Moor or Less - Shiny Penguin

Our last couple weeks were shaped by a mix of historic impulses and pure accident, charting a path through ancient Islamic strongholds, sleepy coastal towns, and the winding backroads of the Iberian Peninsula. So I guess you can say we really did lean more or less entirely into the Moorish history.

Niebla

Once morning we were faced with nothing on the calendar, so we drove east for a little over an hour and arrived at the walled city of Niebla, Spain.

We pulled up right in front the city walls. From there, we admired the wall’s puertas, visited the castle, the main square, a church, and even saw a roman bridge.

Castillo de Niebla

We headed straight over to the imposing Castillo de los Guzmanes. Even though restorations were underway, the layout was incredibly accessible.

We started out at ground level, going into the various interior chambers built right into the fortress walls. Inside these rooms, they have museum displays with historical information about the castle.

Climbing up onto the barbican (the castle’s lower outer walls), we walked the ancient adarve (the wall-walkway). Looking down into the grand inner courtyard, we discovered a massive open-air stage. We learned it hosts the renowned Castillo de Niebla Theatre and Dance Festival all summer long, which had just wrapped up its season right before we arrived.

Iglesia Santa María de La Granada

When we entered the plaza, the bells of the Church of Santa María de la Granada were announcing the hour. We approached the entrance and spotted a sign saying we could visit simply by ringing the little bell hanging beside it.

We rang the bell and a man appeared. He offered to give us a personal tour. It was such an unexpected treat! He shared stories that made the ancient stones come alive, showing us how this incredible building is actually a historical “layer cake”—where each new civilization built directly on top of the last. Let’s take a look.

Layer 1 🏛️ The Roman Base (Before the 5th Century): Built on the ancient ruins of a pagan temple. At the main entrance are authentic stone columns recycled from the Roman Empire.

Layer 2 👑 The Visigothic Filling (5th to 8th Century): A 1,500-year-old stone bishop’s chair still sits near the altar. It was left behind by Spain’s early Germanic rulers before the Islamic conquest.

Layer 3 🕌 The Islamic Icing (11th to 13th Century): Built as a mosque by the mighty Almohad empire from Morocco. The church still uses the mosque’s original open-air orange tree courtyard, its minaret bell tower, and a beautifully carved prayer niche inside.

Layer 4 ⛪ The Gothic Topping (16th Century): Added in the 1500s by Spanish builders after the Christian Reconquest. They crowned the building with massive Christian arches and a stunning, star-shaped stone ceiling.

🔥 The Dark Twist (1936): In March 1936, a fire set during political riots gutted the interior. The ancient stone structure survived, but all the wooden art inside today is a modern replica.

Adventures

Here is where our weekly adventure days took us this time.

Salir

Tucked away in the rural Algarve interior is Salir, a whitewashed village that we found by accident. The creature featured on the roundabout leading into Salir is a prehistoric giant salamander, specifically the Metoposaurus Algarvensis. I know that sounds fake but AI told me and therefore it must be true.

With a greeting like that, we had to go in. We routed to the town’s castle and quickly the steep narrow lane had us reversing down the hill again. We stopped on safer grounds in front of the medieval Igreja de São Sebastião.

We continued on foot to the highest point to see the rugged remains of a 12th-century Almohad Castle. This is what it looked like.

Here is a look back into town as we descended from the castle.

A paddle in Rio Mira

We made a return trip to Vila Nova de Milfontes to kayak in the Mira River while we still had good summer weather.

A visit to Porto Covo

The people we rented the kayak from suggested we head north to Porto Covo. There, we saw beaches with amazingly clear water.

That island in the distance is Ilha do Pessegueiro where you can take a guided boat tour of Roman ruins. We couldn’t fit that in on this visit – next time!

Closer to Tavira

The cats have been asking for more representation in my blog posts. On any given day, Maisy is appreciative of a good sunrise sky, and Melody likes to burrow.

Continuing watercolor studies. Here are colorful doodles, and experiments with salt.

Tom got a new bike and he has been out exploring. On one ride, he found this mini aqueduct.

The Salinas (salt pans) are always a good idea and are looking like ice & snow at the moment.

Connor has arrived into Portugal on the opening night of the Mediterranean Fair so we dragged him out to the event.

The next day we rode bikes out to Fuseta with my brother.

Stay tuned for more adventures with Connor.

Recently Captured

I acquired this chameleon at the Mediterranean Fair. It is my 5th piece by this artist. When he handed it to me he told me this one is named David Bowie. Welcome Mr. Bowie.

More Portugal

Read more about daily life, the embarrassing moments, and the process for having a long stay in Portugal. If you are more of a picture person, follow me on Instagram.