Capela da Rainha Santa Isabel

Hier starb Isabel Königin von Aragon, die Gattin von König Dinid, 1336. Die dreischiffige, nahezu quadratische, Kapelle (1559) enthÀlt Azulejos mit Szenen aus ihrem Leben.
Wenn man drinnen steht,Read more
Hier starb Isabel Königin von Aragon, die Gattin von König Dinid, 1336. Die dreischiffige, nahezu quadratische, Kapelle (1559) enthÀlt Azulejos mit Szenen aus ihrem Leben.
Wenn man drinnen steht, ein Monument von Kapelle, wenn man an die Decke schaut.Read more
Ein 27 Meter hoher Bergfried aus Marmor ist von weitem her schon gut sichtbar und umso nĂ€her man kommt, umso eindrĂŒcklicher die dannzumalige Meisterleistung im Burgenbau.
Portugal ist der zweitgrösste Marmorexporteur der Welt. Klar, dass Randsteine im Ort aus Marmor sind. Ausserhalb der Stadt gibt es riesige Berge von Marmor der im Tagebau abgebaut wird.Read more
Alentejo, a region thatâs covering a third of Portugal but is not so much discovered by tourists yet. Completely unjustified, is our conclusion. We drive through the rolling hills of this wine region and see that spring has arrived here earlier than in Douro, the other wine region we visited. The vineyards are already showing fresh green leafs and itâs beautifully green around us. Very conveniently the vineyards are accompanied by fields of cork trees, native to Alentejo. Another thing that characterises Alentejo are the megalithic monuments. These consist of prehistoric stones carefully placed in shapes and structures that are likely to have had astronomical and / or religious ritual functions. On our way to the camp ground we visit two of such sites. It takes a bouncy trip on a sand path and a muddy walk on a narrow path to get there (see the video and hear the sounds of nature!), but thereâs definitely something special about seeing these large stones with our own eyes. This kind of site makes one feel like looking at the past, and wonder how on earth it was built without help of any machines. This has too been topic of many researches done. Possibly these big stones were moved on sleds sliding on rollers, needing up to 150 people to move them around!
The camp ground we have chosen happens to be owned by another Dutch couple. We find ourselves a beautiful spot with view on the cork fields, where bunnies are hopping about and birds are singing their song enthusiastically. A perfect place to stay a little longer, relax a little, read some, explore the surrounding fields by foot, and use the ârestingâ day (who needs resting during a holiday?) to do some laundry.
After one day of ârestâ we go for a gorgeous 13 KM walk. Itâs a nice mix of vineyards, olive groves, green hills, and the beautiful town Estremoz. Furthermore the sun is out, giving our day an actual summer feel. We also continue to enjoy the peace and quiet: apart from the cities it has been a blast to go without many other tourists around. I know itâs hypocritical but as two tourists ourselves we like places best when we donât see any other foreigners enjoying the same place as us. We are actually guilty of whispering to each other: âthere goes another Dutch couple, yuk!â - something I am not shy of sharing publicly as I know we arenât the only one feeling like this. We humans are strange creatures, arenât we? Anyway, we do care to stop for a good conversation with those we meet on the way - see video :-).
Two nights at the Dutch owned site we pack our van and with a detour of sightseeing through Ăvora and Ăvora Monte get ready to return to the west coast of Portugal. A special mention to the âCapela dos Ossosâ in Ăvora. This translates as Chapel of Bones and if you are left wondering about this curious name: that is exactly what it is. The chapelâs interior is not simply covered, but DECORATED with human skulls and bones of more than 5000 skeletons. Franciscan monks living in the 16th century thought this was a brilliant solution to overcrowded graveyards, exhuming the human remains to repurpose them in the chapel. They clearly took their sweet time and creativity to do so, I would almost dare to say they must have had fun playing around with the bones fitting them in the most beautiful patterns. This suspicion is supported by the somewhat humorous text engraved above the entrance of the chapel: âNĂłs ossos que aqui estamos, pelos vossos esperamosâ. In English: âWe bones that are here, for yours we waitâ. The two mummified bodies also showcased in the chapel could not get my appreciation as much - it made me a little sick looking at them (and therefore you wonât find any pictures included of these bodies here).
