The town of Tavira has a very pretty little square, the Praca da Algoa, also known as the Bishop’s Square because of the statue of Antonio Maria Marcelino Franco that can be found there. Now the statue has been fully restored thanks to recent cleaning work that has been recently undertaken in the city.

The statue of the former Algarve Bishop was initially erected in 1981, is surrounded by picturesque gardens and small, intimate cafes and restaurants, a wonderful place to meet friends and hang out. He was a man that was born in Tavira, appointed Bishop in 1920 and then served the church and the people of Tavira till his death in 1955.

One other statue memorial that has received a much deserved makeover is the statue of Joaquim lopes, in Olhao. His claim to international fame is that he saved many people from the sea’s treacherous currents which are a staple in the area where the Oeiras and Tagus rivers meet each other.

For about forty years, he rescued may sailors including the crews of three British ships, French vessels and Spanish ones.

He saved so many different nationalities that many countries bestowed numerous awards to Joaquim Lopes and he was also honored by the British Government for saving the ship British Queen, and also received the top honor from Portugal’s government as well, the Order of the Tower and Sword.

However in 1890 he returned his British awards to the British government in response to the 1890 British Ultimatum, which has been seen by Portuguese historians and politicians of the time to be one of the most outrageous act of Britain against its oldest of allies.

But that was a long time ago, and Joaquim Lopes lived to the grant old age of 92, and his statue now stands to remind people of his achievements.

These Algarve monuments are just a few examples of what you can visit on your trip to the Algarve, so make sure that you employ our Algarve car rental services in order to see as many monuments as possible.

• The whole world envy’s France their sophisticated culture. They just seem to know how to do things in a certain way that makes many of us want to emulate them. The French just seem to have chic down to a tee with little or no effort whereas the rest of us struggle with it. A shopping trip in France is perfect for the shopaholic.

• France has so many different types of scenery and geographical features. You can visit the French Alps and enjoy the snow or go down south and enjoy the Rivera. There are unique features and attractions in almost every part of France.

• The infrastructure in France is great and it is really easy to travel around the country. The rail network is magnificent and the high speed rail networks mean that it takes little or no time to get from one side of the country to the other. The French roads are also easy to drive on.

• French food is admired around the world and you have to go there to sample the real thing. You will be able to sample many different dishes no matter what part of the country you are in; the choice really is very broad. French cheese is also something that you should try as well.

• Wine is another thing the French are famous for and there really are so many options that you will probably find it quite confusing knowing which ones to choose. Make sure that you bring a few bottles back with you; wine is surprisingly cheap in France.