Portugal and Islands - 2019

96-päiväinen seikkaillu — Ladyandtramp Lue lisää

Seuraa Yhteenveto Kalenteri Valokuvat Jaa

Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
The Little Fort in Lagos and a Red Sun
10. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
In the 1600´s the coast was under regular attack of pirates and the Spanish. This led to the construction of a string of forts along the coast. The small Lagos fort, used to guard the river mouth from attack, has a small drawbridge to enter from the land and thick carved stonework walls.

According to the stone inscription over the main door, it was completed between 1679 and 1690. Until the late 20th century, the fort was used as a service depot for military forces and housed services linked to maritime activities (supplies for lifeboats etc).

There wasn’t a lot to see, a chapel and old photographs of people, but we did enjoy going up on the rooftop terrace to see the views and some fun, weathervane-like artworks.

After spending some time trying to find our parked car, we went back to Donna’s place and watched the big red sun drop into the ocean.Lue lisää
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
Silves
11. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C
We would have totally regretted it, if we had not visited the old town of Silves. What stories the walls of the castle would tell, if they could.

Silves is a town built on the banks of the River Arade. Originally, the river was navigable and linked the interior to the coast. The town, which is built on top of one of the largest underground aquifers in the south of Portugal, straddles the river and has some walls that date back to the time of Moorish occupation (713).

I read that by the tenth century, Silves, then called Xelb, was the capital of Al-Gharb, the area now known as the Algarve. In 1189 King Sancho I, whose statue is beside the front entrance gate, recaptured the town for the Portuguese with the help of a hired army of Northern European crusaders. Silves was recaptured by the Moors two years later until finally falling to the Christians in 1249.

Today Silves is an attractive town dominated by one of the best-preserved castles in the Algarve, built between the 8th and 13th Century. It was restored in the 20th century. The Moorish Fortaleza, which boasts a complete set of red sandstone walls and detached towers, occupies twelve thousand square meters on top of the hill that overlooks the town. Iron Age remains have been found, along with a well, a governor's palace and the Cisterna Grande, a thirteenth century water cistern that once served the whole town.”

The Cisterna stands 7 meters high, 20 meters long and 16 meters wide and is supported by six columns. It is said to be haunted by the ghost of a Moorish maiden.” The cistern has a capacity of 1,300,000 litres, which means it can supply enough water for 1,200 people for almost a year. Donna mentioned that more water than what that cistern can hold is pumped out of the Middlebrook well in Elora by Nestle on a daily basis. Wow.

After spending a fair bit of time walking on the castle ramparts which offered impressive views of the town and surrounding countryside, we had tea and coffee in the Moorish-style garden that has recently been re-created. It was fun trying to imagine Silves in its heyday.

Not far away from the castle, was the cathedral. This Gothic cathedral called Sé de Silves was built in the 13th century on the site of a mosque. Although destroyed by the earthquake of 1755 and rebuilt afterwards, the building still has Gothic characteristics: pointed arches (ogival) portal, interior of three naves with Gothic arches, transept, chancel and side chapels. In the Chancel there is an image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (14th century) holding the Child. There are many tombs of nobles and bishops. In the middle of the transept is a symbolic gravestone where king John II was buried until his body was transferred to Batalha in 1499. There are also some baroque chapels with gilt carved woodwork. Nowadays, this cathedral is considered by many to be the most important Gothic building in the Algarve.

Down the road from the cathedral is an archaeological museum, which was well worth a visit. It had exhibits of Roman, Moorish and prehistoric materials. In the lowest level of the museum there is a very well preserved Arabian well (15 metres deep) with a staircase. The staircase was actually only found a few decades ago.

I don’t think that anyone should miss visiting Silves on a trip to the Algarve. The history that that little village has to share is pretty awesome.Lue lisää
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MatkaajaI love the Moorish remains left in Spain and Portugal!
13.1.2019Vastaa
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
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Marinha to Benagil on the Ocean Cliffs
11. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
We had planned on doing a boat trip in the afternoon to see the big Benagil sea caves near Carvoeiro but Fernando advised us against doing this today. The ocean had whitecaps and he didn’t think that it wouldn’t be a pleasant trip.

Instead, he suggested that we drive to Marinha and walk on the trails on top of the cliffs to see the caves. So that’s what we did. It was a bit rugged but we survived.

We saw more than caves. We saw a pirate ship ... or was it a junk ... or a caravel? We couldn’t identify what it was but it was interesting.

We also saw three crazy young men jumping from rock to rocks on the cliffs. We couldn’t watch them for long though.

The sun was starting to go down so we decided to drive back to Lagos.

We have had a good time in the Lagos area. Donna leaves for Tavira tomorrow and on Monday we will go to Faro. We will meet up again on the following weekend, in the university town of a Evora.Lue lisää
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Matkaaja Magnifique paysage!
15.1.2019Vastaa
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
The Storks Around Lagos
12. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
Oh how we have enjoyed looking for storks and their nests on the chimney stacks!

Legend has it that in the old days in Portugal, it was considered very bad luck to kill a stork. The punishment, so the story goes, is that an offender had his hand chopped off. Now that really is bad luck.

I read that for many years the stork has been a protected species worldwide. In Portugal they are almost revered. Unfortunately, these beautiful creatures migrate from southern Europe to the Near East and Africa where, despite still being protected under law, many countries do not enforce the law, or they have very light penalties, that do little to deter hunters. A lot of illegal killing of storks and other protected species still takes place when these birds migrate.

Portuguese farmers appreciate and protect storks because the birds eat small mammals, lizards, snakes and large insects, thus saving the farmers having to use expensive pesticides on their crops. This in turn protects the bees that pollinate the crops for better harvests, as well as providing valuable honey and by-products produced from bees wax. Storks often build their nests close to marshlands or wetlands, where they can eat frogs and fish too.

We have noticed that storks build their huge nests up high, perched on tall chimneys, telegraph poles, electricity poles and even church steeples. They return to their nests each year and we have seen places where there are a series of nests on neighbouring poles. We were told that the offspring choose to build their nests close to their birth nest. Fernando told us that it’s against the law in Portugal to demolish or disturb a stork’s nest. If a stork builds a nest on your roof, it’s a sign of good luck!

