Tavira, Portugal
Pescatarians by the sea
Earlier this year, we spent time in Tavira, a small town in the Algarve. How did we decide to visit this seaside town? We attended a local gathering of Americans in the Deep South who are evaluating relocating to Portugal. Several people from our city who had already made the move spoke to our group.
After the question and answer session, I talked with the man seated next to me. He had spent considerable time in Portugal becoming familiar with the country and where he might want to relocate. I mentioned the type of town my spouse and I were seeking. This location would be: 1) by the ocean; 2) sunny and walkable; and 3) have a mercado filled with local fruits, vegetables and fresh fish. We wanted to avoid large cities and towns with steep cobblestone streets. He wrote the word “Tavira” on a slip of paper.
When my spouse and I returned home, we looked up Tavira on Google Maps and researched the town a bit. Yes, this place seemed lovely. We decided to visit Tavira on our planned 2023 trip to Portugal.
I reserved an Airbnb for us in the old town area of Tavira.
We were delighted when we arrived. Tavira is mostly flat and very walkable. The Airbnb was in the city’s center and had large, arched windows that opened and provided a gentle cross breeze.
The place was filled with light and looked over one of the main streets in the city. Pedestrians and cyclists were more plentiful than cars. The buildings in the city center were old and beautiful with remarkably colorful tiles.
We felt at home. We loved the colors and designs we could see while just walking down a street.
We asked our AirBnb host, who had lived her whole life in Tavira, to recommend a restaurant for us. Although Tavira attracts many visitors in the summer, we were there in February, when the city has a slower pace. Our host recommended Vela 2, a seafood restaurant located just outside of Tavira.
When we arrived at lunch time at Vela 2 , the restaurant was crowded. We were seated in the middle of the dining area. As far as we could tell, we were the only folks not speaking Portuguese. Our server placed a salad in front of us and then began bringing platters of freshly cooked fish. Each time she came to our table, she brought a different type of seafood. We tried some of each variety, even though we did not always know the type of fish we were eating. Everything I ate was incredibly fresh and tasty. How remarkable to be close to so much fresh seafood.
For dessert, we enjoyed a sliced mango, which was an ideal finish to our meal.
We considered what it might be like to live in Tavira. We checked out the Tavira Mercado one morning. We found plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and so much fresh seafood. At home, in the United States, I create primarily plant-based meals. If we move to Portugal, I anticipate I would be a pescatarian. The seafood here is too plentiful and fresh to overlook.
We learned from our host that the city schedules regular walks through the town and in the surrounding area, with many Portuguese residents joining for exercise and to meet others. We visited the large indoor municipal pool and the outdoor tennis courts. We talked with a local pickleball contingent. Tavira offers many ways to stay fit and connected with others.
As background for new readers, I’m a queer Southerner who has lived and loved in the American South for more than 60 years.
Through images and words, American South < - > Portugal: Loving, Leaving and Recreating Home explores three topics:
Things I love about the American South;
Worrisome new laws, cases and actions by elected and appointed officials that further marginalize oppressed communities; and
My culinary travels and joys in Portugal, a democratic country more focused on community than the individual, and a place where I’m spending more time each year.
I also have a Portuguese language translation of this newsletter. Subscribers to this English version newsletter will not automatically be subscribed to the Portuguese version. To subscribe to the Portuguese version, please go to juliearing.substack.com and select Português. Click on any of the newsletters under that heading and subscribe.
I love Tavira! My parents fell in love with Portugal in 1971 and, whenever we lived there, they would avoid taking us to the Algarve (my mom pictured tons of overwintering and vacationing tourists, dug deep into her stereotypes of the place, and had no desire to go - our loss). Well, in 2022, I finally dragged her reluctant bum down to Tavira for both a stay above an orange and pomegranate grove valley as well as one right in town above the river. She loved it! We all loved it. By the way, we had a fantastic meal at Restaurante Colibri in Moncarapacho. Lovely owners, too.
I love Tavira! My family and I ended up settling just north of Lisbon but Tavira remains one of my favorite places in Portugal.