Faro, Portugal: Diversity in the Algarve (Part 4 of 4)

After three days in Andalusia, I saw too much good Spanish and Islamic history and decided to reach out and touch Portugal for the first time.  For you Arrested Development fans, I know what you're thinking: "He didn't go to South America, did he?"  For you, the answer is "no;" a quick two-hour drive from Sevilla got me over the river that serves as the countries' border (which was without any customs point) and into Portugal's southern Algarve region, which derives its name from the Arabic word for "the West" (الغرب  - al-gharb).

Faro's Port, one of the many differences between my Portuguese and Spanish destinations.

Consisting of more than 5,000 square kilometers, the region is richly green and hilly and calls Faro capital.  Wikipedia goes as far as to claim that the region is one of the top tourist destinations in Europe with more than 7 million foreign visitors annually.  After spending a day there, it might just be as impressive as advertised; I definitely ran into more Germans and Brits in Faro than in Andalusia; additionally, there's no arguing the beauty of the Formosa as well as the scenic landscape.

So after getting settled, I made it a point to check out the Rio Formosa, Church of Bones and the Municipal Museum.  Immediately, a few things caught my attention.  First, the smell of the salty coast made me think I was right on the coast; in actuality, the Formosa created a six kilometer river / marsh buffer between my hotel and the ocean.  Second, the weathered architecture and deep greens surrounding the city reminded me of Monterey, California; the only thing missing was the barking of hundreds of sea lions.  Third and finally, clouds roamed overhead for the first time since departing Ifrane almost a week earlier.  The air was cool and breezy, contrasting greatly with the stifling hot and calm Spanish air.

Regardless, I quickly found more diversity in my 24 Portuguese hours than my four Spanish days.  Islamic architecture was replaced by the proximity of the Formosa and the sea, and the Municipal Museum offered a plethora of exhibits whose subjects ranged from the annual biker rally to Roman history to a bust commemorating the life's work of Italian Constantino Cumano (remember this guy!).  What follows are some highlights!

The Rio Formosa created a large buffer between the city limits and the oceanfront.  

The Rio Formosa.  What's this thing, and why do I mention it?  Straight from Wikipedia (which is admittedly not the most scholarly site - but works here)...

The Ria Formosa lagoon, located in Algarve, in southern Portugal, is a system of barrier islands that communicates with the sea through 6 inlets. Five of these inlets are natural and have mobility characteristics. The 6th is an artificial inlet that was opened with the purpose of allowing easier access to the port of Faro.

Presently the main inlet of the system is the Faro-Olhão inlet, which was artificially opened. The process started in 1927 but only in 1952 were the engineering works completed and it assumed the present configuration.

Within the Ria Formosa system, different and sometimes antagonistic uses may be found. Part of the system is a Natural Park but Ria Formosa also plays an important role in the region's economy. Beyond the tourist use the system also supports other economic activities like seafood farms (including grooved carpet shell harvesting) and the port of Faro.

I mention it because I was totally ignorant that, first, this type of ecosystem existed in the region and, second, it affected the economy as significantly as it does, touching everything from tourism to fishing.

Next was a little something familiar to the overall trip: The Faro Cathedral.  Much smaller than its predecessors in Cordoba and Sevilla, it still managed to include enough glam within its interior to make most US churches envious.  The museum also included a few rooms of Christian memorabilia, however, their importance was lost on me as all of them lacked placards describing what they were, where they originated and why they were significant.

The Cathedral, built in the 13th Century, sits on the former Roman Forum of Ossonoba.

The interior was quaint but full of exquisite and ornate chapels.

The High Alter was nothing to compare to Sevilla's.

The northwest chapel, one of eight in the cathedral.

One of the museum's artifacts had to deal with at least one photographer getting cute with his reflection.

My last stop was also the least anticipated.  Next to the cathedral sat this dumpy old building that housed the city's municipal museum.  The plain and weathered exterior didn't get my hopes up as I entered and paid a modest 2.50 euro to see its eight exhibits.  When I walked through the first one and witnessed an homage to the annual biker rally, I was convinced that I wouldn't stay more than five minutes.  Two hours later, I was proven wrong and reminded that aesthetics aren't important and it's what's inside that counts...

In honor of 30 years of the Faro Moto Rally, this exhibit emphasized the safety and volunteer efforts affiliated with the July event, not to mention revealing that one of the events is a wet T-shirt competition.

Alan Parsons, still rocking somewhere...in Faro.

The second exhibit focused on Roman History, particularly how the ancient civilization communicated through gravestones, memorials and monuments.

Writing from one of the monuments.

The third exhibit focused on recovered artifacts from the Moorish period, particularly pottery and crafts affiliated with the roles of Muslim women.

Moorish script.  I couldn't help but laugh when I saw this display, as I was reminded of the Seinfeld episode where George plays Trivial Pursuit with "Bubble Boy" and gets into the "Moops" argument. 

This mosaic was the fourth exhibit.  Measuring over 4m x 10m, it depicts Oceanus and resembled those of Volobulis north of Meknes, Morocco.

The fifth exhibit was dedicated to artist Carlos Porfirio's "Enchanted" series.  Displaying 11 pieces from the 1962 collection, each of them was accompanied by a story.  Of all the art museums I've visited, this series provided the most written information for each piece.  Above is "The Black Bull," which involves the story of a young boy unwilling to pay the high cost of lifting an enchantment.

In this painting entitled "Zara," the artist tells the story of an exiled king, his enchanted daughters and the carpenter sent to free them.

The seventh exhibit featured works from 16th to 19th Century artists and covered several schools of work, including: Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Rococo and Neo-Classicism.  This early-19th Century piece is by Domingos Sequeira and was my favorite of the 60 or so works.

My second favorite piece was a 1791 painting of Saint Ambrose by Fransisco Vieira  Portuense.  The old man was studying, much like I will be very soon!

The final exhibit featured two works by Fransisco Tropa entitled "Lighthouse."  This first image was the only one working and was depicted as a "happening" as opposed to a "representation" as it was a wall projection of an hourglass's sand running out.

Tropa's "Lighthouse."

And the weirdest inclusion goes to the bust of Constantino Cumano, who moved to Faro after experiencing political harassment in Germany.  Shortly after, he found the cure to Syphilis and can be accredited with boosting Faro's relevance in the 19th Century, as so many patrons afflicted with the disease came for the cure that the city needed to build six more hotels to accommodate them.