and therefore you should be careful here. Follow this warning I found at the scene of a German tourist's death, if you don't know where you're going, it's best not to go. This is really a big place.
From here we moved on to the city of Faro, the capital of the Algarve region. I have to say it wasn't very crowded here. The Old town, which we call the historic center, is almost within the castle walls. Of course, there is a cathedral and I mentioned above that Santa Maria is the protector of all of Portugal as the guardian. The city has a bright town hall and you have to pass through a very ornate gate to enter the old town, which is called the city gate. There is also a marina here, so tourists can cruise on the ocean, it's better to cruise in the summer. And in general the great advantage of the Algarve is that it's possible to see things other than beach vacations and there are places to have fun.
We left the Algarve with unforgettable memories. The weather is good here even in winter, so I plan to visit in winter next time.