Faro, Falesia and on to Lisbon
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We started our morning by making a plan for the rest of our time in Iberia, we then finally set off south toward Faro for a quick food resupply. The first thing that hit us was the sheer variety of produce at the supermarkets here. Far beyond what we had seen in Spain and a welcome change. Restocked with a multitude of fresh fruit and veg, we pushed west to try get a space at the motorhome park we had an eye on.
This turned out to be the right move as when we arrived there were only two spaces left. Unfortunately, the better one was snapped up by the German motorhome that had arrived moments before. But we managed to get into the last spot with a tree right in the middle of the pitch. It wasn’t ideal and a bit tight, but we grew to love it.
The next morning after finally being able to eat outside and leave our gear out safely, we decided to book an extra couple nights here. Ellen would later say that this was the first place she had felt fully relaxed. It felt safe, minutes walk from the beach and was very well run. This was all a breath of fresh air after our experiences of campsites and motorhome areas in Spain.
Anyway, it was Sunday morning and the weather wasn’t great but it was improving. So we decided we would drive back to Faro, after I managed to knock over a lamp post reversing out of the tight pitch for the morning...
Our first impressions of Faro… Not that impressed, and unfortunately this didn’t really improve. It’s rather run down and tired. We weren't expecting the glitz and glam of a resort, in fact we dislike that more. But, we expected the capital of the Algarve to be doing better. What was most saddening to see were the cobbled together shack slums right next to new high rises as we walked along one of the main roads into the city. These shouldn’t have to exist anywhere, let alone in a major Western European country.
After lunch, we wandered into the old city and to the Municipal museum which Lonely Planet had said was worth a visit. This was interesting and was free. Some interesting artwork from a local artist on exhibition and a huge Roman mosaic that was discovered in the town during building works. A bit underwhelmed however, we found the only cafe that seemed to be open, an Australian cafe run by an Aussy and his two Japanese waiters. Not very Portugeuse we know haha! Here we decided to Uber back to the van and then head back to the motorhome park where we could finally bust out the outdoor stove and cook outside for the first time this trip!
The next day was spent mainly at the beach and chilling outside the van in the lovely weather whilst Ellen joined some remote meetings back home. Not a lot to report but we did start talking about surf lessons maybe in the future.
The next day we booked on for another two nights and re-evaluated the mini plan we had made at the start of the week. We decided we’d head straight for Lisbon after here and skip Sagres. Maybe we’ll regret it, but we’re on the Schengen clock outside of France and so have to prioritise. We can't see everything!
This was the day that we realised that there was some sort of sports event going on here at the resorts. One of these resorts interestingly we found to be completely abandoned whilst on our long walk along the cliffs in the sunshine. This must have been recently as there were still items of furniture behind the broken windows and flyers in stalls in the ghostly reception area. Very strange. The cliffs along this stretch of the coast though are incredible and very dramatic, rising up from the Atlantic in craggy red rock. Making for a spectacular morning walk.
The afternoon we spent on the beach and wandering the local town and sampling the local Ice Cream (had to be done). In the evening we decided to go to the interesting barbeque place outside the gate to the motorhome area. This looked like one of those messy, rough and ready places that’s either going to really suck, or absolutely blow you away...
However, it was neither, maybe veering more toward the former. The atmosphere was oddly entertaining though, the older couple that owned it causing a stir now and then. The service was slow but it was only them so you accepted that. The food unfortunately was way over salted, and I’m not saying this as a Brit who hasn’t eaten properly seasoned food. This was too salty. Oh and the Olives were mouldy. Shame really, but it was definitely memorable. We're glad we tried it, but we probably wouldn't come again.
The next day was spent at the beach chilling and that evening we went out for dinner again. This time at a pizza place in the main town area. It was a bit touristy but the food was good and it was a nice walk back on a warm evening to the van.
The next morning it was finally time to hit the road to Lisbon. A quick stop for more food and fuel then we headed over to Decathalon to look at buying some bikes. Unfortunately we’ve got too much crap in the back and could only fit one folding bike in. Unwilling to spend £1k+ on smaller folding bikes or to get a big carrier on the back, we gave up and pushed on north. Probably for the best anyway.
Our first indication that we were nearing Lisbon were the miles of cork oak plantations. Portugal is a major exporter of cork and the area to the south of Lisbon has acres of these plantations.
