Destination Algarve

A guide to the Algarve. The illustrations are specially designed to complement the text which describes the geographic and cultural background to each area featured. The historical scene is also set with an anthology of literary and journalistic accounts of previous visits from famous authors.

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Algarve. Steep, fantastic cliffs on a rocky coastline in the southwest, battered by the Atlantic. Boundles sandy beaches in the southeast, bathed in warm sunlight. A tree-covered mountainous hinterland, beckoning to hikers. And in between, a luxuriant garden which forms the countryside. Algarve, as the saying goes, is not Portugal. Even the earliest Portuguese rulers recognized its uniqueness and called themselves "the kings of Portugal and Algarve". And those willing to take the time to explore this region soon learn that Algarve, indeed, has much more to offer than the uniqueness of its environment. Remnants of an eventful past are found everywhere. The most striking aspect is Algarve's Muslim heritage. The people, their language, the architecture, even certain cultivated plants and agrarian traditions all bear witness to the Moors. Jan Bode, Ruth Engels and Cornelius Weber have been able to capture Algarve's natural and cultural richness in their photographs. Ulrich Fleischmann's informative essay kindles a curiosity about this land and its people, as do the literary excerpts in the anthology.
The travel guide, also by Ulrich Fleischmann, offers tips and suggestions for a trip into this land.