Alte Hotel

Down Alte's alleyways....

by justbecks

"Encounters of a different kind.."

If you ever happen to get saddled with RCI resort accomodation,travelling out is a must if you want to explore further than sun and sand in Southern Portugal.With maps and a full tank of petrol,we drove out to Alte where we stumbled along hidden alleyways and climbed numerous stone steps.It was in this eerie and deserted stillness that we found an art gallery.It was manned by a friendly girl whose dog had just coughed up fishbones on her doorstep...we heard a rapid flow of Portugese and poked our heads in.I'm glad we did!She eventually led to an underground theatre that served as a basic set-up used by a group of theatre enthusiasts to entertain the local children."It is our duty coming from a big city like Lisbon to introduce the arts to our children in the form of educational entertainment.."she tells me in heavily accented,but pleasant English.

"Backstage..."

If not for this chance meeting,Alte would not have left much of an impression on me......Here we are being told and dramatized to from an excerpt out of one of the group's plays!They were very proud of their humble beginnings and showed off their skill with great finesse.This was a treat.

Alte - Algarve mountain village

by alweis

Alte is one of the typical villages of Algarve with its narrow streets and white washed houses.
Also it is on the main route of tourist buses, so it was pretty crowdy on afternoon. But in the morning hours you can stroll through the village at your pace.
Main attractions are two fountains, small and big, fed by underground water coming to the surface. Nice park is built around the fountains.

Alte-typical Algarve village

by alweis

"Wooden toys factory"

This building once was a Elementary School.
But with less and less kids in this remote part of Alte, it was converted to factory for wooden toys.

"Alte - Artwork shop"

"Alte - street scene"

You'll see that windows in Portugal are usualy framed (to protect against evil spirits entering the house). In this house the doors are not framed and tourists can enter the bar without any problems.

"Alte-Church detail"

Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceicao is a good example of 16 century churnh built in Manueline style.

"Alte - Your meal is almost ready"

In this little restaurant on the entrance to the village food is prepared on the open fire in front of you.
Portuguese cousine is pretty simple but it can be delicious if you're in the right place which this one happened to be.

"Alte-Typical street"