Storks apparently divvy up their parenting duties equally. At this time of the year, storks are building their nests using sticks and sadly, garbage like plastics. The female lays her eggs in March or April and they take approximately 5 weeks to hatch. Once the chicks have hatched, both the male and female take turns in looking food for their new family and they share the responsibility of raising them safely. The stork has no vocal chords and, therefore, its sole means of communication is clacking its beak. The noise of the “chatting” is heard for quite some distance, especially in the mating season and while raising their young.

There’s a story of a pair nesting on the tall chimney on the road from Faro to São Brás that never produced a baby. One day the male disappeared and the female went into a decline, to the point where she was taken to a bird sanctuary to help her recover. When she was deemed well enough, she was released back to her nest, to find the male had returned. Not long afterwards they had their first offspring and lived happily ever after.

Many of the storks in this area migrate to Africa for the winter months and Fernando said that the skies above Sagres are filled with thousands of storks gliding on thermals until they suddenly take off, in one big group, to warmer areas. Watching these big birds with their huge wing spans soaring in the skies above is a fantastic sight.

We have seen more storks but are collecting better photos to add to this footprint in the near future.Lue lisää
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
Lagos Saturday Market
12. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ 🌙 10 °C
Donna is leaving today and driving to Tavira for the week. She had a final swim at her resort and joined us in Lagos at the Saturday morning market.

Every Saturday the local farmers come out early and fill the shed beside the bus station with their fabulous goods. From live chickens, to olives, to fruits, to hot chilli chains, to eggs, to homemade sweets and jams, and almonds and flowers freshly picked by old women in the fields. You can find everything here and its all fresh, local, cheap and served to you with a smile of a friendly Portuguese farmer.

After buying some aloe hand cream and olive oil soap, we visited the nearby fish market.

On the roof of the building, there was a restaurant where we had coffee and tea in the sun and said our goodbyes to Donna. We will meet up with her in a week in Evora.Lue lisää
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
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Visentine Natural Park - Coastal Trail
13. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
The Rota Vicentina is a long-distance walking trail, with several small loops, which opened in 2013 and was created to encourage low impact tourism in an area of Portugal that is relatively untouched. The trail connects Portugal’s most south-westerly point, Cape St. Vincent to the village of Odeceixe, where it splits into 2 trails. One is called the Fisherman’s Trail which hugs the coast and continues north and the other one is called the Historical Way which heads inland.

This area which visitors rarely visit is lovely - full of beaches, dramatic cliffs and small authentic fishing villages. This region south of Lisbon, covers a third of Portugal’s land mass but only 4% of its population lives here.

Donna has moved on to Tavira where she is enjoying telling tales with Irish travellers and drinking red wine. Haha. So, we temporarily lost our travelling partner but were happy to do a little more exploring of this area on our own.

Our plan was to drive up the southwestern coast towards Lisbon and then get out of the car and walk parts of the Fisherman’s Trail starting in the town of Odeceixe.

Odeceixe is a small village with a huge beach about 3 km away, in a cove sheltered by high cliffs. This is an area that surfers frequent, even in cold weather. We didn’t go swimming but we did walk up into the cliffs for the wonderful views. There were a few R.V.s parked in the parking lots, probably home for the surfers. We imagine that in the summer time this beach would be full and the little village restaurants hopping.

We got back into the car and drove through pastures and vegetable gardens. There seem to be many small rivers, creeks and wetlands here. There are few trees but a lot of bramble bushes. I am sure that birds would love living in this area.

As we continued south, pine and eucalyptus trees seem to dominate the hills.

Before we got to Rogil, we saw a big old-fashioned windmill on top of a hill. The windmill, when open, shows the traditional process of milling cereals, and there are explanations regarding the techniques and machines used for that purpose. We were there on a Sunday and the windmill was closed. The views from the mill were beautiful.

On we went to Aljezur, where the ruins of an amazing hilltop castle were situated. Aljezur is a small market town of small white houses and cobbled streets about 30 km north of Lagos. The town is on both sides of a fertile river valley, famed for its sweet potatoes.

Overlooking the tiny town are the ruins of a 10th century Moorish castle which sits at the top of a narrow and very steep, rocky hill. The gate was open and entry was free so we walked in. The views were spectacular. On one side of the river, we could see the old town, which dates back to the time of the castle. In 1246, Christian armies conquered the town. Five hundred years later, the Bishop of the Algarve ordered the town’s inhabitants to move to the other side of the river to escape the malaria that was spreading in the village. That area was the new town. A lot of people didn’t want to move so the town has two halves.

We could see a big beach in the distance so we drove 10 km on a small road to see it, Praia de Monte Clérigo. The countryside is wonderful and of course we saw many spectacular views of the Western Atlantic coast as we got closer to the beach. Already, the roadsides and the clifftops have lots of colourful small flowers and many of the trees and the grass are a bright green. In the Spring, it must be really is quite a sight to see.

We continued driving though the park back to Lagos. Tomorrow, we leave to Faro. Away from the countryside and into the city.Lue lisää
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Matkaaja Superbe photo!
15.1.2019Vastaa
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
Pt 2 - Coastal Trail photos
13. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ 🌙 8 °C
Just more photos of the park...
Hey guys looks like you are having a fabulous time. Pics and your info are a joy. Brings back memories. Safe travels. Maybe we can meet up with Donna when she is here.
14.1.2019Vastaa
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
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Three Days in Faro
14. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ 🌙 14 °C
Today was a travel day, a 1 1/2 hour meandering drive on the non toll road from Lagos to Faro. The traffic wasn’t bad and we were able to see the little villages on the ocean that we had read about when making the decision to come to the Algarve.

We passed orange groves and little unmanned stands with bags of oranges for sale. Three bags for €5. It’s orange season here.

We got to the airport where we returned our Luzcar easily. It was great renting from them and we would recommend this small company. They only service the Algarve, and since we had made the big decision to rent a car to travel around Portugal more easily (btw, for the first time on our travels), we picked up a Budget car for the next month. We’ll return it when we get to Porto.

The old city of Faro is more or less 5 km away from the airport. Our first impression is that it is a bit rundown with its old buildings and graffiti. We settled into our hostel-like bnb which is a short block to the old town which we will explore tomorrow.

Our room here at Sunlight House is small but very clean and warm. It is like a dorm room for two. On the roof of the house there is a cozy indoor/outdoor terrace with cooking facilities that we can use. A full breakfast is included in the price that we pay. The owners are very kind and helpful.

