We decided to spend a day exploring something inland so we headed to Monchique. This small town is surrounded by the mountain range of Serra de Monchique and is covered with forest that separate the Algarve from the district of Alentejo.
The drive here was filled with pretty country roads, rolling green farms and villages. Once we got here the first thing we did was park and head to a local cafe called Ochálá which turned out to be scrumptious!
After receiving a great tip from the owner, we took some fun windy little roads heading upward to the second highest peak Miradoura da Picota, stopping a few times to marvel at the terraced farms and some adorable piglets! We climbed the fire tower to marvel at the 360' views and were the only ones there enjoying it all.
Afterwards we headed back into town to park and wander the little cobblestone streets barely wide enough for a car to get through, but the locals navigated them like pros! It was just charming with flowers blooming everywhere and wonderful colors. We stopped for some tapas and tried the regional strong spirit which is called Medronho (also known as 'firewater' to non-Portuguese speakers), a traditional fruit brandy. It's obtained from the fruit of the Medronho tree (also called strawberry tree) which grow wild on the poor soils in rural regions of Portugal. It was like drinking a straight shot of slightly sweetened pure alcohol....ha!
At the top of the town you can reach the ruins of an Franciscan convent from the 17th Century -Convento de Nossa Senhora do Desterro (Convent of Our Lady of Exile). It was destroyed in an earthquake in 1755 and as a result, many of the altarpieces and statues were moved to other churches. The ruins are on private property, but the the owners are very open to visitors and welcomed us to wander around a bit. It's really now used for their chickens and garage storage which was fascinating considering it's history. There are some spectacular green views of the village from up here.
Those piglets!! 😍 Looks totally picturesque with those rolling hills and red roofs. So wild seeing that motorcycle in the old monastery ruins. 😯
What a great day.