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Santa Maria da Devesa

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    • TravelerPortugal 2024
      1121
      Day 6

      Castelo de Vide

      October 13, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

      Gearriveerd in Castelo de Vide ben ik eerst in gaan checken in mijn hotel. Daar heb ik weer een heel leuke kamer met meubilair met mooie schilderingen. En weer een balkon en een ligbad. Ik vroeg aan de receptionist of ik met de auto maar het Castelo kon, maar hij raadde aan om te gaan lopen. Het was niet zover en met de auto zou ik weer in heel erg smalle straatjes terechtkomen. Nou, die had ik inderdaad genoeg gehad vandaag!

      Dus ik aan de wandel, gewapend met een plu, die lang genoeg is om ook als steun te kunnen dienen. En wat ben ik blij dat ik ben gaan lopen! De straatjes zijn hier zo allemachtig steil en smal dat ik bewondering heb voor de mensen die hier wonen. Want ze komen overal met de auto, tot op de meest bizarre plekjes! En in dit plaatsje vind ik het nu eindelijk wèl mooi, schilderachtig en goed onderhouden. Ik ben door de Joodse wijk gelopen, langs de synagoge en langs de kasteeltoren de middeleeuwse straatjes in. Man, man, man, wat was dat genieten! Heel bijzondere plekjes gezien, soms moest ik er wel wat spannende trapjes voor nemen, dus ik was blij met de plu!

      Ik vond een prachtig schommelbankje en heb daar even van de heerlijke avond zitten genieten, want de zon was al naar de horizon aan het zakken. Nu weer terug in het hotel, straks nog even lekker badderen en ik zal vast weer lekker slapen vannacht!      Read more

      See translation
    • Peter SprotEurope
      Day 45

      Marvão Portugal

      June 21, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

      Even while in Praia da Luz people said if you are coming to Portalegre you must visit Marvão.
      I came on the bike up and up to a hill to town which is stunning with a preserved castle and wall around the town.
      Quaint old streets with amazing views are everywhere. It was worth the visit.      Read more

    • TravelerSabbatical Adventures
      Day 89

      Day 89, Convento de Cristo, Tomar

      May 7, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

      One of the most beautiful/impressive complexes I have ever seen (text below is from Rick Steves).

      “Towering above Tomar is its castle, with an Oz-like oratory built 800 years ago. This circular chapel is where knights would go to be blessed before battle as they defended Portugal against the Moors, protected pilgrims heading for the Holy Land, or championed Portugal in the Age of Discovery. The Knights Templar was a rich organization — both as a popular Christian charity and as originator of Europe's first great banking system. Pilgrims from western Europe would deposit their money with the Templars before leaving home, were given a "check" (safer than cash to travel with), and could make withdrawals along their pilgrimage as they ventured east. You could call the Templars the first multinational corporation. When pilgrims died on their journey, which was all too common, the Templars kept their estate. (When banking, always read the fine print!)
      The Convento de Cristo's interior gives a glimpse of the mystical wonder of the Knights Templar. The original castle and oratory were built when such impressive architecture was new in Europe. The oratory was designed so horses (important in the Templars' success on the battlefield) could be ridden in and blessed. Later, under Portuguese King Manuel I, a big conventional church was added. The oratory's wall was cut open to connect the church and the oratory with a grand, triumphal arch. The church's nave is decorated in the incredibly intricate Manueline style — motifs that pay tribute to the sea trade that made Portugal rich. Ornamental shields and coats of arms are decorated with castles, crosses, lions, flags, and crowns. There are even designs that duplicate ropes used on ships during Portugal's Age of Discovery.”

