Cathedrals – Travels with Ali

~ Lisbon to Faro – Exploring Faro Old Town ~

We set off for Faro today to meet up with my sister-in-law and nephew. It was an early start and only a brief promised stop at a service station on the way! At least there would be coffee. The drive from Lisbon Airport to Faro Old Town takes approximately 2 hours 40 minutes. It maybe less with a certain driver. The journey is mostly inland so no nice coastal shots.

Crossing over the Vasco da Gama Bridge I was able to take a few photos, when my brother slowed down!

The bridge spans the Tagus River and is 17.2 kilometers long. It was until a few years ago the longest bridge in Europe. That title now belongs to the Crimean Bridge in Russia. It is a spectacular drive over with excellent road surfaces.

Stopping briefly for a much needed coffee at a service station, we huddled together under the smallest umbrella. The rain seemed to be chasing us from Lisbon.

We arrived in Faro around lunchtime in the middle of a storm. With the roads flooding and trees crashing down in the car park, we sat in the car and waited it out.

Sometime later after picking up Colleen and Greg we headed into Faro Old Town for lunch and a wander.

The Old Town features beautiful cobble stone alleyways and lanes. Murals adorn many of the walls and other walls are brightly painted.

We found the perfect spot for lunch, when I asked for the wine list the owner said there is none. He had over 2,500 bottles on display and told me just to describe the type of wine I was after. A tricky one, as who knew there were so many varieties of Alborinho.

After lunch we headed over to Faro Cathedral. By this time the weather had cleared and the sun was shining brightly.

There is no fee to enter and look around which was a welcome surprise. It made me wonder how this place is kept looking so nice, inside and out.

The ornate ceilings inside the chapel. Decorated with blue and yellow painted tiles. The “ribs” of the ceiling are carved masonry.

Deciding to go up to the roof, we climbed some very uneven steep stairs.
Below is a photo looking through the open window to the sea beyond.

Up on top, raincoat back on as the sun has disappeared once again.

Stunning views over the tiled rooftops of Faro

Steady but slow wins the race

The Chapel of Bones and the Bell Tower

The Chapel of Bones is so called because it is lined with skulls and bones of ordinary people. Gruesome indeed, imagining working and handling these.

The Famalam

💒 CFFC – Churches, Cathedrals and Temples 💒

This week Cee has chosen City structures for the fun photo challenge. Mine are churches, cathedrals and temples from around the world.

**Silver Pagoda, Buddhist Temple, Phnom Penh, Cambodia**

**St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, USA**

**St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Hanoi, Vietnam**

All of these structures are hundreds of years old and I often look and wonder at the sheer size of these buildings. How did builders manage without all the modern equipment we now have and just think about the fact that most of these structures are still standing.

Thanks Cee for another great challenge and the chance for me to showcase some photos from my archives.

Challenge your Camera – Churches ⛪️

This week Dr. B has set the challenge as churches, both inside and out. Photos can also include temples, mosques, cathedrals etc. Captions should be included under each photo with name and place and of course a pingback to Dr. B.

A Gallery of Churches from around the World

My parents canoodling outside one of the many tiny churches in Mykonos, Greece

My parents inside St. Leonard’s Church where they married over 60 years ago

It’s amazing when you look at all these striking buildings how intricate the detail was. It must have taken years to build some of them. There must have been so much wealth around and all poured into buildings.

💒💒💒💒💒💒💒💒💒💒💒💒💒💒💒💒

My A to Z Travel Challenge – S is for Santiago de Compestela, Spain – 🇪🇸

Santiago de Compestela

After leaving Ribadesella we drove onto Santiago de Compestela, a city that many people end up in after walking the Camino de Santiago route. One of the images that is stuck in my head was the amount of people sitting on the steps of the cathedral with knee bandages! We were only staying for one night here as my hubby wanted to see the burial site of St. James.

St. James’ remains are reputedly buried within the grounds of the cathedral, which was consecrated in 1211.

The small town is easily seen in one day and very interesting. There are wonderful alleys to wander up and little shops to browse in. We always buy something from every place we visit, a t-shirt, tea towel or some useful kitchen utensil. We both bought t-shirts this time from a small boutique.

Church of María Salomé, Santiago de Compostela,
Built in honour of the Apostle St. James´ mother

That concludes our mini trip to Santiago de Compostela. It was great to spend some time here exploring and glad we made this part of our Spanish road trip.