Faro is the capital of the Algrave region. Most foreigners visiting this city probably have a flight to/from the Faro airport, including me.

Streets

The architecture seems different from Lisbon. Houses often have flat roofs and are covered with decorative tiles.

Lovely balcony

Notice the cat

Typical house

The city definitely doesn’t have a polished or touristy vibe, unlike Lagos.

Southern vibe

Some houses are old.

Old

Some houses are new.

New

Some buildings have pictures of saints above the door.

Holy Mary

Orange season

The shopping centre has a great design, taking advantage of the warm weather all year round. Interestingly, windcatchers are beautifully incorporated into the design, which are usually seen in North Africa and the Middle East.

Shopping centre

I liked this apartment building covered in graffiti.

Graffiti

More graffiti

Sometimes art is produced accidentally.

More art

By the way, they have soup at McDonald’s in Portugal.

Posters

Soup

I had the feeling that something awaits me in Faro. All those quaint houses looked like they are keeping a secret. Something ominous. It’s here. You go inside the church…

Igreja do Carmo

Then walk through a garden…

Inner garden

And find a chapel built out of bones. It is not just decorated, but made out of the bones of over 1,000 monks.

Capela de Ossos

The chapel has a haunting symmetry, derived in the most direct way from the inherent beauty and symmetry of humans. Honestly, I didn’t think much about the chapel when looking it up online, but the visit shook me. I found myself face to face with mortality.

Symmetry

If it had been cold, I would’ve said it’s bone-chilling, but it was warm.

Anyway, while visiting Faro I stayed on Praia de Faro (Faro Beach), which is a long barrier island.

In order to travel to and from the city, I took a ferry. The ride takes 25 minutes. In March there were 6 ferries a day. It costs €2.30 one way or €3.90 return.

Faro Beach ferry

Journey

The island is a long beach. The beach was mostly empty. In other words, it was all mine.

Beach

I spotted a German.

The only tourist

Apparently there are chameleons, but I didn’t see any.

Sunny

The island is very thin. It has one dusty road. Many restaraunts were closed during my visit and the island has one little corner store. So I made sure to bring food from the city. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the isolated location. Moreover, the hostel was very cheap for Portugal (€10/night).

Thin

Another good thing about Praia de Faro is that Faro airport is nearby. I walked there in the morning of my last day, contemplating my trip.

Early morning

My itinerary, which was planned day by day after leaving Lisbon, was balanced and comprehensive. Looking back at the ocean, it all made sense. I first felt my pulse in Cascais in Boca do Inferno. Hiking Rota Vicentina was my journey of life. Lagos was a lonely place for reflection and search for meaning. In Faro I confronted death at the Bone Chapel, and Praia de Faro was heaven.

Airplane

Overall, I really enjoyed my 8-day trip. I would put Portugal in my top 3 visited countries and surely come again to check out the Northern part.