Faro

Faro is a let-down after Tavira. It's old town is not very big and therefore not much to see. The big "thing" to see the "bone chapel" that has the bones of over 1200 monks covering the walls. This was too creepy for us and therefore skipped the exhibit. There are many restaurants and bars outside the old town to enjoy a meal and/or drink, but not much else to do, except go to the beach, which we did on our second day. Faro sits on a delta, and, like Tavira, was known for its salt ponds, which are no longer active. There are many marsh lands separating Faro from the Atlantic Ocean, and one island is connected to the mainland by a bridge. It would have been easy to catch #16 bus from our hotel, but Julie was looking forward to a 7km trek. This was not trivial since not too many visitors walk to the island from Faro, which required research on Google Maps to locate the trails.  We made the trek going through back roads that also cut through the Faro airport. We made it to the island without getting lost. The sun was bright but the ocean breeze felt like we were under shade. It was a great day, with lunch on the beach followed by a siesta!

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