We walked a short distance to a mini mart to pick up our usual cheese, salami, crackers, olives and apple for an evening meal, and found a little diner, Mama something, where we ate a late lunch. We had the daily special of several plates of food. One of mixed grilled meats, another with rice, another with French fries and a lettuce, onion and a tomato, onion and lettuce salad. Very filling for about $8 each, including a Super Bock beer.

We just chilled for the evening, read our books and made a few plans for the next three days - a day to explore the old town, a day trip out to the town of Estoi where our friends Diane and Claude stayed and another day to be planned.

We are not sure about our initial decision to stay in Faro but feel that three days will be quite long enough.

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Matkaaja Intéressant!
15.1.2019Vastaa
Ladyandtramp A map of Faro’s old walled town
16.1.2019Vastaa
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
Old Town Faro - The Cathedral
15. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
We up this morning and had quite the breakfast served to us at 8 a.m. on the terrace. Mario did an awesome job. Telmo is his partner and handles the business side of running a bnb. There are about 12 people of all ages staying here from England, France, Germany and Italy. Everyone is friendly.

Our ‘ first day in Faro’ plan was to wander through the old town. We really didn’t know what to expect but actually there is a lot to see in a small area once you go through the old city gates.

Faro has a long and interesting history. Here in a nutshell is what the Lonely Planet guide has written about it:

“After the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, Faro boomed as the Roman port Ossonoba. During the Moorish occupation, it became the cultured capital of an 11th-century principality.

Afonso III took the town in 1249 (the last major Portuguese town to be recaptured from the Moors), and walled it.

Portugal’s first printed works – books in Hebrew made by a Jewish printer – came from Faro in 1487.

A city from 1540, Faro’s brief golden age slunk to a halt in 1596, during Spanish rule. Troops under the Earl of Essex, en route to England from Spain in 1597, plundered the city, burned it and carried off hundreds of priceless theological works from the bishop’s palace, now part of the Bodleian Library in Oxford.

Battered Faro was rebuilt, poking its head over the parapet only to be shattered by an earthquake in 1722 and then almost flattened in the 1755 big one. Most of what you see today is postquake, though the historic centre largely survived. In 1834 it became the Algarve’s capital.”

Not far into our walk, we came upon the large Se, cathedral. I had read that even though most of the present building dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries this site has considerably more history. The oldest records show that there was a Roman forum built here around two thousand years ago. Following this a mosque was built here. With the Christian reconquest of Faro in 1249 the mosque was torn down and the Sé (cathedral) was put up in its place. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary the cathedral is also known as the Igreja de Santa Maria de Faro.

The cathedral was made a lot bigger in the 15th century as the population of Faro increased, although the main doorway, Gothic tower and two chapels are all from the original building.

In 1596 the interior of the cathedral was destroyed by fire when British troops lead by the Earl of Essex ransacked the town. Over the years the interior was replaced and now consists of some gorgeous 17th and 18th century tiling and gold leaf gilding. The Baroque pipe organ is a work of art as you’ll be able to see in the photos. I must say that I definitely wouldn’t want the job of dusting all the carvings in the church!

In 1755 the cathedral was damaged again, this time due to the devastating earthquake that shook all of Portugal, followed by the tidal wave.

We paid a small entrance fee and were able to explore the beautiful cathedral and its museum, and climb the 58 steps to the top of the tower where we had a great view out over the city and the harbour, and ... more storks and their huge nests!Lue lisää
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
A Concert - The Portuguese Guitar
15. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
We were fortunate to notice a sign advertising a concert and talk about the Portuguese Guitar in a former, very old chapel. We just had to go. The price was right, €5 each, and what an interesting subject.

The Portuguese guitar is a pear-shaped plucked string instrument with twelve steel strings that are strung in six groups of two. It’s used for solo music as well as accompaniment.

It was first used in the 13th century, amongst troubadours and minstrels. Since the 19th century, the Portuguese guitar has become unmissable in fado, Portugal’s best-known folk music. Outside Portugal, the instrument sometimes is used in Celtic and western folk music.

There are two different fado styles, the Lisbon and the Coimbra style, and there are also two models of the Portuguese guitar.

The Coimbra model is usually of simpler construction. It has a longer string length and its head ends in a tear shape decoration. It is tuned a whole tone lower as it is traditionally only used by educated men.

With the Lisboa model, the ornament on the head of the guitar is spiral-shaped like the top of a violin. This model has a larger soundboard, a narrower neck profile and a brighter sound. This is used by men and women in the bars and streets.

Playing the Portuguese guitar is traditionally played with only the thumb and the index finger; the other fingers rest below the strings, on the soundboard.

The strings are only picked with the corner of the fingernail, not with the fingers themselves. After crossing the string, the index finger changes direction and hits the string with the back of the nail. Instead of their finger nails, some players use a pick. These guitar picks were originally made of tortoiseshell, but nowadays they’re usually nylon or plastic.

Portuguese guitars are still built in Portugal in the traditional way. Families have passed on their knowledge and craftsmanship from generation to generation of guitarreiros. Instruments made by the Grácio family and Álvaro Ferreira are considered to be the best.

Some famous musicians who’ve played the Portuguese guitar include the late Armandinho, António Chainho, Artur Paredes and his son Carlos Paredes, who was probably th3most internationally known Portuguese guitar player.

The fellow who gave the presentation was an amazing musician and the whole show was very educational. He gave the talk in both French and English and we were impressed. A smart and talented man!Lue lisää
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MatkaajaLooks and sounds wonderful!
15.1.2019Vastaa
MatkaajaNow do stairway to heaven!
17.1.2019Vastaa
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
The Palace in Estoi
16. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Before we came to Portugal, our Quebec friends, Diane and Claude, sent us some beautiful photos of a palace in the small village of Estoi in the Algarve that they had visited a few years ago. It looked like a mini pink, yellow and blue Versailles with beautiful gardens and we thought that if we had the time and the means to go to Estoi, we would do a day trip to this town to see what our friends had seen.

Well, wouldn’t you know it, we had the time and means, so we went!

Estoi is only a 1/2 hour drive from Faro. We left the city and drove through citrus orchards loaded with oranges, lemons, and mandarins, hothouses with tall tomato plants, and olive and flowering almond trees to get to Estoi. The whole area is a fertile agricultural area.

We thought that the palace would be out in the country, but no, it was right in the town, and down a small cobbled side street. And it was pink.

