The legend of the almond blossom in the Algarve, Portugal!

The story is a folk tale that has been told for many years in various versions and at different places around the world. It appears to be set in only one true place, which is Portugal.

This romantic story tells of the love between a Moorish king and his queen from the North and how their love caused it to "snow" every year in the Algarve for centuries after their wedding.

Once upon a time............
Like every story that tells of kings, queens and true love, this story begins. Once upon a time, long ago, in the south of Portugal in the province of Al-Gharb, the Moorish name for the Algarve, there was a clever king named Ibn-Almundim.

He was a skilled military leader and won victory after victory. This contributed to the expansion of the Moorish kingdom on Portuguese soil. He was loved by his people and feared by his enemies. After winning another battle, the prisoners were brought into Xelb, which would later be known as Silves.

King Ibn-Almundim saw among the prisoners a beautiful woman with fair skin, blue eyes and blonde hair. The king fell in love with this princess from the North at first sight. She also fell in love with him and they got married. It was a celebration that had no equal.

Even after their wedding, everything was fine. The king and queen loved each other very much. But one day Queen Gilda became ill. She felt sad, deeply unhappy and could only cry from longing for her homeland and the missing winter snow.

The king found it terrible to see his great love in such a state. The king, who had everything for his wife, went searching for a solution. From his homeland, he had thousands of almond trees brought to Xelb and planted around the castle.

He took her to the window and opened the shutters so that she could look outside. Queen Gilda couldn't believe her eyes. All the hills around the castle and all the trees looked white with the almond blossoms, as if they were covered in snow!

They lived happily ever after
I every spring when the almond trees bloomed and the hills were covered in a layer of white blossom had Queen Gilda the feeling of being home again in the high North. The queen no longer felt homesick and lived happily ever after with her husband, King Ibn-Almundim.

Photo: blooming almond tree, in the background Casa Pauline before renovation

Spring
This old legend speaks of one of the most typical elements in the landscape of the Algarve: the many beautifully blooming almond trees, which every winter fill the fields with their delicate white and pink blossoms. They promise us that spring is on its way!

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