While looking for 'happenings' I found this and booked it immediately:
There's much more to Albufeira than sun, sea and nightlife. Formerly a small fishing village, Albufeira is steeped in history. Discover that history with a free guided tour of the 'old town'.

We met in front of this statue for the tour. Our first history lesson was about a local man. Friar Vicente de Stº António was born here in 1590. After many difficulties, he became a priest and fulfilled his dream of preaching Christianity in Japan. This statue depicts his fate. On September 3rd 1632, he was killed by fire for his steadfast faith. We learned several stories about the Saints of the Algarve. All very interesting.
Our guide, Ana, works for  the Divisão de Turismo, Desenvolvimento Económico e Cultural. She spent two hours doing her best to share as much of the town's history as she could. This lesson included the Civil War of 1833, which was fought between liberals and absolutists. Albufeira had been one of the first towns in the Algarve to support the liberal ideals. Because of this, the town was attacked by the absolutist guerrillas, resulting in the destruction of several buildings and the execution of many inhabitants.
Destruction hit the town way before the Civil War, however. This is the Chapel of Santa Ana (named for Jesus' grandmother it turns out). It, like many structures in/around Lisbon, was completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1755. The current Church was constructed at the end of the 18th century. It is especially known for its main altar, which is believed to have been made by famous artists Francisco Xavier Guedelha and João Baptista.
Being as we are definitely not Catholic, each visit to a church is always a history lesson for us. Today, we learned about Nossa Senhora de Fátima, a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary based on the famed Marian apparitions reported in May 1917, by three shepherd children near here. We couldn't understand why all the churches we have visited were so adorned with flowers, until today. Interesting indeed.
This town's history is more than what could be told in just two hours. The Moors' occupation began in the 8th century and lasted for 500 years. It was one of their last strongholds to be conquered. The Christian conquest, followed by the decadency of the trade business, led to the decline of the town. Eventually, the town became a simple fishing village.

In the 60s, the Algarve was discovered by tourists and as they say, "the rest is history!"
After our tour, lunch was overlooking Fishermen Beach at a pizza place!
Almost every shop sells cork products: shoes, purses, hats, and jewelry. Portugal is the largest producer of cork in the world and I was so excited to stumble upon this processing plant.
Until the beginning of the last Century, the Algarve was the center of the Portuguese cork industry. Over one hundred cork factories processed the cork harvested in the forests of the Serra, and contributed significantly to the wealth of communities such as São Brás de Alportel and Silves (where we were). Nowadays, the cork plantations in northern Portugal and the increasing process of automation have moved the industrial center to Greater Lisbon. Nevertheless, the cork oaks growing in the natural environment of this area are producing cork of the highest quality, and a handful of traditional cork manufacturers are still operational. More about cork when I can find some trees to photograph.
When we came to the Algarve, we spotted this huge rust colored castle and knew we had to return for a closer look. The Castle of Silves is believed to have its first fortifications built by the Romans or Visigoths. Between the 8th and 13th centuries, the castle was occupied by the Moors who expanded it, making it one of the best preserved Moorish fortifications in Portugal. It has been declared a National Monument since 1910.


Silves is one of the best stops to observe the nesting White Storks.


Silves is regarded as the best northern town of the Algarve and is a great opportunity to discover the "real" Portugal. It has a very different ambiance from the coastal resort towns and is how the Algarve was prior to the advent of mass tourism (in the 1960s). The old walled section has remained unchanged for more than 500 years, and there is no hint of modern development through the town. We loved it all.


Dinner was at home, in our little Carvoeiro kitchen. All is well in Portugal!