Shaka's Travel Book - Visiting Silves, the Former Capital of the Algarve (Part 1)
About 20 km from the coast in the fertile hinterland of the Algarve lies the historic city of Silves.
During the heyday of the Caliphate of Cordoba in the 10th century, Silves was one of the cultural centres of Al-Andalus. And it was the last stronghold to resist the Reconquista in Portugal.
Among Silves' main attractions are its large castle, built during the emirate's reign, and its cathedral, the oldest preserved church in the Algarve.
Many good reasons to have have a closer look:
Silves is situated at the Rio Arade. The bridge over the Arade still stands on ancient Roman foundations.
In early times Portuguese vessels used the river as a waterway for their voyages to North Africa. Today boat tours are offered here. Apparently not today though.
An eye-catching stained glass window in the upper floor of this noble city house. But where is everyone...
Not a soul on the streets.
At the inviting town house square I took a seat and once again inspected my travel guide. I found out that the day of my visit coincidentally fell on a traditional city holiday and thus all shops and most of the restaurants were closed. So almost no tourists in the streets and all inhabitants seemed to be in their own four walls. Somewhat spooky, but actually a stroke of luck for an unhindered sight-seeing.
An old pillory at the town hall square.
Further up the hill through abandoned alleys.
Finally, the city's venerable cathedral comes into view.
The construction of the Gothic church began in the early 13th century, shortly after the reconquest of the town. In the 15th century, at a time when Silves was completely impoverished, the cathedral decayed over time and finally collapsed. The cathedral was rebuilt afterwards but collapsed again in the large earthquake of 1755. After that the bishop's seat was moved from Silvres to Faro, so that the last reconstruction had to be carried out with rather modest means.
The whitewashed side walls create a luminous, inviting atmosphere. But still a stretch for my iPhone's camera.
A beautifully decorated baptismal font in an atmospheric side chapel.
Thanks for watching and see you back in Part 2 when I will visit the city's old castle complex on top of the hill.
Shaka
All photos recorded by myself with an iPhone 6S. All rights reserved.
echt klasse Bilder!!
Der frühe Vogel fängt die bsten Bilder, oder?
und die anderen spät nachmittags, wie auf dem einen Bild ersichtlich 10 nach 5.
Schon ein Wahnsinn was die Handys für fotos machen!
Danke fürs teilen, hab die Bilder genossen!!
lg 🤠
Danke! Ja, die Lichtsituation war annähernd ideal, unterwegs war ich allerdings nicht früh, sondern am späten Nachmittag. Noch 1-2 Stunden später und das Licht wäre wohl noch einen Tick stimmungsvoller gewesen. Das praktisch überhaupt keine Menschen auf der Strasse waren war fast skurill, aber zum photographieren natürlich perfekt!
Überwältigend, diese Bilder!
Ich habe Silves noch immer als ein tristes Kaff in Erinnerung und nun beschlossen dort mal wieder vorbeizuschauen, wenn ich in diese Richtung unterwegs bin. 😎
Das freut mich, dass die Bilder die Stadt für Dich in einem neuen Licht erscheinen lassen. Ich denke ein Besuch lohnt sich wirklich. Ich hatte zugegebenermassen aber auch Glück mit dem Wetter und den leergefegten Strassen. Mit Touristenströmen wirkt natürlich alles gleich ganz anders.
This caught my attention of all things. It's what I use too, DLR's are too big and cumbersome to carry around.
You can do a lot with an iPhone's camera if you know how to use it!
Yes, I'm still using my "old" 6S which now barely holds sufficient charge for more than 3 hours.
The built-in camera is really great and versatile. I was surprised about that too and habe never been using a compact camera since then. If the light conditions are ideal the compromises one has to make even compared to a DSLR are relatively small. The possibility to zoom is of course very limited.
And I should also say that all these photos went through my Lightroom workflow for cropping, tonal corrections and some further light adjustments.
It's getting rare that I manage to convince myself carrying the 1.5 kg of my EOS 7D plus glass with me. But I keep missing the haptic experience of using a DSLR. The weight, the clack of the mirror and the viewing through an optical viewfinder.
I just checked mine and it's a 7. The charge on them sucks, but if you use battery savings ALL the time it's better.
Yes, the zoom is crap but its a compromise for having something in your pocket rather than a big piece of plastic and metal banging on your hips while walking.
For the places I go (Urbex) I really don't want that as I need both my hands and they tend to be dangerous places.
I have tried Lightroom but the version I have is ancient. I mess with Gimp a little sometimes for effects but really need to watch some tutorials. My head is a like a sink these days, info flows out if its not reused enough.
Good post about my country, especially about Silves, Algarve.
I hope it was a good trip and you have been well received.
Hug @shaka
It was indeed! I had a wonderful two weeks along the Algarve. Not the last time for sure :)
Glad to have liked to be in my country Portugal. Of course you will always be well received here.
Hug @shaka
Wave of nostalgia swept over me when I saw these pictures. I spent a lazy summer in Cadiz many years ago. I can feel the cool air now coming through the doorways on the narrow streets. So evocative, this photo essay. Thanks for taking me back.
Glad to read that these pictures have brought up good memories.
super coole bilder...schön
View or trade
BEER.Hey @shaka, here is a little bit of
BEERfor you. Enjoy it!@tipu curate 1
Upvoted 👌
Beautiful
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