Per our newest tradition, we began our exploration of Faro with a food and walking tour in the historic area.
We met our guide at the Arco da Vila, the entrance to the historic city.
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| Arco da Vila |
Here we see an 11th century Arabic gate that was part of the original Moorish wall.
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| Arabic Gate |
Our walk through the cobblestone streets takes us to the Faro Cathedral which was built in the 13th century.
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| Faro Cathedral |
We stop at 4 restaurants to taste local wines and dishes. My favorite was the burnt chorizo served in a flaming pan by our guide. Other dishes included pork cheeks (bochechas de porco), an octopus & potato salad, and shrimp. We had 2 desserts -- almond cookies and a yummy cake!
We took a short trip out of Faro to see a cork factory. The factory prepares natural cork and sorts it by its quality.
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| Cork peeled from tree |
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| Manual inspection and removal of bad parts |
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| Quality cork on a pallet |
Display of cork layers:
A cork tree is first harvested once it has matured, about 25 years.
The first cork layer is called “virgin cork”and it is not very elastic, making it most useful for insulating mats.
The cork tree can then be harvested every 9 years, which is how long it takes for the bark to grow thick enough for it to be useful for making corks.
The second harvested cork has a more regular structure and is softer, but is still only used for insulation and in decorative objects.
Only the following cork harvests provide a higher quality of cork which can be used for making cork stoppers and higher quality commercial products.
Here are a few cork bags available in the shop:
More Algarve adventures to come ....