"Catch of the day" from Algarve

[Dewi]

Don't have to be serious as long as you enjoy it Lis.

[Lisbeth]

I do!

[Lisbeth]

28.12.2014

As today started a bit cloudy, we decided to take a STF tour of the town



Low tide....I wonder what he is looking for Most likely clams or oysters or similar. (Looks like a baboon )



The Roman Bridge



Tavira's origins date back to the late Bronze Age (1.000-800 BC). In the 8th century BC it became one of the first Phoenician settlements in the Iberian West. The Phoenicians created a colonial urban center here with massive walls, at least two temples, two harbours and a regular urban structure. Phoenician Tavira existed until the end of 6th Century BC, when it was destroyed by conflict.

It is thought its original name was Baal Saphon, named after the Phoenician Thunder and Sea god. This name later became Balsa.

After a century of being abandoned, the settlement recovered, during the urban bloom that characterised the so-called Tartessian Period, and became bigger than ever. This second urban center, Tartessian Tavira, was also abandoned by the end of the 4th Century BC.

The main centre then moved to nearby Cerro do Cavaco, a fortified hill occupied until the time of Emperor Augustus.

The Roman Empire to the Moorish Conquest
During the time of Caesar, the Romans created a new port, some 7 km (4 mi) from Tavira, named Balsa. Balsa became a big town, in fact much bigger than Tavira, that grew, prospered and decayed in parallel with the Roman Empire. When the Moors conquered Iberia, in the 8th Century, Balsa was already extinct as a town.

Under Roman rule, Tavira was a secondary passing place on the important road between Balsa and Baesuris (today Castro Marim).

Locals having a chat and maybe something liquid to keep the chat going



View from the hill of the Castle



Apart from walls and stones, there is not much left of the castle, but there are a couple of churches and a convent, which is now a Pousada (hotel) and a lovely garden.

The Convent



Santiago church


The Moorish occupation of Tavira between the 8th and 13th centuries left its mark on the agriculture, architecture and culture of the area. That influence can still be seen in Tavira today with its whitewashed buildings, Moorish style doors and rooftops. Tavira Castle, two mosques and palaces were built by the Moors. The impressive seven arched "Roman bridge" is now not considered to be Roman after a recent archaeological survey, but originates from a 12th Century Moorish bridge. This was a good time economically for Tavira, which established itself an important port for sailors and fishermen. The area stayed rural until the 11th Century when Moorish Tavira (from the Arabic Tabira, "the hidden") started to grow rapidly, becoming one of the important (and independent) towns of the Algarve, then the South-Western extreme of Gharb al-Andalus (the West of Islamic Iberian territories).



The Reconquista
In 1242 Dom Paio Peres Correia took Tavira back from the Moors in a bloody conflict of retaliation after seven of his principal Knights were killed during a period of truce, the population of the town was decimated during this battle. Christians were now back in control of Tavira and though most Muslims left the town some remained in a Moorish quarter known as "Mouraria".

Oranges





Bougainvillea glabra







Walking down through the old Moorish quarter



We are staying right in the center of the town

[nan]

the train
the Boon
superb flowers... even Fuschia (after the Oranges)

[Lisbeth]

I am so happy that you like it, Nan and so sad that....you know why

[Toko]

Nice light town and a good way to do sightseeing by train.

This Foxtail agave is quite impressive

[Lisbeth]

I knew that you would like that one, Toko

[Lisbeth]

29.12.2014

A tiny medieval village ( Cacela Velha) with view.....





Interesting modern art....It kind of suited the old white buildings





(Sandwiches on a bench behind the church with view and without wind )

[nan]

wow superb
sandwich behind the church

[Toko]

Great spot for sandwiches, the view is fantastic

Charming are these little chirches and old villages The sculpture fits in very well