Arriving in Lisbon we parked up at ferry park that allows motorhomes and campers to stop here. That evening I used up bit too much electric using the air fryer to do some chips. Normally this isn’t an issue for us but we wouldn’t be driving the van the next day and a storm was forecast so we were a bit worried we’d get back and we’d not have much battery left as there’d be no charging off the engine or off solar the next two days…
Or so we thought.
It turns out the forecast in Portugal is just as unreliable as back home. The ferry journey across the Tagus the next morning was relatively calm only encountering a slight swell as we crossed the shipping channel. No signs of a storm yet.
From the ferry terminal we jumped straight on a sketchy looking urban train to Belem. These trains are bare metal, old as the hills and covered in graffiti. Not what we expected from the country’s capital and not what you’re normally shown on Instagram.
The train ran straight along the waterfront and only two stops to Belem. Birthplace of the Pastel de Nata!
Our first stop, Pasteis de Belem for the original pastel de Belem (precursor to the pastel de nata).
The story goes that when the monastery next door was forced to close in the early 1800’s, some of the monks bought space at the sugar refinery next door. They started selling custard tarts from here as a means of survival, using an old recipe from their time at the monastery. It started to become know as the Pasteis de Belem, which the bakery/cafe is still called today, the tart becoming the Pastel de Belem. Other bakeries would try to replicate the recipe and thus the Pastel de Nata was born although missing the secret ingredients of the Belem variant.
Anyway, this place is now huge, having bought up many of the surrounding buildings behind the Main Street frontage since the days of the monks. It has a queueing area and two counters including the historic counter. All of which, during the afternoon later on we saw were rammed with people.
We got lucky, the morning is the time to go and we wove our way through to the far back dining room and enjoyed two Pastel de Belem each. These were outstanding and worthy of the hype. Some places are touristy for a reason!
As we left Pasteis de Belem, the sun was shining and hot! So much for storms all day! But good news for the solar back at the van though.
The next stop was a wander past the monastery, but the huge queue put us off and we continued on to the far end where the maritime museum was situated.
The maritime museum was fascinating, filled with detailed information, artefacts and models from the Portuguese side of the age of exploration (or “the Discoveries” as the Portuguese call it). However, as we moved out of the age of sail and into the age of steam, we did start to lose a bit of interest. But that’s a personal taste thing from our part. We just find the age of sail and exploration more interesting. The icing on the cake was the Barge Hall at the end of the museum. In here were real barges, sailboats and even a couple of aircraft. I was in heaven for a brief moment.
After the maritime museum we headed into the cultural centre and to a cafe called Único. Here they pride themselves on their locally sourced ingredients and their employment of staff with learning difficulties who have received training at the SEMEAR academy.
After lunch, the monastery queue had reduced quite a bit so we first went into the church for free. Most of it was under scaffolding but we were able to see the tomb of Famous explorer Vasco De Gama.
Heading out of the church we rounded into the still short queue to go into the cloister. Realising we needed tickets before this point, we quickly bought some online and got the QR code just in time and just as some shady guy tried to sneak in with us. We suspect he was a pickpocket but we try to stay pretty alert to them and nothing was taken. Thankfully he was also stopped from sneaking in by the security checking tickets.
The cloisters were interesting and the stonework all beautifully carved but we couldn’t help but feel a bit ripped off by the 18 euro price - there was very little information around and we suspect it’s probably better to do it on a guided tour.
Leaving the monastery and after a brief loo break, the weather was finally starting to turn. So, we headed into an arty shop near Pasteis de Belem for a cool umbrella and some local artwork. We’ve not seen any other stuff like this before or since and after chatting to the staff we found that these were all reproductions of a couple of local artists’ works on various items.
As we left, the heavens opened, thank god for the new brolley! Though in my haste, I managed to immediately lose the nice cover. Typical. We made a run for the monument to the discoveries across the park, but what no-one tells you is that the tracks for the urban train (the bare metal, graffiti covered rattle trap we rode earlier) runs right along the road and you have to find the small subway to walk underneath it.
Eventually we did find it and thankfully the rain had now passed and the sun came back out so we could take in this huge monument lined with carvings of famous explorers of the discoveries all behind Henry the navigator at the bow.
