February in Portugal
In between the cold damp days of London, my friend Cristina and I spent 3 sunny days in the Algarve, exploring the southern towns and too many pottery shops. If you're sufficiently interested, click on the thumbnails to see the larger photos.

First town was Silves, tucked into the lower hills to the north. Quiet, a small market, a nearly empty castle at the top of narrow winding streets and memorable grilled sardines.
The market before closing	Looking out of the walled town to a more modern street	Another street.	insite the castle walls	a pleasant cathedral
Sunday morning we drove out to the 'end' the southwest corner of Portugal - to the South, the Med; to the West, the Atlantic. Then, after a nice meal in Sagres, we drove into the mountains to Monchique
Other than a busload of Spaniards we had the view to ourselves.	One of several modern statues in Monchique	Pretty streets	and many colorful houses
Everything seemed freshly painted		The cathedral	Great door!	A good place for a shot of Cristina
The last day we explored Faro and then drove east to Tavira, a town I remembered fondly. Few tourists, not all shiny and bright, but very 'comfortable'.
View from the top of the Faro Cathedral	Wood carving in the cathedral	Modern ceramics workshop	Tavira bridge	Clamming?
Something about European men...
Three in Silves	Two in Monchique	Three more in Faro	Some of them work	and some of them shop?
And finally the critters... We saw storks everywhere but I'll only bore you with two shots. And then the best of all at the table next to ours in a Tavira cafe...
	Atop the Faro cathedral	Watching over Silves	Is he about to pour the tea?