Beautiful things take time to build, and this is perhaps especially true for the Rococo palace. In 1840, a local Algarve aristocrat, of the Carvalhal family, started building the palace. However, by the time of the aristocrat’s death – several decades later – the palace was still nothing but a beautiful ruin, a half-made dream.

In 1893, the unfinished palace was bought by a wealthy landowner, Jose Francisco da Silva, from Beja. He spent a fortune finishing the estate, and in 1909 the palace was finally completed.

It’s opening was celebrated with a massive party that took place in May the very same year. The celebration was apparently so wild that people spoke about it for years after. Rumour is that he used the house as a place for his friends to come and stay. He would organize parties where these men could meet women away from the watchful eyes of their wives. The small summer houses and gazebos in the gardens would have made it easy for illicit rendezvous.

Unfortunately, only a few decades later, the privately owned palace closed its doors and the wealthy family moved away for good. The palace was once again a beautiful ruin.

It wasn’t until 2009 that Pousada Palacio de Estoi once again opened its doors – and this time as a small luxury hotel in Estoi. The interior salons are lovely with period furniture, panelled walls big chandeliers. Beautiful paintings and tile work decorate the walls and ceilings.

The 24 acre property outside is beautiful, with its orchards and formal gardens adorned with columns, statues and busts of famous people. There is even a grotto, a little grotesque, but definitely an interesting little space.

We understand why our friends loved it. We did too. Tres chique!Lue lisää
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MatkaajaTrès chic! 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😘
17.1.2019Vastaa
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
The Milreu Roman Ruins, Estoi
16. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
We had heard that Estoi was known for three things - the Pink Palace, the Milreu Roman Ruins and a little basket shop called Loja Canasta.

After spending time wandering around the beautiful palace and its grounds, we walked the 1.2 km west to the ruins of a large 1st or 2nd Century A.D. Roman villa near the river, which was part of an agricultural settlement. The site has a long history of changes.

From what we understand, in the 3rd Century, the site became a luxurious villa with a large bathing complex fed by water springs. The ruins of the Roman villa are so large and grand they were originally thought to have been the ruins of a town!

And then later (3 to 6 A.D.), it became a water sanctuary. I read that it was a place where water, or nymphs, were worshipped. The whole place had mosaics with fish and sea creatures. I think that there was a kind of a cult there which was later banned and then the main temple building was converted into a Christian temple with a baptismal font.

We were impressed by all the mosaic tiles everywhere. But they are open to the elements and not covered up. Not protected in any way - from the sun and rain or the school kids that run over them.

In the 16th century, a very large farmhouse was built using many of the stones from the ruins. In 2001, the farmhouse was fixed up as a museum showing and protecting the ruins that are under it.

After trying to figure out the information regarding the ruins, we walked back into town and visited the little basket shop. The owner was very open to telling us about the cacao, almonds and figs that sustained life in this area. His shop had jars of preserves made from these three products as well as hand-made baskets that a local man made.Lue lisää
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
'No Track' Train Ride Around Faro
17. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
Today is overcast - the first morning without sun since we have been here. It is supposed to clear up by the afternoon but our plans have changed a bit. In the morning, we wanted to see the Bone Chapel and take the mini tourist train around Faro. In the afternoon, we wanted to take the ferry over to the Ilha Deserta (Deserted Island) in the Ria Formosa. But we changed our minds. Our morning plans were okay but we decided to spend the afternoon, making plans for the next leg of our trip to Evora.

The most macabre of Faro's attractions is the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of the Bones), a tiny ossuary chapel in the18th century Igreja (church) da Nossa Senhora do Carmo, lovingly decorated with the bones and skulls of over 1000 Carmelite monks. The chapel is intended to serve as a reminder of the simple, holy lives of the monks who once lived here and the fact that life is fleeting. An inscription over the door reads:"Para aqui a considerar que a est estado has de chegar" (Stop here and consider that you too will reach this state). We have tried to visit this chapel twice but, unfortunately, both times it was closed - once for lunch and once for a funeral.

The marina is very close by and that is where we could catch a little tourist train without tracks that would take us around the city. We already had walked most of the old town but we still enjoyed the ride and it was inexpensive. The taped narrative was in Portuguese and English but due to the noise of the vehicle on cobblestones, we really didn’t hear much. The script had been written out though and was on the seats of the cars. Good thinking. It was a fun 45 minutes of bone-shaking, bumping around - maybe not for everyone, but we liked it. Merry

An add on little story about our neighbours and a photo -

Our bnb has been renovated but is in a depressed area, but close to everything and convenient. The owners are nice young guys trying to make a go of it and have given some good recommendations. Every day we have had a different breakfast made with love. Today we had toast with marinara sauce, tomato slices and a slice of ham sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and broiled in a toaster oven. A tiny pear on the side. Coffee and a green smoothie (carrot, pineapple and spinach). On the side of the plate was a pink flower. And, there were slices of orange cake.

Not a place that we would want to stay in for longer than we are, as the bed is sagging in the middle and a little too small for two of us.

Here’s this morning’s story.

This morning we looked out the window and a lady who lives on the 2nd floor next door and who has an outdoor kitchen on her deck, opened a can of tuna and threw it down, clattering, to a meowing cat below. Then said a few endearing cat words to the cat. No one lives down below, but there are a ton of empty (probably stinky) cans down there.

The lady then hauled a little pail up, via a rope. I guess the kitty needed some fresh, clean water, as she washed the pail, filled it with water and carefully dropped it down again, while adding a few more cat endearment words.

A couple of doors away from her, another lady in her bathrobe, came out onto the balcony, which is not a kitchen but a closet as it has clothes hanging everywhere. She had let her little dog out and he dutifully ran up to the roof. In the meantime, she watered her plants and then took a broom and carefully moved a shirt up high with the broomstick. Oh, there was a parrot in a cage up there.Lue lisää
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
From Faro to Evora, 254 km
18. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C
Today was a road trip day. How we love road trips!

We packed up, ate a delicious breakfast at the Sunlight Hotel, and left Faro at 9 a.m. At 3 p.m., arrived at our destination, Evora, using the scenic road near the Spanish border, rather than the main highway that runs north through the central part of the country.Lue lisää
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
An Open Air Museum - Mértola
18. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
If we had known what we know now, we would have made the city of Mertola, one of our stops. Less time in Faro and two or three days in Mertola.
What an interesting town, with an even more interesting history.

