Day 37 Visit to Loule on Market Day

The weather was mostly sunny and high of 21C. Now 21 days no rain.

Today we planned a day trip to the town of Loule. Loulé is an authentic Portuguese market town, and a popular destination for a day trip.

Visitors are drawn to Loule, for its characterful historic centre, lively markets and genuine Portuguese atmosphere.

The focal point of Loulé is the Arabian inspired covered market, with stalls selling fresh produce and regional handicrafts. On Saturdays there is a large area of streets that are blocked off for pedestrians only to roam around the additional fruit and vegetable stalls. The local people of Loule are out in droves to purchases their produce for the week. They even sell fruit trees and flowers there too! Surrounding the market are busy shopping streets, tree-lined plazas and lots of colorful alleys, which have barely altered since the medieval period. Within this delightful historic centre (the Cidade Velha), is an ancient castle, a Gothic church and traditional tradesmen’s houses.

The castle Loule castle’s origins are from the Moorish era, but the three towers and connecting battlements were constructed by the Portuguese in 1260. The castle was severely damaged by the 1755 earthquake and was extensively restored during the 1940s.

The Igreja Matriz de São Clemente – The Gothic church of Loule that was constructed on the site of a Moorish Mosque. The church’s bell tower was originally a minaret, and is the only mosque building from the Moorish era (8-12th century) that is still standing in Portugal.

As we made our way out of the market area we could hear music being played. so we ventured towards it to find locals playing guitars,singing and dancing in the street. It seemed like an impromptu event that the locals created. Soon a crowd had gathered eating an drinking in the street too! It was quite entertaining!

Then on our way back to the car park there was an official bike race happening! You just never know what you’re going to see. It was quite fascinating to see jersey clad bikers wizing past you!

For a 4 hour adventure the 90 cent euro parking cost was a steel! Especially for a 4 tiered parking garage.

The day was topped off with a walk on Maria Luisa Beach at high tide. Quite a different experience. The open tunnels could be seen with over flowing sea water pounding its openings. You can hear the roar of the ocean. The beach shrinks to half the size too! Great way to finish off a day.