Iâll leave you with this sonnet (dated 1845!) that was on one of the chapelâs walls and that I thought was worth remembering:
âWhere are you going in such a hurry, traveller?
Stop⊠do not proceed any further.
You have no greater concern,
Then this one: that on which you focus your sight.
Recall how many have passed from this world,
Reflect on your similar end,
There is good reason to reflect,
If only all did the same.
Ponder, you so influenced by fate,
Among the many concerns of the world,
So little do you reflect on death;
If by chance you glance at this place,
Stop⊠For the sake of your journey,
The more you pause, the more you will progress.âRead more
Traveler Bij de begraafplaats in Coevorden staat de volgende tekst: wat gij nu zijt, was ik voor deze. Wat ik nu ben zult gij dra wezen.Ook iets om bij stil te staan: reflectie is nooit verkeerd. Daardoor geniet je meer van wat je nu hebt of bent. ( Dit was de avondoverdenking van je moeder ..haha. Jullie reis is geweldig mooi om te volgen. En jullie koppies zijn leuk om naar te kijken: verregend, verwaaid, gebronsd etc... Heb het goed en welterusten!
Der Stress gestern hat sich zu guter Letzt doch noch gelohnt. Emma und wir haben uns in der Nacht auf dem Dorfplatz sehr wohl und sicher gefĂŒhlt.
Gut gefrĂŒhstĂŒckt mĂŒssen wir uns entscheiden, nehmen wir den Weg von gestern oder wagen wir es durch das enge Dörfchen bis zum Barragem Meimoa...
Ab und zu muss es auch mal riskant sein also geht's zum Barragem. Es war ja gar nicht so schlimm.
An einem Platz oberhalb des Stausee wird schon gleich wieder gestoppt, die Drohne ausgepackt und tolle Aufnahmen geschossen.
Nach ein paar Kilometer geht's auf die N233, vorbei an Korkeichen, EukalyptusbÀumen, Orangen- und Olivenhaine und das heute ganz ohne Nebel, mit viel Sonne.
Wieder mal spontan einen ruhigen, einsamen Platz zum Ăbernachten entdeckt, direkt unterhalb des Castela de Ăvora Monte.
Zuvor hatten wir den Platz am Friedhof gewÀhlt, wo uns allerdings Hund und Hahn zu laut waren.
Morgen geht's zu den Minas von Lousal , dort werden wir 2 oder 3 Tage verleben und hoffentlich was erleben .
Auf jeden Fall lassen wir dort mal die Drohne frei..Read more
For me, the final day of any long anticipated adventure, is always a day of mixed emotions.On the one hand there is the sense of relief that everything went according to the plans and I can finally relax a little, on the other hand there is often a feeling of disappointment that it can't go on just a little longer.
After the trials and tribulations of the previous day, it was wonderful to awake to a mostly clear sky. The local weather bureau had assured us that there was no chance of rain, and they proved to be correct.
Because the final day's ride was the shortest of the rain, we allowed ourselves the luxury of not getting underway till 10.00 am. We well know that every day's ride begins with a high (and always ends with one too), so it was a not a surprise to find ourselves immediately working our way uphill.Just to add a new level of difficulty, someone had decided to pave all the roads with rough cobblestones. Before we left the hotel, I had likened the final day of our Portugal ride to the final day of the Tour de France, however I had not expected it to be a replica of the rough cobbles of the Champs Elysees.
We bounced and rattled our way slowly along, while Allan Barlin spent the time cursing every cobble stone that got in his way. This region is famous for the enormous marble quarries that pock mark the landscape, but you cannot understand the true scale of the operation until you see one of these up close. We quickly decided that it looked like a mighty dangerous place to work. If you didn't get flattened by a huge slab of marble,you would almost certainly choke on the marble dust and also go deaf from the noise of the machinery.
At one point we stopped at a marble showroom where the lady tried valiantly to explain to us how the process of mining and preparing marble is actually done. Unfortunately she only spoke 4 words of English, so it made the explanation a little difficult. When she realised that her four words of English were slightly inadequate, she recruited Mary to help with the translation. Of course Mary only spoke three words of Portuguese, so the dialogue was still a little limited. The Portuguese documentary movie she showed us made even less sense as it didn't even have four words of English. I discovered that I must be allergic to marble dust as the place just made my throat itch from the moment I walked in the door.
