Welcome to Portugal

Regis is in Portugal

Even with 'on time' and smooth flights from Halifax to Toronto, to Frankfurt, Germany, to Faro, Portugal, and finally a taxi drive to Olhao, we were on the road for close to 24 hours, so we arrived here tired, but happy; the sun was shining and it was 24°C. Welcome to Portugal!

We got here about 1:00 PM, and decided to try to stay up until evening to quickly adjust to 'Portuguese time' so we had time to wander the town for a while.

Olhao is not a tourist town, and this area of Portugal although on the Algarve which is a popular 'tourist' destination, this particular area is poor and in places a bit run-down. We however, knew this and were looking forward to being in the 'real' Portugal, so were prepared for the area.

Looking towards the sea

Tiles & Balconies

The apartment is absolutely wonderful, in a new building in an older area of town. It is modern, well equipped, and the owners could not be more friendly and helpful. Looking out the balcony off the living room, you look over the old town of Olhao with it's tightly packed varied two and three story houses in white concrete and on to the sea coast, and the balcony off the bedroom looks out on a business area and on to a newer area of typical Portuguese houses and apartments.

Sunset on the back Balcony

We walked down towards the seaport area of town. There are a lot of deserted building and crumbling concrete, but this really gives the town character, and there are many interesting buildings, some with lovely tiled surfaces and ornate windows with little balconies like we saw in Mexico or Spain. Arriving at the actual seaport, you find an actual working area, as this is the biggest fishing port in the area, and further along there is your regular 'malecon' type park with paved (cobble-stoned) walkways and seawall like we had in Mexico or in Spain. Across the street from the malecon are various restaurants and 'snack bars' with locals sitting outside with beer or coffee.

Welcome to Portugal!