Algarve Dia 1 – Tavira

A uncooperative tooth delays the start of our trip, or more specifically, a broken crown. Luckily the crown doesn't drop into the drain, is recovered, and can be repaired at the lab. The dentist says they can replace it after the holidays – there's that song about getting your teeth for Christmas.

After the good news from the dentist, we drive straight to Tavira (pop 26,167 in 2011) with only a brief highway stop halfway, about three hours. We become entangled in the narrow streets but arrive at the Pousada just as the darkness settles in, and the misty-warm damp of the recent rains lifts. We quickly unload and step into the glimmer of Christmas lights in search of dinner.

Along the Rio Gilão, in the amphitheater of the Praça da República, there is an illuminated Santa's village. The Ponte Romana (actually, a medieval bridge) separates the Gilão from the Rio Séqua (upstream, but really the same body):

When the Algarve was under Moorish occupation, a Moorish king lived in Tavira whose daughter was called Séqua. The tale also goes that during the Christian conquest of the Kingdom of Algarve, among the ranks was a handsome knight named Gilão. Gilão met Séqua, and they fell madly in love, but they knew their love was forbidden.

However, as their love was powerful, the lovers would meet in secret, late every night, on the bridge between the two banks of the river in Tavira. One night, as the knight and the princess met on the bridge, they were surprised by both sides; the Christian military lined one riverbank and the Moorish military the other.

The knight and the princess, terrified of having been discovered because they knew they would be accused of treason, decided to bring a dramatic end to both their lives. Princess Séqua threw herself over one side of the bridge (upstream) and Gilão over the other side (downstream). According to legend, they are still drifting down the river to this day.

This explains why the same river has two names: Séqua, for the side of the river closest to its source, and Gilão as it reaches the river mouth. Gilão and Séqua are, in fact, the same waters and Tavira the fruit of their love. (from mychoice.pt)

Unexpectedly, the river's edge faces north; just past the historic center it turns right and heads for the sea. Before it gets there, the river runs into the Ilha de Tarvira, a lengthy, sandy barrier island that acts as a Portuguese 'Lido'. On the opposite bank we see two surprisingly tall structures with an assortment of large Christmas bulbs – they don't express the traditional pine-tree shape, are they trees?

Though brightly lit, the town is quiet. Many shops and restaurants are closed for the holiday. We wander the ribeira checking menus and watching the light strings change color.

After dinner, we note the glassy surface of the Gilão; the water is paused. Perhaps the channel is tidal, and the current is about to change. Inside the Jardim Público, we find an adorable bandstand within a mossy, circular moat. The rush of the river is replaced by the tinkle of the fountains. As we return to the Ponte, the piers, the lights in the arches, and their reflections seem to spell "hO-hO-hO-hO-hO".