Still being in a bit of a blogjam, I’m going to start with our most recent Adventure Day, then work my way backwards to fill in some of the gaps since we got back from Switzerland.
For this Adventure Day, we pointed the compass toward Paderne, a small village tucked away in the Algarve countryside, not far from Albufeira. It’s a traditional Portuguese village with plenty of history, including a medieval castle. But this time, we were headed there for the street art.
Paderne
The original plan was to spend some time looking at Paderne Street Art. As it turned out, all the artwork was collected on the four sides of one building, so that took less time than anticipated. With some extra time on our hands, we spotted a sign pointing toward a nearby fonte and decided to check it out.
Fonte de Paderne. We’ve seen a public washhouse or two in Portugal, but this was the first one we’d seen with water flowing through it. According to the signage, the fountain dates back to the 18th century and has long supplied water to Paderne and the surrounding area. The levadas (water channels) carry water for agricultural use, and apparently the washhouse is still used by locals. We didn’t see anyone arrive with a basket of laundry, though a few people did show up and head into the building next door. What they were doing in there, we never did figure out.
And wouldn’t you know it, another sign pointed us toward a nearby moinho (windmill). So off we went again.
Moinho do Leitão. We drove right up to the moinho, expecting to find an old, empty windmill. We wandered around the grounds, discovering a forno (oven), a basin, and even an outhouse. As we made our way back toward the mill, we noticed the door was open. Even better, a volunteer was there and invited us inside!
Turns out the mill is being restored, with plans to get it working again. Until the sails are reinstalled, it can actually be operated manually. Upstairs, we got a closer look at the mechanics, including how the entire roof rotates to position the sails toward the wind. The volunteer even showed us videos of the mill in operation, which helped us imagine how it all worked.
What I thought would be a quick stop to take a picture turned into quite a lengthy visit. In fact, when we got back to the car, I realized I’d left my door wide open the entire time!
Purgatory and beyond
Our next destination was Krazy World, but apparently, to get there we had to go through Purgatory. Literally.
Then pass this old photography studio.
Drive through the town of Tunes.
And Algoz.
To arrive at Krazy World! Look at the entrance – it’s so crazy! Turns out Krazy World is a zoo with other activities such as zipline, mini-golf, horse and donkey rides, and has a swimming pool. There is a petting zoo, so we went right to that.
We saw a llama with crazy eyes. And goats that were going crazy to get some food.
There were some tiny monkeys with crazy hair. And some lemurs too!
The mini-golf is pretty basic, but the pool has a long slide and lounging chairs.
Catching Up
Feira de São Francisco. Shortly after returning from our Switzerland trip, the fair started setting up. We saw the installation because we passed by the grounds almost every day.
Just like last year, we met up with our former landlords for some porco no espeto (pig on a spit). Looks like this might be becoming an annual tradition!
Trilho do Ludo. Somehow, I managed to pick up a really nasty stomach virus that knocked me out for a week. One morning, while doomscrolling Instagram, I came across a post about a trail near Faro Airport. I decided it was time to get out of the house and give my recovery a little push.
The trail winds through the wetlands of Ria Formosa, right in the flight path of Faro Airport. We watched plenty of planes coming in for a landing, along with some pretty amazing scenery. Not a bad way to ease back into Adventure Days!
Recently Captured
After getting my halloween decoration up, the cats both had to add their finishing touches.
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.
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