Mértola sits high on a rocky ridge in the Guadiana Valley Natural Park overlooking two rivers that join at that spot. This area is known as the Alentejo region which is known for its heavy red wines and distinct food. It is less than 15 km away from the Spanish border.

We had been enjoying our drive through farmers’ fields, rolling hills and cork forests but rather unexpectedly, as we approached Mértola, the view changed dramatically. There in front of us, high above a river, was an awesome castle and it’s white village.

In the past, Mértola’s strategic position meant that only determined armies would have even the slightest chance of taking the fortress at its centre. Because it is on a narrow ridge, the village is really not able to grow in the immediate vicinity of the fortress. It now has about 3,500 people.

There is so much history here that I became confused. I made a little chart of approximate times that certain groups lived there -

318 B.C. - the Phoenicians
44 B.C. - the Romans
440 A.D. - the Swabians and Visigoths
1144 A.D. - the Muslims
1238 A.D. - the Portuguese

We started to drive up towards the castle, but had to turn back as the cobbled streets are extremely narrow and there were sharp corners. We could see where several vehicles had left their mark on the walls. There was some road construction going on, on the steep hill in front of us and we were not allowed to go any further up. Turning the manual car around was a bit of a concern but Chris did find a place to turn and with the help of several of the workmen, he successfully got the car turned around. We parked below the castle and walked up.

The castle was awesome from faraway but pretty amazing from closeup. And the views? Wow!

We had read that the town was ‘ the gateway to many civilizations, many cultures and insights into this part of Portugal.” Sounds intriguing.

Mértola was under Islamic rule for more than 500 years and is the site of Portugal’s only surviving medieval mosque. In 1238, the Portuguese took over the area and the mosque became a Catholic Church called the the Igreja Matriz (mother Church), dedicated to St. Mary. With a small bell tower and white walls, the exterior of the church looks like many others in this region, but when you go inside ... wow! It looks like the inside of a mosque!

We entered the ‘keep’, a tower that is 30 metres (98 ft) tall. We climbed the circular stone stairs to the top where a person with any trouble with heights would easily have trouble standing next to the old walls and peering over to take photos, just would be impossible.

Down below there was a Muslim-like cemetery and an archaeological site.

In the fort, we watched a short movie about the history of the town. As this town used to be a major trading centre, there is evidence of the Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans having also left their mark there. They were drawn by the region’s mineral wealth. Gold, silver, tin and later copper were all mined here. Also grains were grown in the area.

Archaeologists have uncovered a wealth of artefacts in the town. Outlines of walls and doorways, known locally as the ‘Muslim village’ were visible on ground between the castle and the river. Most of the other towns of that time developed as the years went on and remains of Muslim buildings were destroyed or built upon. In Mértola, nothing much happened so many of the old items are still there, or in museums.

We had heard about a tunnel that we could enter by going down some steps. It was a subterranean gallery – a crypto-portico – about 30 metres in length and 6 metres in height that had served as a food store and later as a cistern. Pretty dark down there.

The view of the river below was spectacular. During the Middle Ages the river silted up and Mértola’s significance declined as a river port, but definitely its beauty remained.

By the time we finished seeing the castle and the archaeological site and a few other places, it was close to lunch and everything here closes up for 2 hours. There was so much more for us to see and do as the whole town is full of small museums, hiking trails and birds galore.

But what could we do? We had a light lunch and a great coffee and continued on for another 2 hours to Evora.Lue lisää
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Finally got caught up on the adventures. Not surprisingly, another great trip. Didn't realize how great the Roman influence was
21.1.2019Vastaa
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
Évora - Place of Yew Trees
18. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
Our road trip from Faro ended 250 km north in the lovely walled city of Évora. What we have learned about Évora is that it is an ideal small city (population - close to 60,000 people) to spend an extended period of time. And why?

1. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
2. Located in the centre of Portugal
3. the Culture
4. Food and Wine experiences
5. Megalithic Monuments nearby
6. Peacefulness and Ease of Walking Around the City
7. Hiking and Other Activities in the Countryside
8. Handicrafts
9. Nature
10. Great home base for Road Trips

It has all the things that we enjoy and need, nearby, and it is lovely. Yes, we could stay here longer! A future footprint will go into more detail about what we saw.

Évora’s roots go back to prehistoric times. It reached its golden age in the 15th century, when it became the residence of the Portuguese kings. The whitewashed houses decorated with blue, yellow and white tiles and wrought-iron balconies date back to the 16th to 18th century.

The Historic Centre of Évora, where our Inn is wonderfully located, has been shaped by more than twenty centuries of history, going as far back as Celtic times. It fell under Roman domination and still has, among other ruins, those of the Temple of Diana. During the Visigoth period, a Christian city occupied the area surrounded by a Roman wall, which was made bigger at a later time.

Under Moorish domination, which came to an end in 1165, further improvements were made to the original defensive system. There are a number of buildings from the medieval period, the best known of which is the Cathedral that was completed in the 13th century.

But as mentioned, it was in the 15th century, when the Portuguese kings began living in Évora. At that time, convents and royal palaces sprung up everywhere. When the University of the Holy Spirit, where the Jesuits taught from 1553 onwards, was established, Évora became Portugal’s second most important city.

Évora remained mainly undamaged by the great earthquake of 1755 that destroyed many towns in Portugal, including Lisbon and the towns in the Algarve.

Our first impressions of the city were great. It was colder here than the Algarve but we were ready for it with our layers of clothing. We did go into the Chinese shop (that has everything!) and buy toques, and I bought a pair of flat, warm slippers.

Due to the nature of the city with narrow, winding, cobblestone streets, our hosts suggested that we park the car in a parking lot outside the old city walls. It’s safe here. There are more university students in Evora studying for exams, than tourists.

Donna was arriving by bus on Saturday afternoon from Faro, so we didn’t do a lot, not wanting to explore a lot before she came. We did go to the Saturday market though. Lots of fresh vegetables, fish and local sausages and cheese. A little slice of Portuguese life.

The pictures are just random photos of the city.Lue lisää
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Evora - "It's Not Big, It's Huge"
20. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
I have been procrastinating while thinking of how I am going to write this Evora footprint. We have seen so much in this small city of close to 60,000 people and I wonder where I can even start to write about everything that Donna, Chris and I have seen during the past week. Evora is compact, so all of its key sights are all within a 5 minute walk from the main square, Praça do Giraldo, where we were staying. As one local lady said, “It’s not big, it’s huge”.

