Rosário

Thursday 21/02/19

The sunrise at Monsaraz was glorious, ushering in a lovely day.  Bokkie rested for a while under the almond blossoms before we set off again.

We headed back to Reguengos de Monsaraz to do some final shopping for the week and then hit the road North towards Alandroal.  We are in a lovely campsite, Camping Rosário, on the banks of the massive Alqueva Lake we could see from Monsaraz.  We are only here for a day which is a pity as it is exctly the kind of campsite that we like - quiet, well-run and lovely owners.

We will still be nearby as we now have a house-sit arranged in the area.  We are going to look after a house and quite a few dogs while the owners are away.  We don't want to give more details at this stage to respect their privacy, but we are quite nervous and excited at the same time.  Stay tuned for an update in a couple of days or so, as we get settled....

This area is so peaceful with insects and birds in abundance, it is really quite beautiful.

We decided not to pick it!

We were treated to the most sublime sunset to welcome us to the area.

We will update the blog when we can but we won't be moving in Bokkie for the next fortnight.  She will be treated to a full pampering and cleaning session before we leave again, as she has been such a stalwart on our journey, carrying us safely through 16 weeks of travel since our adventure started.

Monsaraz

Wednesday 20/02/19





There was a heavy mist covering the area when we left Evora and, although it thinned and thickened as we drove, it didn't burn off until lunchtime.  

The countryside is quite flat and very agricultural with an increased density of vineyards.  As we approached the Spanish border we turned off and the road climbed steeply to reveal the medieval village of Monsaraz.

We climbed above the mist to the promise of lovely views, currently obscured.  The village itself is absolutely wonderful and once the mist lifted we were treated to wonderful views of the surrounding countryside as well as the largest man-made lake in Europe and one of Portugal's largest projects.

Misted out views

The old Castle

Nearby Cromeleque do Xarez, mini-Stonehenge

The old fort - looks like an ideal fixer-upper project

It really is a magical place and we spent quite a lot of time sitting in the sun looking in awe at the breathtaking views and listening to the bees, birds and distant goat bells clanging.  It is quite special!

Bonus pic - not a bad view for Bokkie, through the front windscreen.

Evora

Tuesday 19/02/19

We woke to lovely sunshine again this morning, after yesterday's gloom and rain.  After breakfast we headed back into Evora for some more exploring.  We entered the old town and walked through the public gardens.  As we reached the end of the gardens we saw a man feeding some peacocks and were greeted firstly by the sight of them perched on the ruins like vultures and were then also treated to a display.

One of the unique destinations in Evora is the Chapel of bones or Capela dos Ossos, where monks lined the walls of the 16th century chapel with the bones of  the dead when they ran out of land for cemeteries.  The entrance bears the thought-provoking inscription "Nós ossos que aqui estamos, pelos vossos esperamos,” or: “We bones, are here, waiting for yours".

The entrance fee covered a visit to the church museum including a temporary display of a large private collection of nativity scenes.  My heart sank, but I was determined to get my money's worth and visit everything.  Well, it turned out to be an absolute gem showing the most fantastic array of artistic scenes in every medium imaginable.  We left with huge smiles on our faces.

We spent the rest of the day being tourists - wandering through all the streets of the old town, and ended with a wonderful, authentic Portuguese meal at a local restaurant.

You can buy every conceivable product made out of cork at these shops

Evora has been a lovely city to visit, and we really like the layout of the old town, and the effort to preserve the historical features.  There is also a nice balance between tourist attractions, and the locals just living their lives in the old town, as they have done for centuries....

...but tomorrow we are on the move again.

Evora

Monday 18/02/19

One of the things about living in a motor-home is you become very aware of the weather, especially when it is bad.  The rain started at around 2am and probably wasn't very heavy but the fact that we were parked under trees made it sound like someone was practicing their drumming on the roof.  Needless to say, we didn't sleep well after that and were up early.

After doing the normal morning chores, we were ready to leave at 09h00 when the office opened in the campsite - and even got a discount we weren't expecting; the day was looking up.  

We need to be somewhere by Friday, so decided to make the most of the bad weather and do as much of the driving as possible today.

We headed inland and entered the very fertile farming region of Alentejo seeing crops of all types, as well as pigs, cattle, sheep; all the usual suspects.

Around lunchtime we stopped at the aire at Alcáçovas with no let-up in the weather, and were the only motor-home in the aire which seemed quite remote.  We had some lunch and decided to rather push on to Evora, our next planned stop.   The aire here looked much more lively and the rain had let up enough to allow us to go for a walk.  We popped out to pick up a few odds and ends and dropped them off in Bokkie before having a sneak preview into the old town.  It is lovely, very touristy but with good reason; everything from ancient Roman ruins to a beautiful cathedral.

Igreja de Santo Antonio on Giraldo square

Graça church

Evora cathedral

Granite & marble temple ruin built for the deceased Emperor Augustus in the 1st century A.D.

Igreja de São João Evangelista - Igreja dos Lóios

Tomorrow we'll spend the day exploring some more...the weather has cleared and it's promising sunshine again.

Vila Nova de Milfontes

Sunday 17/02/19

This past weekend has been relaxing and active in equal measures.  We've pulled together some photos as a summary of our time in Milfontes (or 'Milfontesh' to the Portugese).  It's a wonderful town in a stunning area, and dominated by a really rugged coastline.  We'll be sad to leave here as with so  many places before, but we know we still have many new places to see.

Saturday

Toni couldn't resist buying some fresh sardines from the friendly lady at the market

Duly marinaded

and blackened on the Cadac.  Yum!

Forte de São Clemente

Sunday

We cycled to the port near Milfontes and tried to ride along the coastal paths but found the sand was too soft.  We went inland on a gravel road and then picked up the tar road to Porto Nova and back, over 40 km by the time we got home.

Porto de Pesca das Barcas

Porto Covo

Porto Covo with ships entering Sines harbour in the background

The sea was very rough, the weather is deteriorating

Tomorrow we'll start our journey inland.