Silves Day Off

Oh, happy days!  I had today off and I took full advantage of it. I actually ended up walking 6.8 miles today, sightseeing.  It is a beautiful town, very historic and old. I thought this memorial to the Buddhist was really pretty. The man at the information office (which I was in about six times) told me that in the 13th century Jews, Christians and  Muslims all lived in Silves and got along.  Oh, if it were only true today.

I couldn't resist.  I tried to get his/her attention but she was just too sleepy.

More beautiful doors for Mary P.  The handles on this door were oriental fish.

I walked up the steep hill to the ancient church.

They were doing repairs so I couldn't go in but I was able to sneak a photo from the door.

I saw so many little alleyways and tiny streets.

I made it up to the Silves Castle which predates the 10th century  It is so windy here and once the sun goes down it is pretty chilly.  During the day, it is about 80 or so.

At the entrance stands a knight in not so shining armor. but since he was about 12 feet tall, I felt protected. 

I couldn't figure out what this building with the weird roof was.  I still don't understand its original purpose.  But the inside was dedicated solely to the Iberian Lynx, which is making a comeback.

Look at the tufts on those ears.  It makes me wonder if they are not the ancestors of our Maine Coons.

There was an art exhibition on the grounds.  The chickens above were glazed.

I love the bunnies.

And look at this, it looks like it was carved out of ivory.

I grabbed a quick lunch at the castle.  Even though this looks huge.  I only ate the tuna and salad fixin's.  I wanted a real dinner tonight so I wanted to eat light.

Ms. Barbara Hunter, this sign is for you.  I know how you (we) love a good port but did you know there was pink port?  Me neither.

I did my homework on where to eat tonight.  I read about this restaurant and I found it during lunch--it was packed!  I came back for dinner and it was worth it.

They started with some marinated red peppers and marinated cabbage.

Next came a huge salad and olives.  Dennis would love this salad because it was full of onions.  The lettuce was so fresh and the tomatoes were amazing.  It was accompanied by freshly baked bread. Be still my heart. For my main course (my photo didn't take), I had chicken piri-piri and fries.  It is the only thing they serve. It was fabulous.

This was the charcoal grill they cooked it over and if you look closely, you can see the smoke coming off of the spatchcocked chicken. When they served it, it looked like the chef had taken a hatchet to it.  There was no identifiable piece. Piri-Piri is made from crushed chilies, citrus peel, onion, pepper, garlic, salt, lemon juice, bay leaves, basil, oregano, and tarragon. Piri-Piri is a specific type of pepper.

And you automatically got dessert.  The wonderful sliced oranges sprinkled with cinnamon, a little melon and a spice cake with a fig-like topping. My total bill was about 10 euros.  What a bargain.

As the day ends, this is the view of the castle out of my hotel window.  What a beautiful sight for a beautiful day.

Until tomorrow.