Killer Kobblestones

Olhao walkway

The cobbled walkways here in Olhao are really killer on the knees and hips! Poor Art … he’s suffering more than any of us, but I can really understand, since my hip is not very happy with me either!

So shiny and smooth, they look like metal!

I mean ... LOOK at them! They're so shiny and bright ... can you imagine what it would be like after a rain? Geeze! No wonder there are so many people around here with casts on their arms and legs and all the old timers have canes!

Tiled Streets of Ayomonte

The streets in Ayomonte in Spain were tiled, not cobbled. It also seemed that the city engineers lay down a level bed of sand before they put down the road tiles. Olhao and the other working towns of the Algarve that we've visited seem to just plunk down some square stones and then spread dirt over them and sweep 'em clean. They follow the various undulating surfaces that were in front of the workers ... paying close attention to the design of the pattern. Interesting, beautiful, but deadly!

Intricate patterns everywhere

The streets of Lisboa where we were staying were narrow alleys or wide boulevards and everything was one way. Since we were walking, it didn’t make any difference to us, but I would NOT want to drive a car here! I think that even with a GPS, you’d have a hard time navigating without a guide.

The public squares are fabulous and frequent. The cobblestones here were smooth for the most part without the changes of level being so prevalent. The designs, however, often fool the eye!

The square in Lisboa

Huge monuments perch liberally among the historic buildings … and you can see remnants of ancient buildings (you think that used to be a church?) in the background. The castle up on the hillside is fully restored and you can tour it if you are so inclined.