      A very small city featuring a beyond priceless treasure! Wow!!!      Read more

    • TravelerSabbatical Adventures
      1
      Day 88

      Day 88, Magical Hill Towns

      May 6, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 63 °F

      The past few days have been spent traveling in and around hill towns, charming medieval villages perched on high ridges to provide protection from their enemies. We have visited three - Monsaraz, Castelo de Vide, and Marvao - and seen others from a distance. What all hill towns have in common is a castle, a church, and some formidable walls. But each has a different vibe depending on its size and, to be honest, the age of its population. And although they can be touristy, each has felt to me to be firmly in the control of its stalwart long term residents. Stepping through each gate is stepping back in time and experiencing/exploring some real and memorable medieval magic.Read more

    • TravelerMarco und wir
      Day 26

      Monster Waves

      February 11, 2020 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

      Heute war also der Big Waves Wettbewerb in Nazare. Und wir mitten drin. Eigentlich habe ich in meinem Bericht von gestern schon alles gesagt. Heute morgen war das Wetter schlechter, viel mehr Menschen an der Klippe, und die Wellen noch mal höher. Nach welchen Kriterien der Wettbewerb stattfindet habe ich auch nicht ganz kapiert. Egal, es war beeindruckend wie die Surfer, immer an der Grenze des Möglichen die Wellen ritten. https://www.worldsurfleague.com/posts/446533/po… hier ist eine Zusammenfassung der Veranstaltung zu sehen, da sieht man wirklich was passiert. Das ganze war natürlich eine hochkommerzielle, durchorganisierte Veranstaltung. Wir waren dann auch ziemlich durchgefroren. Am Nachmittag sind wir dann schon weitergefahren. Nun beginnt bereits der Weg zurück. Gerade sitze ich in der Nähe der Grenze nach Spanien im Marco. Morgen geht es weiter nach Toledo. Nach so viel Naturschauspiel wieder mal etwas Kultur.Read more

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    • TravelerAutumn Adventures
      Day 55

      Day 55 - Castelo de Vide

      October 29, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

      This morning Marla was better at sleeping for a bit longer, but still getting us up before 7am…. at least she was less demanding for her breakfast this morning.

      After breakfast we decided to go exploring and take the scenic route to the local town of Castelo de Vide. I’d found a public route on Strava that was around 10km that was mostly off road, so we decided to follow that (despite Charlie’s terrible luck when it comes to following other people’s Strava routes). I’m pleased to say that following the route was no problem at all!

      It was a mixed bag of terrain, we started off on the side road from camp and followed it up, up and up where once we’d gone past the last house on the road, it turned into a narrow footpath that was really well maintained in terms of vegetation and trees. The path itself was a mix of rock and grass - fairly easy to walk on. It then carried on as a mixture of cobbles and dirt track all the way into the town. Then it was just a case of following small side roads until we got to the centre of town. It was interesting to see that some of the trees have residual fire damage - you can see a line on them where their bark has been damaged. And all the olive trees we saw were all at the same height, so it looked like they’d all be re-planted at the same time.

      We arrived at about 11:30am, and considering that it’s Tuesday today - we were pretty surprised to walk into the town square where there was some sort of event happening. There was a big stage with people speaking to a fairly large crowd of people, with lots of police around. We had no idea what was going on, but it looked fairly serious so we headed off in the opposite direction to find a shop for some fresh bread.
      I’ve looked this up since we got back and it turns out it was the Ceremonies of the Territorial Command Day of the GNR of Portalegre.

      The walk back followed a slightly different route to start with, which included up a lot of stairs, and then a short, sharp hill to get up into the woodland. We came across a fun looking cave - but up close it was pretty tiny.

      Back to camp for a late lunch, showers and a spot of sunbathing while the sun was still warm.

      Dinner tonight was stuffed pasta in a tomato sauce.

      It’s turned windy, wet and a bit chilly now, so this evening we caught up on a bit more Taskmaster.      Read more

    • Spaziergänge mit HildeLinkerhand ist immer Wasser
      Day 71

      Convento de nossa Senhora da Estrela

      February 17, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      "Das Kloster Nossa Senhora da Estrela im Alentejo befindet sich im Dorf und in der Gemeinde Santa Maria de Marvão, Gemeinde Marvão, Bezirk Portalegre, in Portugal.

