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A picturesque village of white walled houses. Nearby there are panoramic views over Lagos bay. Main Church - Rebuilt in the 18th century, it has a fine doorway of red Silo es sandstone. Exuberantly decorated in the Manueline style ,Plain interior. The altars have 18th century icons including a Christ in Indo Portuguese ivory notably for its dramatic expression. There is a border of 17th century tiles. A place to relax and enjoy nature. Excellent view point.
A good day out, especially for the young and active, is a visit to a Waterslide Park, of which there are three west of Faro in the Algarve. This is the nearest.
The town of Aljezur it's placed on the Lagos to Lisbon road. From here a road may be taken cross-country to Marmelete and the Serra de Monchique. The most striking feature is the castle set on top of the hill overlooking the town. This is, in fact, not a castle with keep and bailey and quarters for soldiers, but the original fortified town. Recent archaeological excavations have found that the Moors first constructed it in the late 8th Century. When the Christians conquered the Algarve, Aljezur nearly held out until the fall of Silves.
Silves, to the east of Monchique, lies on the River Arade, which flows down to the sea at Portimão. In earlier times the river was navigable up to this point by fairly large vessels. Today there are trips there in the traditional Portuguese 'canoes' which depart from Portimão. Just inside the city walls is an archaeological museum, set up around the Moorish Town well. The Cathedral of Silves is on the road from here, back down to the river.
The two mountains to the north of Portimão formed the Serra de Monchique. The higher one is called Foia, and the other Picota. They are the remnants of Jurassic volcanoes. The Rocha Negra - Black Rock - of Praia da Luz is an intrusion of the lava from those volcanos. The village of Monchique lies on the slopes of Foia. Below the village are the Caldas de Monchique, the mineral water springs utilised since Roman times. A Bishop built a Hospital here, for the benefit of those wishing to take the waters. On the top of Foia are the radio and television masts which serve the Algarve, and from here it is said that you can see Lisbon, if the weather is fine.
The Bahiabar is a nice and funky nature place to chillout during day time. Great food and chill music with a good service equals an excellent time! It has live music on Sunday from 18.00 till 21.00 This all can be found just 5min. from Lagos town at the Meia praia
This golf course, is a design masterpiece, which blends perfectly links and inland golf, with impressive panoramic views over Lagos Bay and the Monchique mountains. Tourists are also wellcome to this green paradise.
It was voted Continental Europe's second best golf course by the Golf World magazine, this highly maintained course, with its eighteen widely ranging holes running past lakes, pine trees and Atlantic beaches, make it an attractive challenge for all skill levels. Tourists are also wellcome.
Oporto was built along the hillsides overlooking the mouth of the Douro river, is an amazing urban landscape with a 1,000-year history. Its continuous growth, linked to the sea and can be seen in the many and varied monuments, from the cathedral with its Romanesque choir, to the neoclassical Stock Exchange and the typically Portuguese Manueline-style Church of Santa Clara.
The Monastery of Santa Maria d'Alcobaça, north of Lisbon, was founded in the 12th century by King Alfonso I. Its size, the purity of its architectural style, the beauty of the materials and the care with which it was built make this a masterpiece of Cistercian Gothic art.
Author info:
Nick: The Teacher
Name : Francisco Serrato
Age : 44
Born in: Portugal, living in the states.
Hobbies : teach, learn, play trivia with my sons, eat whatever my wife cooks,
believe
me, that could be quite a journey.