We were all relieved to be free of the cobblestones and to finally enjoy some glorious riding through idyllic rural farmlands. For once the roads were flat(tish) and the progress was almost effortless. Our riders chatted happily as they rode along and nobody was in in particular hurry for the ride to finish. From time to time we stopped to look for those elusive green doors that Jorge told us about.
After lunch in an ancient private winery, we resumed the journey to Estremoz, which was to be our final destination for the ride. Of course the highest point of the city is the royal castle, and that is where we would be staying for the night. After our amazing stay in the convent, it was hard to imagine that the standard could be raised even further, but I think it was.
The Castelo de Estremoz is another magnificent building belonging to to the Portuguese Royal Family. The huge castle tower dominates the surroundings and the attached hotel is like a living museum and testimony to regal wealth and power.
As the arrived at the base of the tower we all congratulated each other on the fine achievement and then posed for the final group photograph. In the centre of the photograph, in pride of place, were two scallop shells inscribed with the names "Paul" and "Jan". They had completed the final day (and every previous day) right along with us. I only wish they could both have shared that moment with us.
After checking into my palatial room and throwing away my tattered riding gloves and cycling shorts, I decided to climb the narrow staircase right to the top of the tower. It rewarded my effort with sensational 360 degree views of the whole region. I spent quite some considerable time savouring the moment and thinking back over some of the magical moments we had shared together. When I looked down at the statue of Santa Isabel, I noticed that the two scallop shells were still there where we had placed them. It seemed entirely appropriate.
Tomorrow morning the group will disburse and head their own separate ways, however I am sure that we will all take away a huge number of incredible memories to relive in the years ahead.
A Final Footnote
One matter has been an ongoing topic for discussion and confusion throughout the past 10 days. There are two words for Thank You in Portuguese - they are "obrigado" and "obrigada". Although it seemed to be very complicated as to when you should use each variant (on one occasion, one of our team got so confused she actually said abracadabra), the rule is actually quite simple. If you are a male speaker you use the term "obrigado" and if you are female it is "obrigada". It makes no difference whether you are addressing a male or female, it is the gender of the speaker that is relevant. Simples. Why did we make it so damned complicated ?Read more
Die Stadt Estremoz - hervorgegangen aus dem Zusammenschluss der zwei StĂ€dte Sta Maria und St.AndrĂ© - ist ein pulsierendes und gepflegtes Zentrum, grosszĂŒgig, einladend und nicht nur historisch interessant.
Hier ist einmal mehr sehr augenfĂ€llig, dass die europĂ€ischen Regionalentwicklungs-Projekte und Unesco-Welt-+ Kulturerbe-Programme reprĂ€sentative SchĂŒbe in Gang setzten. Portugal wie wir es heute - 30 Jahre nach unserer ersten Reise - erleben, hat besonders hinsichtlich Bauten und Infrastrukturen massiv aufgeholt.
Zwei grosse prĂ€chtige Palastbauten wurden sorgfĂ€ltig renoviert und 2020 bzw 2021 der Ăffentlichkeit zugĂ€nglich gemacht. Bei geringem Eintritt (3âŹ) kann im Palacio Tocha heute das Museu Berardo mit seiner erschlagend grossen Sammlung an Azulejos besichtigt werden. Zum Abschluss des Rundgangs wird man in faszinierender Ambiance zur Weinverkostung eingeladen.
Im ebenso prÀchtig renovierten Palast der Marqueses de Praia y Monforte kann heute (bei freiem Eintritt gar) eine sehr umfassende und aufschlussreiche Sammlung an Tonfiguren besichtigt werden. Das in Estremoz traditionell gepflegte Kunsthandwerk ist 2015 in die Unesco-Liste des immateriellen Kulturerbes aufgenommen worden.
