8 December ’05, Thursday.
Yesterday we had no sooner arrived at the campground in Olhâo, and we had set off on a walk into town. Of course today was a national holiday…Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Who knows what if anything will be open. The front desk said it was about a 20 minute walk following the train tracks so off we went. About half way, we saw a Carrefour Market on the other side of the tracks, and then we found a hole in the fence to go through to the other side. We always like these little challenges…no trains…GO ! Louise has been looking for a pair of lambs wool and suede slippers, and they had the perfect pair. A loaf of wonderful Portuguese bread added to the list and we were on our way again. We really didn’t want to cross through the fence again, so we took a left and went toward the sea. The only thing now, is the neighborhood is a little rough looking, not that anyone was paying any attention to us, it was just… Anyway, we found ourselves walking around the boat docks with all the small fishing boats tied to the pier and the nets set high to dry in the sun. Finally getting far enough, we reached the beach and the boardwalk that took us into town. Olhâo was and still is a small Portuguese fishing village. The part of the town closest to the beach is the oldest, with most of the buildings showing a Muslim influence in their design. We walked through the narrow streets that went in all directions at once…talk about a place that you can get quickly lost in, this is it and hell, they even had a red carpet laid out on the sidewalks to guide you to all the shops. 2 hours later we were back home. Speaking of home (the campground), after our last one in Albufeira , this one we would rate a 3 out of 10 with Albufeira a 7. We even had to camp beside the main road coming and going from the main gate…it wasn’t even a “pitch” in campground terms…hell, we were in the street ! Oh well, it was only one night. Tomorrow…back to Spain and on to Seville
Yesterday we had no sooner arrived at the campground in Olhâo, and we had set off on a walk into town. Of course today was a national holiday…Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Who knows what if anything will be open. The front desk said it was about a 20 minute walk following the train tracks so off we went. About half way, we saw a Carrefour Market on the other side of the tracks, and then we found a hole in the fence to go through to the other side. We always like these little challenges…no trains…GO ! Louise has been looking for a pair of lambs wool and suede slippers, and they had the perfect pair. A loaf of wonderful Portuguese bread added to the list and we were on our way again. We really didn’t want to cross through the fence again, so we took a left and went toward the sea. The only thing now, is the neighborhood is a little rough looking, not that anyone was paying any attention to us, it was just… Anyway, we found ourselves walking around the boat docks with all the small fishing boats tied to the pier and the nets set high to dry in the sun. Finally getting far enough, we reached the beach and the boardwalk that took us into town. Olhâo was and still is a small Portuguese fishing village. The part of the town closest to the beach is the oldest, with most of the buildings showing a Muslim influence in their design. We walked through the narrow streets that went in all directions at once…talk about a place that you can get quickly lost in, this is it and hell, they even had a red carpet laid out on the sidewalks to guide you to all the shops. 2 hours later we were back home. Speaking of home (the campground), after our last one in Albufeira , this one we would rate a 3 out of 10 with Albufeira a 7. We even had to camp beside the main road coming and going from the main gate…it wasn’t even a “pitch” in campground terms…hell, we were in the street ! Oh well, it was only one night. Tomorrow…back to Spain and on to Seville