So here goes ... Evora sights in a nutshell ...

The square was the market during the Moorish times. Now it seems to be a meeting place for university students as well as old-timers. The square was named after Giraldo the Fearless, a Christian knight who led a surprise attack (and beheaded a guard and his daughter) and retook Evora from the Moors in 1165. Giraldo is the symbol of the city. Everywhere, even on lamp posts, we saw the coat of arms showing a knight on a horse and 2 beheaded Moors!

Until the 16th Century the area behind the square were the narrow streets of the Jewish quarter. The bible prohibited Christians from changing interest for loans so Jews did the moneylending instead. The streets still have names relating to finance (Money Street, Merchant’s Street, etc.)

Évora's major sights — a Roman temple and an early Gothic cathedral — are close together just off the main square. A lively shopping street with cork products, tile, leather, pottery, ironworks and Arraiolos rugs connects these sights with the square.

A Roman wall used to surround what is know the inner part of the city. Our map showed where the old wall used to be. Most of the wall that encircles the city now, is from the 14th Century and there is a more modern section from the 17th Century.

At the town’s highest point (300m or 1,000’ above sea level) is where there is a concentration of places to visit - the Roman Temple, a palace, a chapel, a luxurious hotel (Pousada) that used to be a 15th century monastery, gardens with a view and the Museum of Evora.

The Roman temple, with its 14 Corinthian columns, was part of the Roman forum and the main square in the first century A.D.

The museum is where the Roman forum used to be. The museum is huge and we spent a fair bit of time here, looking at excavated sections in the museum’s courtyard. I won’t even go into describing all the artifacts that the museum holds. It holds a treasure trove of items, hundreds of years old, that were found in this area.

Across the square from the Museum is a white building with windows trimmed in yellow that once was the tribunal site during Portugal’s Inquisition.
Here thousands of innocent people, many of them Jews, were tried and found guilty of crimes against faith. Punishment was anything from whipping, imprisonment, banishment, slave labour or death by burning in the public square. Now the building houses a Contemporary Art Museum.

The University of Evora is just a few blocks away. The main building started out being a Jesuit university in 1559. Two hundred years later, it was decided that the Jesuits had become too rich and too political and hadn’t changed their thinking with the times, so the Jesuit society was abolished in 1759. The university was closed and 200 years later it was opened again as a secular university. While we were there, the 8,000 students were preparing for exams so the city was fairly quiet.

Near the Roman Temple, is an important cathedral called the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Evora built in the 12th Century. Portugal has three archbishops and one lives in Evora, hence the church is called a Se, a cathedral where a bishop resides. We visited this huge complex and seemed to wander for hours in its rooms - the main cathedral, the cloisters, the Museum of Sacred Art and even went up into the tower. Apparently the 16th century pipe organ still works. Even in the cloister, we met Giraldo and the two severed heads on a relief.

After walking around and visiting so many old places full of artifacts, we treated ourselves to wine and delicious tapas in a cute little restaurant called the Vinarium.

There, it’s done... time for another glass of Alentejo wine.

P.S. We are having wifi problems so at this time the photos aren’t uploading. Coming soon.Lue lisää
So glad you enjoyed, still enjoying Evora, it was one of our favourite spots. Just sitting in the main square watching the people go by is an outing in itself. Safe travels Karen and Rob.
26.1.2019Vastaa
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
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Monsaraz - Suspended in Time
21. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C
We left Evora on a clear, sunny day and drove to the medieval village of Monsaraz. We drove through farms and fields of huge boulders piled on top of each other (how?) usually with a lone tree in the middle of the pile. As we neared Monsaraz, we saw the castle in the distance, and then we didn’t and then we did. It just kept disappearing on us. Magical.

Then we were in a dense fog and saw nothing. The fog cleared and there she was in all her glory.

Located on top of a hill with a superb view over the immense Alentejo plains and lake Alqueva, the village fortress is protected by its walls. It looks like it has stopped in time, with its white lime walls, schist narrow streets, and gorgeous little nooks.

Suspended in time, the historic village, one of the oldest in Portugal, is a must to visit. We have never seen anything like it. In 2017, it won the category “Monument Villages” in the competition “7 Maravilhas de Portugal – Aldeias” (7 Wonders of Portugal – Villages).

Monsaraz shows signs of having been a fortified settlement during prehistoric times. It has always had strong military and religious influences, preserving time until these days.

As we walked through the pristine, medieval village, it felt like we were walking in a movie set. This couldn’t be real, but it was. It was missing people dressed in medieval clothing and possibly donkeys carrying produce but it was magical!

It’s fantastic location, located on the top of the hill and then with a view over the river Guadiana and the frontier with Spain, made it highly coveted by the people who fought over it. Once called Saris or Sarish, Monsaraz was taken from the Muslims by Geraldo Sem Pavor (Fearless Geraldo), in 1167, who came from Evora.

After a later defeat which occurred in Badajoz, Spain, King Afonso Henriques again lost control of Monsaraz to the Moors. However, in 1232, King Sancho II recovered it once and for all with the help and support of the Templars. The marks left by the Templar Order, later Order of Christ, still exist among the castle walls.

We came upon an amphitheater that looked like it was still being used. Peeking into a restaurant called Cisterna, we saw a large photo of a rodeo/bullfight being held in the amphitheater. So our guesses were right on!

We ate lunch in another restaurant called Templarios (Templars) with fantastic views from the side of the fort overlooking the bigger dammed lake.

Nothing seemed real here - all part of an old nightd and castles fairytale...Lue lisää
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MatkaajaLéa, la fille de Claude, et son copain étaient à Faro l’été passé. Ils ont visité SÉVILLE, en Espagne qui est tout près . Ils ont dit que c’était une ville magnifiquement belle.
23.1.2019Vastaa
Matkaaja You look cold!!
24.1.2019Vastaa
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
Portugal's Alqueva Dam
21. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
Chris really wanted to see the Alqueva dam and drive around the lake - the largest artificial lake in Europe. We live on a manmade lake with a dam in Ontario, so we could relate to it.

But we didn’t expect to see such a vast volume of water with small islands reaching as far as the eye can see, surrounded by a beautiful natural landscape. Our first view of the lake was through a heavy mist when we were at the top of Monsaraz castle and it was a ‘wow’ moment. We then drove around the lake admiring the countryside around it.

