My journey through Portugal with Evih, a friend from London, continued southwards to Faro in the Algarve. With great difficulty, we both finally managed to pull ourselves away from the lavish surroundings of Pensao Sintra where we stayed in a grand room within an equally grand stately home for just £10 each.
With so many circles drawn on our road map of Portugal, deciding which town we should head towards was anything but easy, not least because we'd forgotten why most were circled to start with.
We drove down to Sagres at on the most southwesterly tip of Portugal. Sagres is unquestionably a surfer's town, even in the winter. Before doing anything we searched high and low for a hotel we'd been recommended called Monte Velho. Eventually, we found it, 3km from the main road via a dirt track amongst the largely uninhabited hills near Carrapateira, Aljezur. It wasn't long before we both realised that the €90 tariff was absolutely non-negotiable. We had a quick look around the beautifully converted stables and were quickly reminded that this was out of our price bracket when the owner began making arrangements for us to stay at the local lifeguard's surf camp instead.
As promised, the lifeguard met us some 5km along the main road from Monte Velho and led us, this time down an almost impassable mud track through cornfields, to a camp comprising of three wooden huts and an outdoor kitchen. Although I thought the offer of staying in a surf camp for free was the best offer both Evih and I were likely to have, the decision had already been made on my behalf. We spent the next two nights in an apartment in nearby Carrapateira.
On the day a local told us was the coldest day in Portugal, we made a wise but somewhat cowardly decision not to take the surf lessons. Instead, we chose horse riding at the Vale de Ferro riding school, situated just off of the main road between Lagos and Portimo. Taking one-hour beginner lessons, we began with a trot around the arena to familiarise ourselves with the horses before heading out into the mountains.
Two friendly instructors, one German and the other Portuguese, taught us the basics. We headed into the nearby mountains where, my horse, Chamon, decided that she was fed up with carrying me and did her best to kick me off, violently! After getting more than we bargained for from a €25 introduction to riding both we made our way to Faro.
With only a few hours to spare before catching our flight back to London, we decided we'd give Faro a chance and headed for Praia da Faro, a beach sitting directly at the end of Faro's airport runway. Faro itself and the long stretch of coastline either side is lined with holiday homes, hotels, and resorts. Praia da Faro, in stark contrast, is slightly detached from the mainland at the end of a connecting road. We spent a rather pleasant last few hours only a stone's throw away from our departure point.
Evih returned home to relax for a few days before returning to work while I continued my journey to Sicily.
When I arrived at Palermo the temperature was a rotten 3°C. The small mountains in the background were covered in snow, and by the end of the first day my feet were itching so badly from the rain that I simply couldn't stay out any longer.
I'm no stranger to Italy, having visited the country eleven times during the last year. One place I was keen to return to was Palermo, which is in my opinion one of the greatest and least known cities in Europe. I wasn't about to let bad weather ruin my trip.
On the plane I met two Americans, Jason and Andrew, who were studying at LSE in London and had decided to make a day trip to Palermo. Given what short time they had, I offered to show them around parts of the city that I already knew.
One of my favourite places to visit in Palermo is without a doubt 'Kursaal Kalhesa', a trendy bookshop that doubles as a bar, albeit an expensive one. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Kursaal Kalhesa, which bears no name on its front, is hidden within the city wall facing the port. We happened to arrive during a reading the Sicilian author Lugli Bernardi, and we all enjoyed Kursaal Kalhesa's speciality liqueur coffees, or Café Corretto, as it's better known to the Italians.
Palermo is mostly an outdoor city and doesn't lend itself well to cold and rainy weather. With few indoor sights to choose from we decided to take a tour around Teatro Massimo, Palermo's recently renovated and reopened opera house - the third largest in Europe. Tickets in the stalls begin at €100 so seeing an opera wasn't an option for any of us. Luckily we had a better excuse - there were no performances until February 15.
I told Andrew and Jason a few stories about how the Mafia operates in Palermo, most of which had been passed to me from other Sicilians. We visited Villa Garibaldi, next to Piazza Marina, where the famous Mafia assassination of Joseph Petrosino, a New York police commissioner, took place on March 14, 1909, beneath an incredible tree with exposed roots dangling from its branches.
We each went our separate ways. For the Americans it was back to their studies in London and for me it was to find somewhere to stay for the week in Palermo, where I'll be taking each day as it comes.
In no particular rush to leave Palermo, I hope to improve my Italian to the point where I can talk my way out of paying for things whilst at the same time get a good feel for Palermo and the Western part of Sicily. Given how hospitable Sicilians can be, this shouldn't be too difficult a task.
Flying this week - lucky to be alive!
Ryanair's approach to Italy is anything but shy. "Arrividerci Alitalia" is audaciously written on a number of their Italy-bound aircraft. Like it or loathe it, Ryanair alone flies to no less than 13 destinations in Italy and their message to rivals is simple.
It very almost became arrividerci Ryanair, Netjetter, and 200 other unsuspecting passengers when stormy weather forced the pilot of a full flight from Stansted to Palermo to make a last-minute decision, cancelling landing only seconds from touchdown. When we could see the runway beneath us, the engines suddenly went on full power. Not knowing whether we were accelerating downwards or upwards a state of panic arose and finally a use was found for Ryanair's sick bags that double up as film processing envelopes! We flew straight over the runway at Palermo airport and steeply up again into the clouds.
I realised how religious Italians are, at least in times of possible disasters. With people either side of me saying Hail Marys and praying aloud I began to wonder what was happening. Of course, it wasn't the work of terrorists or any problem with the plane's landing gear; it was simply an unexpected flash storm.
"It was too dangerous to land," the pilot told us. "We'll give it a second shot and fingers crossed, everything should be OK this time."
As long as you make it from London to Palermo it's one of the best value budget routes around. For 99p (before tax) you'd be lucky if you could by two postcards of Palermo, let alone a three-hour flight!
Flights
Faro - London Gatwick - £20 easyJet
London Stansted - Palermo - £21 Ryanair
