On The Write Path

🇵🇹 Red Sandstone, Romans and Me (Silves)

StephBee - House Targaryen and Sssssh! I'm not really here. This is the 6th entry for

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The Bard's Hall Contest  (13+) APRIL: Flash Fiction, 500 word limit. #981150 by StephBee - House Targaryen

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🇵🇹 Red Sandstone, Romans and Me (Silves, Portugal)

No one mentions that it's a no shade walk up from the empty train station... and then a long trek down again. Fortunately the road isn't busy as there isn't always a great place to walk. 20 minutes? If you're young...

However, the bus station is right in the center of town by Lidl.



My hostel was near the bus station, across the Roman Bridge on the south side. I could see it from there. It's just to the right in the photo above.

Small towns can be quirky. Silves is connected by bus to Lagoa, Albufeira and São Bartolomeu de Messines... not that that's that helpful... but at least it doesn't cater to just high-end tourists and condos for wealthy ex-pats.

It doesn't have a beach... a blessing imho.

But it does have a castle.



The old Moorish castle (8th-13th centuries) sits upon the hill overlooking the Roman Bridge (apparently constructed in the XV century... after the Moors, long after the Romans) that crosses the Arade river. Infante Dom Henrique (more famous than his brother the king) was mayor in the mid-1400s. In 1491, the town of Silves was given to Queen Eleanora by her husband, King John II of Portugal. Johnny was buried here (I saw the tomb in the church floor) but then exhumed and moved elsewhere.

Elsewhere...

Silves built wealth on cork then oranges as the castle-fortress had an artesian well. But it was not always held in favor by the powers-that-be and it became eclipsed by other settlements. Even now its lack of a beach keeps the aforementioned tourists from overrunning it.

I stayed in a great place at the southern end of the bridge. "Horta Grande" is a working orchard and ranch. It has oranges, mandarins, lemons, figs, pomegranates and nisperos... and brown-leather cows.



No breakfast was provided but there was always a bowl of fruit... or guests could pick their own.

I squeezed a few oranges, added lemon; but no complaints, I had my own instant coffee and I was just 5 minutes away from a cheesecake and pastries.

The other exciting feature was Clarita-the-cat. She wanted in. Her owner wanted her out. It was amusing to watch.

At least I could wash my clothes by hand and hang them to dry in the searing sun. It hit 90 degrees one day... unusual for May. Silves is just 15 kilometers from the beach but blocked from sea-breezes.

Did I mention that I was ill the whole time? Did I mention the heat? Fortunately, I had a room to myself (4 beds, but it was off-season). Had a couple nice chats with Jackie... from England.

I climb up to the castle... twice... entered once. It's quite impressive. Walking the ramparts gave me bad vertigo... heat, ill, vertigo... I enjoyed the cool Moura Cistern turned into an exhibit on the endangered Iberian lynx (there's a refuge close-by). At one time the water stored here from the 200 ft. deep 'well of the dogs' (Cisterna dos Cães) supplied the whole city.

I took lots of pictures and there was shade in the garden. Guess where I sat.

Ah... Silves. A 4 day rest and a visit to the pharmacist on Day 2 for fluponex. My sinuses dried up enough to let me breathe through my nose and my coughing lessened.

The last sight of Silves? I was too preoccupied surreptitiously adjusting my pants as they had fallen down while I stumbled onto the bus. I can only hope...

~570 words

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