We then walked along the front up to Torre de Belem. Tickets for entry were sold out, but don’t feel we missed out as online it didn’t look like there was much to see. Plus we were already rinsing through the budget.
After a quick drink in the sun at a bar on the waterfront we jumped in an Uber to LX Factory under the 25 April Bridge. A quick note about the bridge. It looks like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and was even designed (using tracing paper apparently) and built by the same company!
LX Factory is a painfully cool shopping and bar area amongst old factory buildings. Ellen had a field day shopping here and we ended the afternoon at a very cool rooftop bar watching the sun go down over the bridge towering above us.
After a couple of cocktails, we jumped in another Uber to Barrio Alto, famous for its restaurants apparently, to try find somewhere for dinner. We were struggling to book anywhere but had hoped we could walk in somewhere as many websites said they only pre booked 25% of tables.
Unfortunately, it seemed the good places were all full and the presence of rowdy British stag and hen parties started to put us off a bit. In a panic we ended up in a tiny family restaurant on a side street that was probably someone’s converted front room. As we sat down, the only other people in the place left, adding to the thoughts of “what have we done here?”
We decided to try some tapas, we were here now, and then we would decide whether to stay or not.
We didn’t stay, the tapas was ok, not the worst, but not that good either. We paid up and instead found a place nearby that was a little bit touristy but nice enough and had people in it. It turned out to be lovely and as more people came in and joined us we ended up having a lovely night and even a bit of a chat with the couple at the table next to ours.
The next day, a bit hungover and expecting storms (yet again…) we left the Ferry and walked along the waterfront to Plaça de Comércio. We had a coffee and a hot chocolate here before wandering along the small craft market in the arcade terraces. We then headed through the central arch and up the street packed with people and tatty tourist cafes and shops trying to pull you in.
to avoid the crowds we ducked off the main drag and happened to find ourselves face to face with the Elavador de Santa Justa - the only remaining vertical urban lift in Lisbon. It’s a hilly place and this lift helps you get up to the higher districts.
Instead of taking the lift we walked back round over the steep hills and back down again to the “Time Out” covered food market where restaurants and chefs from across the city have street food style booths around the market. It was a chaos of people and after ordering you had to scour the tables for a space to eat.
But, once we found a spot and got our food, it was all worth it. I would probably recommend going in the evening though or at least go when there aren’t two floating blocks of flats in the harbour (aka cruise ships). We nipped by later in the day to use the loo and it was far quieter, but still not missing the charm.
After lunch we jumped in an uber again up to the Castelo de São Jorge.
Jumping out of our Uber we wandered up the hill toward the castle. Here we found the most amazing craft shop, I was also happy as an acoustic song by one of my favourite bands (Shinedown) was playing in the background.
I digress, this store was “By Nunes”. The most amazing pottery, tiles and many other things are to be found here and all handmade with care. Ellen bought some very lovely tiles and we had a wonderful chat with the woman at the counter about our travels and she gave us her list of places to go in Portugal. We will try and fit some in if we can!
Next, it was up to the castle. It was now roasting hot and crystal clear skies. Storms yeah? No?
Wishing I’d worn shorts, we bought our tickets and headed into the castle grounds to the noise of the many peacocks that inhabited this area. There again wasn’t too much information about the castle but the views across the Tagus and the city were incredible. It was nice to wander around under the shade of the pines and it was a very peaceful place to be after the hustle and bustle of the city. Again, it might have been good to get on one of the free guided tours but we missed it unfortunately. This is especially true for the archeological site on the old palace area, as only these tours were allowed access.
We headed down into the surrounding Alfama neighbourhood afterward. This area is pretty famous with its picturesque winding streets and tiered plazas overlooking the harbour.
We continued down the hills to the waterfront for a drink and there decided to just have out to save on cooking. We got to sit right on the waterfront and watch the sailing vessels fighting the falling tide as we ate dinner. This spring tide was so strong that one small vessel was under full sail and going backwards. After a few attempts up and down the same patch he eventually gave up and headed down toward the bridge, hopefully to take refuge until slack water. We never did see it again though…
That evening before jumping on the ferry back we finally bit the bullet and booked something exciting and a bit different for late September. You’ll see over the next few months some of the prep work that I will need to do ready for this. But you’ll have to stay tuned to see what it is!
