We may have landed in Faro but when we took the rental car and drove straight to our accommodation in Armação de Pêra we decided to take the car back to Faro today to explore the city. My main goal that I had been eyeing for a while was to visit the “Capela dos Ossos” whose English name is “Chapel of Bones of Faro”. The chapel which is part of the church consists of skeletons from more than 1200 monks. As I wrote though, it is part of the church which means that the opening hours are limited and of course there was a funeral today when I so I could never get in and look and from the outside, well then it looked like any old church, the disappointment is huge but that’s how it is sometimes.
We simply had to regroup and set our sights on visiting the old town instead. Partly the walk to and through the old town but also when we drove around the town before we found our way out means that I think I got a good picture of Faro and I have to say that it is not only positive. It is quite rough, the alleys are narrow, dirty and filled with graffiti, many of the houses feel abandoned and ready to collapse which makes it not at all pleasant to walk around the town. On the other hand, some streets and neighborhoods are the exact opposite and meet all the expectations one might have of a really old Roman city.
One thing is clear, if you want nightlife, restaurants, shopping or other activities, Faro is a much better choice than Armação de Pêra. In Faro you will find all the modern shops and even fast food like McDonalds, but I’m probably old enough that I prefer the lukewarm here in the fishing village instead.
