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Published: October 5th 2008
Évora
Old meets older in the streets of PortugalOur adventures began early on our way into Portugal on June 4th. We were up early, and had a nice long, brisk walk to the bus station. Our plan was to leave Seville by a direct bus, which would cross the border at Badajoz, then continue on to Évora, our first destination in Portugal. But surprise, this wasn't to be as simple as it sounded!
Apparently, there was no longer a direct bus, and we would have to take one from Seville to Badajoz, which wasn't leaving for a couple hours. This bus wound its way through the countryside for a few hours, then stopped so that half the passengers (including us) could change to another bus which then took us on to the border town. Eventually we arrived, and discovered that the next connection on to Portugal wouldn't be leaving for a couple hours.
'Great', we thought, 'a break to have an early dinner', since we've learned that when travelling long distances by bus, you should eat when you get the chance. After some greasy Spanish bus stop burgers, we boarded our next ride, which would take us on into Portugal. We thought crossing the border would be
quick, but had the pleasure of our first European search.
The bus pulled over, and three people (including us two) were asked to get off by the serious looking armed border guards. We handed over our passports, and had to start unpacking our bags for them to look through. After seeing the amount of ridiculous, boring and non-threatening items that we were lugging around, they pretty much knew we weren't transporting any illegal or dangerous items. With a laugh, they let us back on the bus, saying 'Welcome to Portugal, enjoy your stay' and waved goodbye as we pulled away.
As we drove through the countryside, we noticed many more trees and a much greener landscape than we had seen in Spain. After half an hour, we got off in a tiny quaint town called Estremoz. The driver dropped us off, pointing directions down a cobbled street. So off we went to find the bus station.
Estremoz was a sleepy little place, where old men and women sat on benches, gossiping and watching the world go by. They watched us trudge along with our backpacks with curiosity, as we searched for the mystery station. This little town
Temple of Diana, Évora
Toasting the Roman ruins obviously didn't see too many tourists, maybe just the odd one passing through.
We asked a hunched old man directions, trying to say 'bus station' in Portuguese. He waved at us to follow as he hobbled up the street, around the corner and pointed it out to us, only a few blocks down the road. At the station, we discovered that we would have to wait a couple hours for the bus to Évora, so we just sat and relaxed until then.
Another ride, then a last second transfer, and finally (we were secretly cheering) we arrived late in Évora. It had been a very long day, a long journey, with all the usual bit of confusion that always seemed to be our travel trademark. We were there and that's all that really mattered to us.
We walked into this walled village of around fifty thousand, and luckily found a room in the first hotel we tried. It was run by a kind women who spoke only slow, patient Portuguese to us. We listened carefully as we picked out the odd word that was similar to Spanish, eventually guessing and answering her questions in Spani-Portuguese (our own
Capela dos Ossos, Évora
Goulish skulls fill the interior accidental invention). We had thought that Portuguese and Spanish would be very similar languages, but that was not the case. The language sounded more like Russian than Spanish to us!
In the morning, we wandered around the small town in search of breakfast. Finding a small cafe, we decided to see if the rumours were true about a famed delicious Portuguese custard tart. These tarts are called 'pastéis de nata', and after just one, we were instantly hooked. A perfect way to start any day, along with a 'cafe con leite' (coffee with milk).
Évora was a beautiful medieval town, with it's narrow cobbled alleys and whitewashed crumbling walls. People ambled around, completely at ease, older men sat around tables, talking of the old days and there were very few tourists. Everyone seemed truly friendly there, proud to share the knowledge of their home and history. It made a great first impression on us.
A highlight for any visitor is a visit to the 16th century Capela dos Ossos, or Chapel of Bones, attached to the church of St. Francis. It was constructed by monks who wanted to remind us of our own mortality, with thousands of
Capela dos Ossos, Évora
Watch out Andy, those bones are waiting! carefully placed human bones set in concrete. The chapel was rediscovered in 1958, during some restorations. And it was like nothing we had ever seen before.
The chapel gave us an eerie feeling as we entered, walking beneath a hand painted sign warning 'Nós ossos que aqui estamos, pelos vossos esperamos', or in English 'We bones here, for yours we wait'. Skulls lined the pillars and vaulted ceilings, paintings of skulls and banners decorated the ceiling and long bones covered the walls, from which two leathery looking corpses dangled. It was a fascinatingly morbid and intriguing place.
We continued on to the local market, where we stocked up on some goat cheese, fresh tomatoes and deliciously soft Portuguese buns. We sat in a park nearby, munching, relaxing and enjoying the quiet as we watched people and many happy ducks go about their lives. Then on to more sightseeing.
