Silves Population 5000
Day 42
We took the one hour journey by train to Sives which is on the Faro - Lagos train line. Big houses, grafitti on every station in between. Beautiful weather. 3 layers of clothing instead of the usual 5..singlet, tanktop, skivvy, jumper, coat!
Once we arrived we walked the 2km from the bus station to the town centre and looked around...saw the wonderful ´fairytale castle´from a distance and decided to eat before we did the steep climb up.
We found a gorgeous restaurant to have brunch as we left for the bus station at 9am and arrived in Silves at 10am. Pastelaria Fabrico propr. Had yummy omelettes and coffee. €11.40
Once we got to the castle we found it was being restored. The castle was basically in ruins and there was an archaelogical dig going on which was quite exciting. Men yelling, people digging, signs being erected. A buzz. No fairytale castle though..more like a tall story.
The history was interesting though. Apparently Silves was once a bustling little town in the 12th Century that was on the main road along the Algarve coast from Seville to fartherest western tip.. And because of this became the capital city of the Algarve under the rule of the Moors. Abbadids.
Took a pic of Greg next to the large statue of the first Portuguese King who conquered the Moors, with his sword, which read. Sancius Dei Grtia Por Tugallis Silves et Algarb 11 Rex 1189.¨
Ran to station, to get the 2pm train to Lagos...stripping down to one layer of clothes!
