Far West Route 66 camping, near Moncarapacho

Tuesday 22/01/19

Toni went for a run this morning, and after breakfast we filled up Bokkie's water and emptied the grey water.  We have quite a slick operation for doing this when we are standing for a few days, as it is easier to do it by hand rather than drive her to the service area.

We packed a picnic lunch, and then set off on our bikes to Olhão, about 12 km away.  We had stayed in the campsite in Olhão on our last trip so were keen to visit again.  The ride through the farmlands and villages on the way down was lovely, with so many orange orchards in view, all bearing lots of fruit. We also managed to avoid the main road, and traffic.

Once in Olhão we locked the bikes up and walked around, heading to the Mercado or market area, and the marina.  

Olhao church - dating from the 18th century

Hand shaped door knockers; a Moorish design

Statue of Floripes - the Moorish lady of Olhao 

We had a quick espresso at the market cafe; the Portuguese coffee is so smooth.  We also had a good nose around the fish market but with a long cycle back we couldn't buy anything today - we'll definitely come back.  Next door is the fruit, veg, meat and everything else - market which is has stunning fresh produce.  

We then sat outside on the boardwalk and ate our lunch; whilst overcast and quite windy it was still lovely watching the boats in this busy marina.  We, in turn, were closely watched by the locals, hoping for a dropped morsel.....

Like many of the old towns, Olhão has an area of lovely narrow lanes with shops and houses which are great for wandering through.  The murals on the walls depicting some of the local history, were very interesting.

Toni had read that one of the local supermarkets, Pingo Doce, does a gluten free version of Pasteia de Nata, the famous Portuguese custard tart  - but we lucked out as this one didn't have any.  The in-house bakery does some wonderful-looking pastries though; Portugal does seem to have a strong pastry and biscuit culture. Almost every tiny little village has a Pastelaria - the local coffee and cake shop; and they always seem to do a roaring trade.  

After a lovely morning reacquainting ourselves with Olhão, we cycled to the local campsite to have a look around and see how full they are, as we may come and spend some time here again.  They were quite full but always seem to have a few spots available so we will be back.  They have quite a lot of trees so finding sunny spots can be difficult - may need to hook up to power if we stay.

We cycled back along the N125 which was less scenic, but a bit quicker as we were starting to feel a bit worn out.  Another lovely day and it looks like the weather could warm up a bit later this week.