A stroll through Tavira

I’ve got no idea when we will be returning to the Algarve, possibly in March for a short trip if the vaccines happen in January. Until then however it is a case of looking back through the archives remembering past adventures, and I thought using monochrome to recall days gone by might be rather appropriate. The bonus of course it also means I can submit this post for Jude’s final B&W challenge.

In the 16th and 17th centuries Tavira was an incredibly important port and fishing hub, however the fisherman and merchants were fighting a losing battle with the river. It was gradually silting up and, despite their best efforts throughout the 18th century, by the 19th century it was no longer a thriving merchant port.

However the splendid houses such as the Palácio da Galeria. and multiple churches, there are more than 20, remain, and it remains the best place in the Algarve to see wonderful hipped roofs, known locally as the ‘Telhados de Quatro Águas’. Not only are these roofs a great architectural feature but they also enable ‘free air circulation in rooms, making them cooler in summer and warmer in winter by keeping the cold away’.