As a settlement, Tavira dates back to the Bronze Age, and it was one of the first sites settled on the European continent by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BC (!!). Roman, Moorish, and Reconquest eras spanned the centuries, with Tavira becoming a major port for salt, dried fish, and wine. Then the 1755 earthquake, which did huge damage to Portugal all the way up beyond Lisbon, decimated the city and silted up the delta, ending Tavira’s era of importance. As a result, the town is a bit sleepy, the predominant architecture is 18th-century (most buildings have only two or three floors), and it is a delightful place to explore on foot. Salt and dried fish are still produced, but the main industry is clearly tourism.
But it is off-season, and although we are by no means the only foreigners in town, the atmosphere is low-key and relaxed (although compared to Lisbon, I have a feeling that relative relaxation is pervasive here). There is not a lot to do except walk in the sunshine, visit the few historical sites, eat at an outdoor cafe in the sunshine, visit the local stores, and sit in the plaza in the sunshine. Did I mention the sunshine?
Traditional Portuguese restaurants line the river banks, and our hotel is set just back from the river by a narrow park. We found a charming modern “lounge” (as it calls itself), a combination coffee house, bar, and restaurant with more sofas and low tables than dining chairs, and fresh, flavorful food. Our second dinner there ended with a spirited conversation about the differences between Portuguese (spoken by the proprietor) and Brazilian (spoken by our waiter, a young man from Manaus).
Tavira is just developing its public self, fixing up plazas and parks and developing local museums. We visit the Islamic museum this morning, dedicated to that era of Tavira’s history, depicting the story that unfolded here under the different caliphs and displaying the few items that have been found here by archaeologists. A lot of these are pottery shards, and as we have wandered the actual remains of the original Moorish walls of the city, we saw hundreds more shards buried in the mortar. Clearly, serious archaeological work remains to be done, if the city desires. But I have a sense that Tavira is rooted firmly in today, as the kids traipse across the bridges to school, the matrons gather in the markets to shop and chat, the business owners clean their doorsteps, and the fishing boats go in and out under the bridge.
Our first two midday meals were modest, but today we took a taxi out to Santa Luzia at the mouth of the delta (beyond the silt), where the fishing fleet is based and restaurants abound in the otherwise sleepy residential district. The local specialty is octopus, in which Jerome indulged for lunch while I had shrimp. He had the house special: cut-up octopus and baby clams in olive oil and spring garlic over cubed fried potatoes. It was delicious. It was a long lunch, and we had our fill of warm breezes and (yes) more sunshine, and felt quite lazy and vacation-ish. Just as well, since we leave tomorrow for Spain on the 9 a.m. bus that will take us across the border to Sevilla, three hours away, where rain is predicted for the weekend.
Photos will follow; I am having trouble uploading onto Google from here and am going to wait until Sevilla to try again, hoping that the problem is the local Internet connection. Stay tuned!
