Nov 14, 2012 - Evora

Today was a strike day across Portugal protesting the economic austerity measures taken by the government, the second one since we have been here. We knew the railways were closed down, but were surprised that the local Museum was closed and that many shops had closed in sympathy. So we turned our attention to the Cathedral and the Church of San Francisco and its’ Bone Chapel. The rather macabre chapel was built in the 1600’s and the bones came from local church yards by three monks who wanted the rich inhabitants of Evora to meditate on...

Nov 13, 2012 - Evora

Today the sun shone and we went exploring the walled town of Evora. As usual there were churches galore and endless narrow cobbled streets that somehow manage to get cars up and down them, which meant we had to flatten ourselves against the wall to let them pass, yes that narrow sometimes. As most of the shops close from 1.30pm until three, we had our usual beer and baguette on the way. There are no largest, most famous or significant monuments or churches to seek out, but the whole town itself is a World Heritage Site. A quiet peaceful day...

Nov 12, 2012 - Evora

It was very quiet and relatively restful day yesterday as it was Sunday and nearly all the shops in the old town were closed and only the churches were busy. We did have a long walk up along the other side of the river and up a steep hill to a large mall on the other side. It was as you would expect very busy mostly with younger people. The sun had finally began to shine so we took a taxi back and sat by the pool and read for a while. We had a very nice supper at the Hotel where we joined a couple we had met in the afternoon, he was from...

Oct 28, 2011 - Photos - Evora

Well it’s been a few days since we have updated our journal but I can assure you that is not because we have been idle, quite to the contrary, we have been busy touring this beautiful country. Since leaving Lisbon we headed down south to a beautiful city called Evora. It is a relatively small place that is very impressive with its roman ruins, churches, many winding alleys in which you easily get lost all of which are encompasses within the city wall. We stayed in a delightful inn which was previously a sixteenth century olive press. It was...

Oct 28, 2011 - Herdade do Esporao and Monsaraz

Our trip to Tavira was a fantastic way to see the true Portuguese countryside. Our first stop was Herdade do Esporao – a winery established in 1267. The winery was very picturesque with lots of hot pink bougainvillea which reminded me of mum – Check out the photo - just for you mum. We sampled red wines which were all very different. Our favourite was the Touriga variety which is common in this area. Our next stop- Monsaraz…….. Monsaraz is a tiny village perched above the border plains nestled into fortified walls with a breathtaking view....

Feb 13, 2011 - Alentejo and Evora

Northward ho! We left the flat, Cabanas, the Algarve, and the coast, and headed north into the Alentejo region, heading towards Evora, up through the beautiful landscape on the eastern edge of Portugal. We drove through a beautiful natural park on the way, and we had a lovely lunch in the park, beside a bubbling river, watching the martins swooping under the bridge. The glorious weather stayed with us all the way to Evora, where the campsite was in a great location just outside town, within decent walking distance. However, the next day was...

Oct 15, 2010 - Évora

@@@@@@@ Background The history of Évora goes back at least to the time of the Celts and then the Romans arrived and made it an important military fortification. Things slipped a little after the fall of the Roman Empire, but surged once again under the administration of the Moors. However, Évora truly came into her prime during the 14th to 16th centuries when it became the seat of the royal court. Of course, the scholars and artists flocked there to be near their patrons and the arts flourished as well. When the last of the Avis royal line...

Aug 26, 2010 - Evora

arrived in Evora today to 99 degrees. Finding my hotel was a bit stressful, in this old medieval town, with narrow, winding one-way streets. The directions I got from the hotel were a bit confusing, and I ended up driving around in circles for 45 min. before calling them to get better directions. I don't know how I got there, but eventually I did. I immediately set out to check the info. in the book, doing our recommended "welcome to Evora" walk and checking all the museums and several hotels until I was ready to drop. I got back to the...

May 15, 2010 - Evora, Portugal

Saturday 15th – Overcast & cool Up again at 9am and breakfast at 9.30am. Had a chat to an English couple who were staying there. Headed off at 11am and Doris played up shortly after we left Setubal. Turned her off and drove blind for a while and then turned her back on. It worked and we were off to Evora (classified UNESCO world heritage site). Lovely drive stopping for coffee & custard tart on the way. Arrived around 2pm and checked into hotel which was within the old city walls. Went for a walk in the afternoon (weather fine)Cathedral...

Sep 2, 2009 - Evora, Portugal

From the seaside we moved on for a two night stay in the inland medieval town of Evora. Evora must have been inhabited in ancient days by some ghoulish priests, judging by the macabre Chapel of Bones at the Cathedral de San Francisco. The walls inside are constructed from the bones and skulls of some 5,000 dead residents whose skeletons were dug up from the local cemetery. Very strange, indeed. The other interesting tourist must-see is the ruin of an ancient roman temple, erroneously called the Temple of Diana. Seven of the original...

Jul 15, 2008 - Second day in the Alentejo

July 15 2008 Our day started with our traditional Portuguese breakfast. Once finished with our meal, we were off to Evora. As we entered the city we came across the Roman aqueduct. We parked outside the sity walls at a parking lot next to the aqueduct. Our next task was to navigate to the tourist information office, with no map or signs giving directions. Eventually we made our way and found a very entertaining employee who did not speak English, but in perfect English told us the information we needed. He had a great sense of humor and was...

Jul 14, 2008 - The Alentejo Region

July 14 2008 We had most of our items packed to go in the morning. The idea was to have a big English breakfast before our drive, but the two places we tried were not open until 9 am. Therefore, we had another Portuguese style breakfast at a café. Then we were on the road again. Our drive was on the Super Highway toward Beja, and then jump off onto the N18 to Evora/Estrimoz. On the drive, we hashed out that we were going to try and stay North of Evora considering the prices that were quoted in the tourist books. The drive had splendid...