March 30, 2023
Portugal marks fifty five countries for me, and thirty six that Diana has been along for the ride. That leaves a lot of the world still remaining, but hey, If Not Now, Soon?
We only had eighty miles to ride today to get to our house sit outside of Silves, Portugal. I’m not a fan of riding toll roads or motorways any more than we have to, and in much of Portugal the toll roads don’t have toll booths; you have to pay electronically. Either you have a transponder, or they debit the account you create online each time the toll reader scans your license plate. This all sounded like more hassle than we needed, so we chose to take the MUCH more scenic backroads to Silves.
It’s easy for an American, and especially for someone from a state as large as Texas, to forget how relatively small countries can be here. This was the first time I realized how close together many of the world championship Formula One and Moto GP race tracks are. For example, it’s only about 200 miles from the Circuito de Jerez in Spain to the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao, Portugal. That would be like having a world championship motorsports race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, and another in Dallas or Houston. Not only that, but there are multiple wold-class tracks just in Spain and Italy alone. America struggles just to keep one round in a huge country.
The Algarve is a popular tourist destination, and also a large attraction for ex-pats. Over the years, many Brits and Americans have moved here. Portugal has made it easy for foreigners to buy land and obtain residency (that is changing as I write this, as the floodgates seem to have been opened a bit too wide as far as locals are concerned). The beaches and the weather here are prime attractions, as is the lower cost of living.
As usual, we aren’t here for the beaches, and in fact we are skipping the towns most well-known to tourists in the Algarve. Instead, we are riding through beautiful, twisty, mountain roads, past incredibly fragrant orange groves as the blooms erupt this time of year, and through large stands of eucalyptus trees. The road and the area reminds me of riding through Southern California in the 1960s and 1970s, before so much of the land was bulldozed and turned into sprawling subdivisions. Back then, you could ride a dirt bike almost anywhere outside of town, and go for miles through the hills of Southern California. In places, it feels like riding through Griffith Park, the landscape and the trees looking more like there than any other place I’ve been as of yet.
Our destination for the next five days is just outside of Silves, a town with a population of about 11,000 people that was once the ancient capitol of the Algarve.
Silves Castle. Originally built as a Lusitanian Castro around 201 BC, between the 8th and 13th centuries, the Moors occupied and expanded it. Today, the restored outer walls remain, but little of the interior exists.
The Silves Cathedral, built in the second half of the 13th century.
The cathedral and castle are lit at night, providing an imposing sight over the city of Silves.
Our home for the next five days is this one hundred acre estate in the countryside. We’ll be caring for these three great dogs, along with a bunch of chickens, some doves, and of course the home.
Each day we take the dogs walking on the trails around this large property. Good exercise for all and great views.
Gum rock-rose.
Lotus Berthelotti. From a distance these flowers look like tiny flames.
These loquat fruit have a sweet taste when picked at the right time.
Home made breakfast, including eggs from the chickens, and fresh picked oranges and tomatoes.
During our stay outside Silves, we received a message from Paula, the niece of my good friend Tom. She and her husband, who are from Louisville, Kentucky, were in Albufeira, about forty minutes away. We made plans to meet for lunch.
Paula and her husband Anoosh (on the left) along with Anoosh’s niece and her husband, met us for lunch in Albufeira. We had never met before today, although it felt like we already knew each other fairly well through Tom. We had a great time in the couple of hours we spent together, and are already discussing plans to go see them again when we’re back in the States.