Monchique

 I left Carvoiero today and am happy to report I have arrived in Carrapateira for my new spot for the next couple of days.  It was a day with clear skies forever, so it was a perfect time to go up a mountain for a view.  

That bright light is the sun's reflection on the Atlantic Ocean, as you can see a great length of the Algarve from Monchique

Monchique has been recommended to me more than once, but this was the first time that my desire to go actually fell on a day when the sky was clear.  The town is up at one of the highest elevations in the Algarve, and is an old and artsy town.  The ceramic Studio Bongard is there -- and I was familiar with a bit of their work as restaurant Bon Bon uses some of their scuptures as plates.  The studio wasn't open today, but the town center has a "lake" with several spectacular ceramic fish, sea creatures and seascapes done by the studio.  

fish in the "lake"

a tiny bite of cod on a plate from studio Bongard at restaurant Bon Bon

There are a lot of knitter, weavers and ceramic artists with shops selling their handmade items in Monchique.  A sculpture project has placed figures at many points in town, by that lake, by the viewpoints and town center and then just here and there.  It's fun to see them all.  There's also a historic ruin of a convent over the town, but it's apparently best experienced from afar, as it's hard to get to and isn't really "open" for tourists.  I ended up sitting at an outdoor cafe where I  read and painted for a very long time today!  And then I had lunch at Grumpy Mama's, a very pretty vegan restaurant with a fine carrot & orange soup.

Google maps took me from the mountain top along some very twisty, narrow, alarming cliff-edge roads so I could make my way to the Western coast of Portugal.  I think I traversed every level of every terraced hillside on my way down!  The view was spectacular in all directions.

I'm exhausted from the drive -- you will get to see/hear about Carrapateira and surfing and Western coast cliffs... tomorrow.