Faro

Our BA flight to Faro was delayed slightly but it gave us time for a nice lunch at Nando's resturant in the boarding area. Good food at a reasonable price. Would recommend it.

Entry into Portugal was straight forward. Masks were required on the flight but not in the airport. Immigration passport check was easy and customs clearance amounted to a walk though the "nothing to declare" door. We opted to take the bus to downtown Faro. We might opt for a taxi next time. The bus service is not too convenient. The bus only runs once an hour. It was jam packed. We were lucky to get on. A taxi to the train station downtown costs about 11€

While waiting for the bus we met a woman who happend to be staying at the same hotel as us. We had both chosen the hotel because of it's location not far from he train station. It is general knowledge that hotels close to the train or bus station are often not the best choice. Our hotel (Hotel Alfonso III) was definitely in this catagory. The staffs were friendly and helpfull, the room was clean but the location was not great. There were several abandonded buildings around the hotel and there was a lot of noisy traffic all night on the narrow street. Having said this, we never felt uncomfortable or in the lease bit threatened in this area.

After checking in we metup with Shirley and went out for a nice supper. We shared some appies and an octopus plate. The octopus was quite tasty. The next day, after checking out of the hotel, we left most of our luggage with the hotel staff and spent the day exploring Faro.

The rustic neighborhood From hotel balcony 

Interesting paint job. 

The pigeons were super aggressive waiting for crumbs

Cafes  along the port. 

Later in the afternoon we took the train from Faro to Portimao, about an hour and 45 mins, west along the coast. The train which only has 4 cars runs reglarly from Faro to Lagos to the west and from Faro to the Spanish border to the east. It is comfortable and inexpensive. 

We spent most of  the day  exploring Portimao and we are just about to board the train to Lagos    

More later…