On To Sintra

We spent the morning in Evora visiting a few sites that were closed yesterday (closed Monday, or the power outage). A church near our hotel has beautiful tile work that Portugal is famous for. The church was a hospital for the poor, started by a religious order the 1500’s. When Portugal nationalized healthcare in the 70’s, the order cashed out of the healthcare business and bought the government a new hospital. Their meticulous records over the ages were the source for a lot of research.

Another stop before we left Evora was the Capela do Ossos, or Chapel of the Bones. The Franciscan Order made this chapel in the early 1800’s, digging up the bones of around 5,000 monks. The general theme of the place was we are all mortal, pay attention to what is in front of you and live for today. It was generally more uplifting than macabre.

After that, we made an uneventful but expensive drive to Sinatra. Portugal has lots of toll roads and bridges.

An interesting thing we have noticed in Portugal is an interest in dolls. The church with the tiles, the Capel of Bones, and another church have large displays of dolls. Some are rather creepy looking. When we got to Sinatra, our hotel also has a doll display.

We had to drive through Lisbon to get to Sintra, but it went really smoothly. Sintra is hilly. The whole town is up or down. Had a very good dinner and turned in early.Read more