April 23 - Loule

On Thursday, April 21 we left Sines just before lunch and hit the road heading for our next rental in Pechao in the Algarve region.   It has been cold and rainy the whole time we have been in Portugal. Our rental is great - fully supplied kitchen.  We have comfortable beds and comfortable sofa's in the living room.  Like past rentals we have stayed in in Europe - all of the floors are tiled - so the place is quite echoey.  But with just two of us it is not bad.  We stayed in on Saturday to catch up on our jetlag.  I celebrated my birthday with chicken fricassee made by husband and some chocolates.

It is supposed to clear up today, Saturday. So this morning we decided to go to Loule market place.  It was raining as we arrived.  People seemed to be leaving the market in droves.  There was no food or farmers market - it turns out it was the Gypsy market - we went to the wrong place!  We stopped at a Supermarket to get the last few things we needed, then went home.  It kept raining - even though the forecast said - no more rain!  Our hot water had stopped working and we had to let someone in to fix it.  Turns out Michael could fix it and send a photo to the managers of the property.  Some switch had been turned off.  

Later in the afternoon it stopped raining - so we headed back to Loule.  This time heading for center city and the Moorish style castle.  We also found the covered market - which is an interesting architectural building.  The market was over, but there were a few restaurants open; one with live music.

We next headed off to a nearby town named Almancil, to see Sao Lourenco church with its blue tiled walls and ceilings.  This style of making tiles is called Azulejos and is particular to Portugal.  The tiles are white with blue design.  According to some authors, the tiles at this church are the best examples of Baroque art on tile in Portugal.  You will find the same type tiles in Lisbon and other locations in Portugal.  It was cheaper to make the tile and use it in construction after the great earthquake in the 1700's than to use stone.  That is why you see a lot of tile on buildings in Lisbon.  Unfortunately you cannot take pictures in the Sao Lourenco church.  I do not understand it.  You can go to the Vatican in Rome and take photos anywhere you want to.  But you go to this obscure little church in Almancil and they have many people placed just to watch you that you don't take photos.  

We headed home - Michael made sausages with cabbage and potatoes and went to bed.

Loule

The now closed Covered Market.

Moving down the street from the covered market.

On to the Moorish Castle.

The small chapel near the castle.

Blue Tile in the small chapel.

Street scenes in Loule

Our parking spot - someone left and the truck parked so close I could not get in the car!

In Almencil - Igreja de Sao Lourenco da Almencil.

                      

                                         

All photos are on the outside of the church.