      Auch bekannt als Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Marvão oder Lar da Santa Casa da Misericórdia, weil diese Bruderschaft derzeit dort ansässig ist und es ein Seniorenheim gibt.

      Das Kloster Nossa Senhora da Estrela ist seit 1982 als Eigentum von öffentlichem Interesse eingestuft.

      Das Kloster wurde 1448 mit Genehmigung von Papst Nikolaus V. an der Stelle gegründet, an der sich eine Kapelle befand, die Unserer Lieben Frau vom Stern geweiht war

      Einer lokalen Legende zufolge wurde das Bildnis Unserer Lieben Frau von D. Rodrigo, dem letzten König der Westgoten, während der muslimischen Invasion der Iberischen Halbinsel (711) versteckt und erst entdeckt, als die Stadt Marvão von der Herrschaft befreit wurde."

      (Spanisches Wikipedia mit Google übersetzt)

      Unterhalb des Klosters ist der Parkplatz als Wohnmobilstellplatz ausgewiesen und gut gefühlt, wir finden unter einem schrägen Baumstamm ein gutes Plätzchen für eine ruhige Nacht.      Read more

      See translation
    • TravelerAutumn Adventures
      Day 54

      Day 54 - Quinta do Pomarinho

      October 28, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

      It was an early start to today, Marla woke us up at 6:20 and wouldn’t go back to sleep - so we all had to get up. Charlie took her outside while I changed the bedroom to the sitting room, and when she came back in she was very insistent it was breakfast time….. unfortunately it really wasn’t and we had 40’mins of a very grumpy puppy.
      Eventually I caved and she ate at 7:40. She then happily went back to sleep….

      Charlie went down to the beach to do a workout at around 9am. I took Marla down later on in the morning (once her breakfast had gone down) for a final walk up and down the beach as we are moving camp today. There’s a lot more people around today, so I couldn’t let her off lead (a fair few small children), but we had a lovely walk.

      Back to camp for a pack up, lunch and then we headed off, we’re going inland for a few days while the weather is supposed to be nice.

      First stop though was the supermarket for essentials. Marla had a nice nap while Charlie was off doing the shopping. It’s proving strangely difficult to buy plain natural yogurt.

      The next section of the drive was straightforward, but the scenery certainly changed to green trees and more mountainous. We are seeing a lot of the emergent run off sections for lorry’s on the long downhill drives - it’s keep having urges to have a go and see if Big Dave can drive through the sand traps - but it would be disastrous to get stuck…. and a massive misuse of the escape lane.

      We arrived safe and sound. This is a peaceful camp in the mountains, with nothing in the immediate area apart from some donkeys and chickens. We had a small issue with the electrics, thankfully resolved quickly by the site owner. A super helpful Dutch man, he realised that when the electrician completed some work on the box of plugs, he forgot to turn it back on.

      We sat out and watched the sun set at around 5:30, it’s definitely getting cooler and darker in the evenings now.

      Dinner tonight was spinach and ricotta lasagna and some bread. We had some very interesting options for pudding, including a pot of what I think is custard with a very mushy rich tea on top. Strange but tasty.      Read more

    • Mit den Zugvögeln südwärts
      Day 69

      Castelo de Vide, literarische Annäherung

      November 8, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

      Wir haben "Die portugiesische Reise" des Nobelpreisträgers José Saramago im Gepäck und ab und zu begeben wir uns ein wenig auf seine Pfade. "Der Reisende", wie sich der Autor selbst nennt, bemerkt zur Altstadt von Castelo de Vide:

      "Die Viertel Judiaria und Arçário sind von unvergleichlicher rustikaler Schönheit. Die Haustür-Umrandungen sind mit so viel Liebe und Respekt instand gehalten, dass es den Reisenden rührt. Ihre Steine sind Steine aus vergangenen Jahrhunderten, manche schon aus dem 14. Jahrhundert, und Generation auf Generation haben die Bewohner sie wertschätzen und pflegen gelernt. Der Reisende möchte fast glauben, daß in den Testamenten von Castelo de Vide, notariell beglaubigt, zu lesen steht: Ich hinterlasse meinen Kindern eine Tür, die ungeteilt in der Familie bleiben soll." (S. 466)

