Silves

For several centuries, Silves was the capital of the present-day Algarve. Silves was called Cilpes during Roman occupation in the 1st century CE. During Moorish occupation, it was known as Xelb, Xilb ou al-Shilb. In early 1189, King Sancho began the first attempt to reconquer Silves but ultimately the city was reconquered in 1242 by Paio Peres Correia. A statue of King Sancho can be found at the entrance of the Castelo de Silves.

There is a lot to see in Silves – the castle, the archaeological museum, the cathedral, ruins of fortification walls, and the city itself. Here are some pictures of the city.

Castelo de Silves

The first reference to this castle is said to date back to the 10th century, but of its 10 towers, only only the quadrangular tower on the left side of the entrance shows characteristics of that period. The castle is very accessible, although some of the stairways to reach the battlement are narrow, and without handrails (climb at your own risk, I suppose).

Within the castle are archaeological excavations, particularly vestiges of the Muslim ruins including an 11th century Governor’s palace (Palace of Balconies).

Cathedral

A sign in town pointed the direction to a Sé. In some translation apps, the word sé translates to cathedral, but it originates from the Latin term Sede Episcopal which means episcopal seat or bishop’s seat. So interesting! Here is the inside of the cathedral and a picture of me lighting a candle for a friend.

Muralhas da Almedina

The placard here tells me that these are the archaeological remains of Medina Wall and Barbican, two imposing structures that once stood there. A medina is a walled city and a barbican is an outer defense of a walled city.

Museu Municipal de Arqueologia

When visiting Museu Municipal de Arqueologia in Silves something caught my eye. In the displays were curious additional items — an exhibit inside an exhibit showing what future archeologists might find in the future. I took so many pictures, so instead of posting them here, I made this video.

Festival Do Contrabando

On April 5th, we went to Festival Do Contrabando (Smuggling Festival). For the festival, a pedestrian bridge was constructed across the Guadiana River connecting the banks of Alcoutim (Portugal) and Sanlúcar de Guadiana (Spain). The floating bridge is wobbly, but it was an amazing experience to walk from Portugal to Spain! Here’s a video.

On both the Portugal and Spain sides, streets were lined with vendors — mostly food and handicrafts. Some people are dressed in period clothing. In Spain, the Paella stall drew a long long of people. In Portugal, people queued up for Mista Enchidos com Secretos. The literal translation is mixed sausage with secrets, but also on the plate were olives & pickled veggies.

The rest of the pictures are taken around town, from the castle, and on the little streets and passageways.

Quaresma e Semana Santa

On April 6th, we saw lavender clippings on the street and a marker for the 10th station of the cross just outside our apartment. This is part of Quaresma e Semana Santa (Lent & Holy Week), and we watched this from our balcony just before 10pm. Here is a video.