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.