People here seem to be truly proud of Alqueva’s tranquility, colour and, most of all, its beauty and life. Almost every person we have met have talked about it and now we know why.

“Alqueva” is a word derived from “alqueive”, “fallow lands” or “deserted”, of dry soils eager for water. Well now, there seems to be plenty of it.

The dam is located on the Guadiana River, one of the longest in the Iberian Peninsula, in Alentejo Portugal. It is actually near a small village with the name… Alqueva. You can take a boat on this river from this point until Mertola, which is around 68 km away (42 mi).

The Alqueva Dam was built to provide the area with electrical power but the main reason it was built was to provide a water source for an irrigation system in the whole Alentejo region. This would be a way to develop agriculture and also face the problem of land abandonment.

But other activities came when the water came and many new jobs were created, many of them in the tourism industry.

P.S. Look at the photo of the sign written in English at the top of the dam!Lue lisää
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Our Stone Day
22. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C
During our week in Evora, we wanted to take a side trip to see the Almendres Cromlech megalith, which is about a half hour drive west of the city. Yay for the rented car as there are no buses that go there.

Chris, Donna and I enjoyed the lovely drive through the countryside. We talked about the very large rocks in piles that dotted the land and wondered how they got there. No one can tell us why the piles are where they are.

The stones that we went to see are estimated to be around 2000-3000 years older than Stonehenge, which is thought to have been constructed between 3000 BC and 2000 BC.

A few things about this site really stood out for us: the location itself, nestled amongst a cork tree forest, the fact that there was no admission fee or security fences around the site, and the amazing realization that except for one other car, we were the only ones there.

The site consists of 95 granite standing stones forming two rings, the smaller round ring, constructed around 6000 BC, being the oldest. The larger ring is oval and was built later, around 5000 BC. Over all, the site measures around 70 meters by 40 meters. Originally it began as a horseshoe shape opening to the east, but changed over time.

Amazingly, it seems the site was in almost continual use until 3000 BC. As with Stonehenge, Almendres seems to have been built as a ceremonial calendar of sorts dedicated to a celestial religion. There are other megaliths in the area, but this one is considered to be one of the oldest and largest in Europe. It’s also believed to be one of the first public monuments ever created by humans.

There is evidence that around 3000 BC some of the stones were moved to align with the celestial bodies such as the sun, moon and some stars. Approximately a dozen stones have carvings on them, however they’re really difficult to see due to erosion. We looked but weren’t sure if what we were seeing was only in our imaginations.

Approximately 1 km away, we walked on a wonderful tiny path to a single megalith called the Menhir of Almendres. If a straight line is drawn from this point to the center of Almendres Cromlech, it points towards the sunrise on the Winter solstice. It is about 4m tall and dating from 5000 to 40000 BC. Local legend has it that the menhir is the tomb of an enchanted Moorish princess, who can be seen combing her hair once each year on the eve of São João.

After the site fell out of use, centuries passed and its location was largely forgotten. It was rediscovered in the 1960s by a geologist named Henrique Leonor Pina. Most of the stones were buried and covered with plants so it was hard to identify. In this area, random huge rocks are in piles all over the fields. The site was excavated and the stones that had toppled over were placed upright once more.

Even though little is known about the purpose of these old stones, there’s no denying that Almendres Cromlech is a very special place.Lue lisää
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Arraiolos Castle, Carpets and Empanadas
22. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
One of our waiters at the Vinarium, Richard, mentioned that we should go to his favourite place - Arraiolos. It was not far from the megaliths and even though we didn’t know why it was his favourite place, we decided to go.

I did check online beforehand and found out that the empanadas made there were good (supper?) and there was a circular castle in the town. I asked Christina, our host about it and she said that the town was famous for the carpets made there.

The town was very tidy and everything was painted white. We could see the castle high on the hill and headed up. The castle was built in the 14th century on the top of the hill called Monte de S. Pedro. Inside the walls, an old 16th century Igreja do Salvador (church) dominated the very top. It was all locked up though and didn’t look like it was in the greatest condition.

Once again though, the castle is on the highest hill and it provides an amazing view over the white houses of the village of Arraiolos and the landscape all around. But the castle is interesting because it is one of the few in the world to have been built in a circle.

We drove into town at the base of the hill and it seemed like a ghost town. We just saw a few elderly men walking about in this town of 7,000 people, known for its handmade carpets and tapestries.

Although no one knows for sure, some people think that the art of Arraiolos Carpets may have started with the Moors during the 12th century. The technique is a form of cross-stitch that completely covers a linen cloth foundation. It was developed during the 15th century into what is still done today. Its peak was in the 18th century, with the flower motifs.

Stores weren’t open for us to look at the carpets up close but we looked at them through the store windows. They looked okay but not something that we would pay a lot of money for and then try to pack in our backpacks! I guess that without seeing the work involved with making them, we don’t really appreciate this art form... But they must be something special as these carpets have decorated palaces and manor houses for centuries.

Now regarding our dinner - the empanadas. We found a bakery that sells them and had fun trying to figure out what was inside of them. Chris mooed and clucked and baaed to the amusement of the shop keepers. We ended up getting 3 moos and 3 clucks!Lue lisää
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Evora's Aqueduct
22. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
The first time that we saw the long aqueduct bringing water into Evora was at the Roman temple of Diana. It reminded us a lot of the aqueduct we saw in Mexico - the same gracefully curving arches going up into the hills around Queretaro. There is something special about seeing these big, beautiful structures carrying water over the land...

Growing cities need lots of clean, drinkable water to feed its population. We have been told by many people that the temperatures in the summer in this area can reach 45 and 50 degrees C. Apparently, the lack of drinking water was really holding Evora back from its growth.

So the Romans built an aqueduct, a gravity fed stone water trough, to carry water from a river in the hills 15km outside town. The water steadily and consistently flows down from its source to an end point high up in the hill city of Evora.

The land in this area rises and falls, but the aqueduct has to maintain a steady slope, dropping at most 10m every kilometre. So at times, the structure is quite low to the ground, or even goes underground in places. But when the land falls away, the aqueduct is the highest thing (26m high) in the landscape.

After the fall of Rome, the aqueduct fell into disrepair, but was rebuilt in the 1537 during Portugal’s Golden age, and again in the 1800’s.

It still provides some of the water needed for watering plants in parks and gardens in the city. Amazing!

