Day 6 – Armação de Pêra to Tavira

We had a quiet morning in the Airbnb, packing and eating breakfast before departing for Tavira. We were sad to leave Armação de Pêra – the beaches and cliffs were breathtaking, and the locals were incredibly friendly. They rarely get folks visiting from the States, so they were particularly excited to chat with us. Our waiter at lunch yesterday told us all about how much he loves watching NBA games and then brought his colleague over, and we practiced saying “Massachusetts.” They were so kind!

We took an Uber to Faro, then waited an hour at the train station for our train to Tavira. It was much cooler today – only 84 degrees rather than the mid-high 90s that it’s been since we arrived in Portugal. We sat outside on the platform, ate the sandwiches we’d made for lunch, and chatted with other passengers (we met folks from Dallas and Irvine).

After arriving in Tavira and settling into our Airbnb, Kendra and I took the kids to the main square, Praça da República, to explore. We had lots of great suggestions from my friend Jennifer who moved here from the States a few years ago. The first stop was gelato from Tavira Roman. We then meandered through the square and checked out the little shops dotting each side of the streets.

As the kids peeked over the embankment into the river, they were thrilled to see fish swimming in the water and crabs ducking in and out of the muddy banks. We spent a good deal of time watching an epic battle between two crabs and a dozen fish over a slice of bread.

Crabs!

After crossing over the Roman Bridge, we headed back to our Airbnb for a short rest before heading out to dinner at Little India. The restaurant came highly recommended by our Airbnb host, who said the food was incredible and it was THE place the locals went to for Indian food. She was not wrong – I think they ruined any other Indian restaurant for us. The meal was incredible. They had a scrumptious version of Peshwari naan made with coconut, honey, and almonds.

After dinner, we strolled back over the Roman bridge once more, watching the sunset over the river. It was a magical end to our day.