Back in the 1200's, it was under muslim rule and was considered the "Baghdad of the West". There are many old buildings and structures in the central part of town. This was the main gateway into the original walled city.
We visited the Municipal Museum that has a very good archaeological exhibit that features a 4 m wide by 18 m deep Moorish well with spiral staircase.
There was also 13th century ship anchor, precursor to the current Big Johnson.
From there it was a climb up the hill to the Lego like Castle. On the way we passed the Cathedral that was supposedly impressive inside.
We didn't feel like paying a euro just to have a quick look inside (it was free if we promised to pray) so we continued on to the castle.
This was a really nice castle, most of it dating from the Moorish period, with a perimeter walk around the top of the walls. Lots of great views of the surrounding countryside.
It was really warm again 32C so we had to stop for a cold water in a cute wine shop.
We stopped at the town hall and had a look inside at its fabulous cupola.
Next on our trip, we headed south to the coast and a cute little beach, Praia Vale Centianes.
There is a spectacular cliff walk to the next beach that we did a part of. Starting out you had to climb about 250 steps to the top and the trail wove its way up and down the edge of bluffs. Some nice shoreline views here.
As the trail got rougher realized we did not have the proper footwear for scrambling over rocks so we cut the walk short after a couple of km and returned to the beach where we stopped for a cold drink at the beach bar. A nice relief from the 32C heat.
Next we drove to the small seaside resort of Carvoeiro that has a narrow main street of shops and restaurants rising steeply from a small beach.
Our last stop was Portimao and the beach Praia de Rocha. This is a huge wide sandy beach and featured a nice boardwalk with many restaurants.
We walked the boardwalk end to end and back. There was a nice marina at the end of the beach and some fabulous private beach clubs.
We finally got back home just before sunset and noticed a group of young people getting ready to party on the roof of an abandoned resort a few blocks away.
We went for an easy supper of pizza and pasta at the nearby restaurant and called it a night.
R&R on the beach tomorrow!