Der portugiesische Literatur-NobelpreistrĂ€ger JosĂ© Saramago drĂŒckt sein EntzĂŒcken ĂŒber diese Sammlung im Buch "Die portugiesische Reise" so aus: "Geh nach Estremoz, sieh dir die Tonfiguren an und deine Seele ist gerettet. Ein Sprichwort, vom Reisenden (ihm selbst) fĂŒr die Nachwelt erfunden." (S.480)
So sei es!Read more
Die an sich wunderschöne Fahrt nach Estremoz durch riesige Oliven- und Korkeichen-GĂ€rten irritiert das Auge. In der Gegend um Vila Viçosa erkennt man hinter den BĂ€umen plötzlich kĂŒnstlich aufgetĂŒrmte HĂŒgel, haushoch, bei nĂ€herem Hinsehen sind es ziemlich wilde Stapel von Marmorblöcken. Ausschussware offensichtlich. Hier wird in der Ebene zerstreut nach Marmor gegraben, willkĂŒrlich möchte man meinen. Und manche Grube wird nach erfolgter Ausbeutung wieder eingeebnet und frisch bepflanzt.
Der nahegelegenen Zentrumsstadt Estremoz ist der Marmor-Reichtum anzusehen. Wo sonst könnte man - mitten in der Stadt, auf einem riesig grosszĂŒgigen Platz - mit dem Camper auf Marmor parkieren?
Wege und PlĂ€tze sind mit Marmor-Schrot ornamental gepflĂ€stert. Viele HauseingĂ€nge zeigen ihren TĂŒrsturz aus Marmor. Zahlreiche PalĂ€ste stehen in schlichter Eleganz da, mit groĂzĂŒgigen TreppenaufgĂ€ngen aus Marmor. Dieses auf den ersten Blick kĂŒhle Material mit seiner lebhaften Maserung wird einem hier wĂ€rmend vertraut.
Die Nacht auf Samstag hat es besonders in sich: der dicht beparkte Platz leert sich Freitagabend weitgehend. Die Zonen am Rande sind fĂŒr Marktfahrer und fĂŒr den Flohmarkt reserviert. Der vierseitig umlaufende GrĂŒnstreifen mit doppelten Baumreihen ist den MarktstĂ€nden vorbehalten. Ab 6 Uhr morgens werden die StĂ€nde hergerichtet fĂŒr den GemĂŒse- und Bauernmarkt. Bei fantastischem Wetter - schneeweisse Fassaden vor stahlblauem Himmel - herrscht ein reges Kommen und Gehen, eine relaxte und sehr kommunikative Stimmung. Einfach schön.Read more
After a few relaxing and totally enjoyable days with my friend Verner it is time to set off home via a different route.
We stopped at Silves and walked up to the pretty castle. I got talking to a classical guitarist who was playing outside for coins. We chatted for a good twenty minutes, he is Australian.
We stopped for lunch at MC Donald's which had about fifty motorcycles outside. It was great.
Tonight we have ended up in a five star hotel because every other in the area is booked by the motorcyclists who are part of a ride up Portugal, there are thousands of them and we enjoyed having them going past beeping and waving to us in our little car. http://www.les-a-les.com The hotel we found is a thirteenth century castle pousada called Castelo de Estremoz at the top of a cobbled hill. Four poster beds and expensive antiques in every room.
We walked down the hill into town for a meal and came across a religious ceremony so we joined the procession to the church then went and found a restaurant. It looks a nice town.Read more
Angel From Belgium Hi Peterken and Mandy, I really think after such a trip you both deserve a 5 stars! Hope you had a good night sleep for a next day of adventure :-)
Sehr interessant ,was man alles aus Kork machen kann.
In Estremoz steht ein geschichtstrÀchtiges Schloss, das aus dem 13. Jahrhundert stammt. Nach einem Feuer im 18. Jahrhundert wurde es umfangreich renoviert. Heute ist in diesem GebÀude ein Luxushotel untergebracht. Dennoch ist es möglich den Turm zu besteigen und das Zimmer der Königin Isabel zu besuchen. Dieses wurde von dem Brand verschont. Leider konnten wir das Zimmer der Heiligen Isabel nicht sehen, da es in der Mittagszeit geschlossen ist.
Vasco da Gama holte vor seiner Reise nach Indien in diesem Schloss die Geschenke von König Manuel I fĂŒr den Herrscher von Kalkutta ab.Read more