Monday 6th February - Tavira

Some fellow campers told us of an off-road cycle route from the campsite to Tavira some four and a half miles away, going across the salt pans.  As it is a lovely day and Tavira is a well recommended place to visit we set off on our bikes. 

Roland cycling across the tilted bridge

Not only was it a really nice cycle out but Tavira itself was also a lovely place to visit.  Our first view of the town was the view of the harbour from the Roman Bridge as we entered.  And very impressive it was to.

View of Tavira harbour

We walked up the hill to the church Santa Maria do Castelo and the Tavira Castle ruins.  There are great views to be had from the ruins and there is also a small but very pretty shaded garden.

Iglesia de Santa Maria do Castelo

Castle Gardens

On the way back down the hill we stopped off at the little Renaissance Church of Misericordia and were surprised to find what an interesting little gem it is.  The walls to the left and right inside the church feature blue and white ceramic panels from the 18^th century depicting the “Works of Mercy”.  The panels on right depict the corporal works of mercy (feed the hungry, clothe the naked etc.) and the panels to the left depict the spiritual works (instruct the ignorant, pray for the living and the dead etc.)  Not only was it one of the most interesting churches we’ve visited, but we also heard singing and music coming from the building next door whilst we were there and the very helpful guide in the church told us about the Fado sessions held there every hour, so we planned to attend a show after lunch.

Ceramic panels depicting the works of mercy
in the Iglesia de Misericordia

Altar in the Iglesia de Misericordia

We had lunch in a café in the town square, followed by coffees and our first sampling of Pastel del Nata, the little Portuguese egg tart pastries.

Coffee and Pastel del Nata

After sampling one bit of traditional Portuguese culture we just had time to make our way back up the hill to the Fado centre just outside the Iglesia de Misericordia.  Fado is traditional Portuguese music, although like English folk music it can wander from its roots.  It is loved by young and old alike.  It is thought to have developed from the music sung in the seamier parts of Lisbon.  It is sung with great feeling and usually with just a guitar accompaniment.  For a small fee of €5 each we were given a short history of Fado followed by concert of five or six songs sung by Melissa Simplicio and accompanied by two guitarists, one playing the traditional pear shaped 12 string Portuguese guitar.

For us it rounded off a perfect day. 

After the performance we wended our way back through the pretty town.

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