      "Ein so reich mit Wasser gesegneter Ort muss einen monumentalen Brunnen besitzen. Da ist er, Fonte da Vila, mit seiner auf sechs Marmorsäulen ruhenden Überdachung und den vier Düsen, aus denen das Wasser läuft. Nur bedauerlich, wie verwahrlost alles ist - die Steine von der Zeit und unpfleglicher Behandlung beschädigt, das Wasserbecken und der Gang ringsherum verdreckt. Der Brunnen von Castelo de Vide steht dort wie verwaist - wenn es Mitleid gibt, möge man sich um diese Steine kümmern, sie haben es verdient." (S. 465)

      Ich möchte dem Schriftsteller posthum zurufen: Ihre Anregung ist auf fruchtbaren Boden gefallen. Der Brunnen macht heute einen ehrwürdigen Eindruck - und seine Lebensspuren darf man ihm ja beileibe ansehen. Es sind heute Menschen da, die sich kümmern, die angrenzenden Häuser sind schon oder werden gerade sorgfältig renoviert. Die Stadt macht einen wohltuend natürlichen Eindruck: nicht auf Marketing gebürstet, nicht mit pipapo herausgeputzt, aber gepflegt und belebt. Sehr sympathisch, selbst beim gegenwärtigen Regenwetter.      Read more

      See translation
    • LadyandtrampPortugal and Islands - 2019

      Castelo de Vide

      January 25, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

      On a lovely Friday afternoon, we drove north from Evora to Castelo de Vide though a rich agricultural area full of vineyards, olives trees, fruits and grains and fields of cattle and sheep. It took us about 2 hours and we ended up in a completely different world. We are in the Serra de São Mamede mountain range in the Portalegre District. This range is named after Saint Mammes. Together with the Serra de Arraiolos, the Serra de São Mamede is one of the few places in the Alentejo region where there might be snow in the winter. We didn’t see any, thank heavens, and the weather was probably the warmest that we have had so far.

      Castelo de Vide is lovely. Our favourite place so far. We are staying in a large house (Casa de Maria BnB) on the edge of town and the hostess is amazing. She treats us like royalty! On our first night, we went to the local Pingo Doce grocery store and bought a delicious roasted chicken, a baguette and ingredients for a salad to eat at her house. Luisa then set the dining room table for us and added cheeses and even a bottle of red wine and offered us a vegetable soup. We had a feast!

      In the morning, we had another feast. Juices and a huge mug of coffee and hot milk started things off. Then toast and a choice of 8 different jams that she had made from plants in her large yard was only a small part of what we were offered. Serrano ham and local cheeses followed. And then to top it off, about 6 cakes were presented to us. And of course the Nata custard tarts. No lunch for us!

      Today was a walking day. We walked all over this lovely town - the square, the old Jewish quarter and of course the castle. The parks are kept impeccably. The mineral water here is so pure that it is said that drinking it will cure all manner of ailments from high blood pressure to diabetes! There are beautiful little fountains all over the town and lavender lines the sidewalks.

      Towards the end of the 15th century Castelo de Vide had attracted a significant Jewish community. They fled here as the result of persecution by the Catholic church's Inquisition in Spain and settled in a part of the town now known as the Judiaria or Jewish Quarter. While Portugal was somewhat more tolerant, the area in which Jews could live was restricted and many were pressured into converting to Christianity.

      The castle was amazing. By now, we have seen a lot of castles but this one was in such good shape. Within its walls, there are many whitewashed houses with pots of flowers decorating them, and people still living in the old houses. The streets are narrow and can really only be walked on. Some walls are scraped at side view mirror height so cars have attempted driving through the town.

      Chris has been itching to walk in the hills across from us, so while I write, he is walking.      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Santa Maria da Devesa

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