P.S. Did you now that there were Griffin vultures (birds) in Portugal? Well, we saw one! Christina told us that they eat dead meat and that there is a bird in Spain that eats humans. But don’t worry, she said, they don’t live in Portugal!!!!Lue lisää
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
Elvas Castle, Church and Aqueduct
23. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ 🌬 11 °C
During our week in Evora, we thought that we would like to take a road trip on the toll free highway, from Evora to Elvas, which is near the Spanish border. So on a windy and cold Wednesday morning, we bundled up and started our trip east.

Unfortunately, we witnessed a car accident. A man travelling in the opposite direction to us, fell asleep while he was driving, crossed the highway and hit a ditch which caused his car to roll over three times and fly into the air before landing on its roof. Chris ran out, untangled him from his seatbelt, dragged him out from the car and lay him down in a safe spot. Donna and I stayed with the man, putting pressure on his head wound, talking to him in the best way that we could (we are in Portugal!) and picking up all of his belongings that had scattered around the car. A Portuguese passerby called emergency services and finally, after a significant period of time, help started arriving. Actually, cattle farmers arrived first, unravelled the barbed fence wire that was wound around the car and fixed the fence around their property. Chris wrote a statement in English and we waited until the man was taken away by ambulance. We felt that he was going to be all right, probably sore but not seriously hurt.

What a way to start our road trip. But on we continued.

Elvas is the biggest fortified city in Europe and is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2012.

In the 13th century, Elvas became part of the Portuguese kingdom and became a “city-fortress”, starting in 1640 during the Portuguese Restoration War. This status was due to the fact that going through this area was the easiest and closest way to get to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, and because of that, there was a need to protect this region. Elvas had a key role and became one of the most important cities in Portugal.

Old cities have extremely narrow roads and we cringe when our rented car has to go down one of these streets. Elvas was full of winding narrow roads on the way to the castle. Elvas has a long history with Celts, Romans, Visigoths, Moors and finally Portuguese living here. The castle was built with a mixture of architecture from all of these groups of people. When we went up to the top of the castle, the winds were blowing strongly, but we once again had a fantastic view over the whole area , including the rolling hills of Spain, and understood why it had been a major military site.

We had parked our car near a wonderful (church) Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Assunção, once the Cathedral of Elvas, that was built in the 16th century. The church was full of the traditional blue and yellow tiles and had a magnificent 18th Century organ. A little toothless lady showed us around and explained things to us using a mixture of every language that she knew - Portuguese, Spanish, French, and a little English, in between some humming. For some reason, we understood most of what she was telling us.

We thought that the aqueduct in Evora was spectacular but we were awed by the Aqueduto da Amoreira (Aqueduct of Amoreira) in Elvas. Especially when we saw a man walking on the top of it on an extremely windy day! Can you see him in the photo?

This amazing 6 km (3.7 m) long aqueduct, classified as World Heritage Site in 1910, took more than 120 years to build and was finished in 1622. It has huge cylindrical buttresses and a series of arches that reach 40m (130’) metre in height. We stood directly under it and looked up. Wow! 40 m. high! And with a crazy man taking photos? Yikes.

Note: I have included an aerial photo that I found of Elvas which shows how big this city-fortress was.Lue lisää
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Portugal and Islands - 2019 Ladyandtramp
White Marble in Borba
23. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ 🌬 12 °C
Marble is a metamorphic rock formed when limestone is exposed to high temperatures and pressures. On our way to Elvas, we saw a huge marble quarry in the small town of Borja, so we decided to make a short stop there on our way back to Evora.

Portugal is the second largest exporter of marble in the world, surpassed only by Italy (Carrara marble). About 85% of this marble (over 370,000 tons) is produced around in three towns that are close to each other - Vila Vicosa, Estremoz and Borba.

There is so much white , beige or pink marble around Borba that it is used everywhere; the doorsteps, the curbs, the park benches and sculptures and even the cobble stones are made out of marble. This marble is even converted into a whitewash for painting the houses.

The blocks of marble that we saw were huge. Maybe enormous is a better word. But how could the giant blocks possibly be cut and then moved?

I read that “in the quarries marble blocks are cut from the rock with a diamond wire saw, a durable steel cable with a series of circular diamond beads. The initial conduit for the wire is made by drilling a horizontal hole and a vertical hole of which the ends meet exactly inside the rock. The wire saw may need a day to cut through the marble.”

I still can’t figure out how they move those huge blocks of stone ...Lue lisää
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Estremoz & the Quinta Dona Maria Winery
23. tammikuuta 2019, Portugali ⋅ 🌬 12 °C
Estremoz is another town in Alentejo famous for its white marble. The same geological conditions that created its beautiful stones created limestone soil perfect for wine production. We stopped in Estremoz to visit a winery estate that our hotel hostess, Christina, recommended - Quinta Dona Maria.

The estate, which dates back to 1718, was purchased by King João V and offered to Dona Maria, a courtesan with whom he fell madly in love. In the 19th century, the estate was bought by the Reynolds, a family of British merchants who came to Portugal to produce cork and wine. The current owner, Julio Bastos, inherited the estate from an aunt who married into the Reynolds family.

Bastos got his passion for wine from his father. Every year, the father and son came to the harvest so that young Julio could be initiated into the mysteries of wine making.

Eager to produce extraordinary wines, Bastos entered into a partnership with Lafite Rothschild. But when the Rothschild team started uprooting his old family vines to plant French grape vines, Basto decided to go his own way.

He nurtured the old vines and used 17th century marble tanks to tread the grapes. The result are wines “with a unique personality: rich and earthy with elegant aromas and a smooth finish”.

As we entered the games of the winery, we were awed by the beauty of the palace-like manor house. Apparently, (only Donna got a glimpse of the interior of the house), its interior is rich in tiles from the 18th Century, and the region’s typical marble can also be found all around the house. The inside is full of old furniture and could be a wonderful museum.

While Donna inquired about a little tour of the winery and Chris parked the car, I ventured into a magical, walled garden. I had only heard about such gardens in old storybooks. Donna joined me. We walked down a vine-covered archway surrounded by gardens and old palm trees and nooks filled with history. At the end of the walkway there was a pool with a fountain and white marble statue of Neptune. Lovely.

A lady in the office offered to give us a little tour of the winery where the grapes are still stomped by foot and old techniques are used to make the red, and now white, wines.

Before we left, we bought two bottles of Dona Maria 2015 red wine to have with dinner.Lue lisää
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