The following day, we climbed a hill to see the main cathedral of Évora. En route, we encountered the small, crumbling ruins of the Temple of Diana, once part of a Roman Forum. This caused us to reflect as we sat in a park, enjoying a beer while gazing
Sé Cathedral, Évora
Nice day at a nice Cathedral at the temple that the Romans sure got around!
Next stop, the Sé Cathedral, perched on the highest point in Évora. It's been a UNESCO World Heritage Sight since 1988 and is the largest Gothic Cathedral in Portugal. We couldn't help admiring it's paintings, stained glass windows, and enormity. Outside there was a pretty cloister with some evil looking stone gargoyles and steps leading up to great views of Évora.
The last sight we visited before leaving was the nine kilometer long Aqueduto da Água de Prata, or the Aqueduct of Silver Water. It was built in 1531 to supply the city with water, and though no longer in use, is still impressive. Strangely, at the end that enters the city, you can see houses, cafes and shops built between and around the pillars. Cars must drive through the arches as they enter the city.
The next morning, we left laid-back Évora after yet another custard tart and coffee, taking the bus to our next destination: Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Arriving in the city, we took a well deserved bathroom break before taking the metro to the downtown area. We must have perfect timing, because as
we stepped on, a blind Portuguese hip hop 'star' also got on, and entertained us by rapping and tapping his cane on a pole for everyone's amusement.
It was a scorcher of a day, and the escalator up from the underground was busted. So after hoofing it up the many flights of stairs with our heavy packs, we were pretty tired. Then more trudging, but the first couple hotels we checked were full! A lady recommended another a couple streets away, which turned out to be inexpensive, clean and friendly. To top it off, it had a fridge so we could buy groceries and live cheaply instead of eating out.
We wandered the streets nearby to get a feel for the city, as well as munch more pastéis de nata (we were totally addicted). The city had a rough and rugged, but safe and friendly feel. Yellow trams clacked by us, carrying people up steep hills. Buildings were decorated with beautiful blue hand painted tile and the streets were paved with black and white patterned cobbles. Lisbon had a good vibe, which made us feel comfortable rather quickly.
We hit an internet cafe to get in touch
Sé Cathedral, Évora
More beautiful interior with our Aussie friends we had met in Seville. Sure enough, they had left us a message to meet for them dinner. We ventured down a hill near our hotel, which was so steep that it had it's own personal tram that went up and down all day. We met up at an Indian restaurant, a great idea, since we had been craving the flavours of India ourselves.
Steve and Sally were already there, and we were soon enjoying the company of our new pals once again. A couple jugs of sangria with some spicy Indian dishes; this was the perfect way to start off our night. We left after a great dinner, in search of a new place to hang out.
As we walked down the streets, guys whispered at us, flashing open their coats, but we ended up laughing, realizing that they were trying to sell us drugs. We walked for a while, finally arriving at an Irish pub near the Tagus river. No matter where you are in the world, when in need, there's a good chance you'll eventually stumble across an Irish pub.
After meeting a true Irish guy, a couple funny local
Portuguese lads, many pints, laughs, and more conversation, we called it a night, saying that we would contact each other in Porto. Somehow we managed to find our way up the steep, winding alleys, back to our hotel. Waking the next morning feeling a little worse for wear, we decided to get out into the sun and make our way up to the Castelo de São Jorge, which we could see far on the other side of Lisbon.
We fueled up on a coffee and tart, then started walking, sweating off the beer as we climbed, catching impressive views of the city below. The castle sits on the highest hill in Lisbon, on a spot where forts have been built from the 2nd century BC on, first by Celtic tribes, then Romans, Visigoths and Moors. It was an interesting place to explore, but our favorite part was the spectacular view of the red roofed city from high up in the castle towers.
The Euro Cup, a highlight of European football, was on while we were in Lisbon. Thousands of fans crowded every restaurant and bar, packing the inside, then spilling out on to the streets to cheer on
Lisbon
Many dessert choices their country. Glued to the television, fans would watch in silence, without even blinking, until there was a big save or a close call.
It was great; we got to experience a night when Portugal won, and the whole city erupted at once. Cars drove by honking for hours, people were waving flags, wearing Portugal's colours and singing football songs as they celebrated in the streets. In all, an incredible sight; what a perfect time to be there and see all the festivities.
The following morning we took our first tram ride to the beautiful historic quarter of Belém. Despite a bit of confusion about when to get off, we followed the rest of the people as the tram emptied, and there we were. Belém is believed to be the birthplace of the pastéis de nata and rumoured to have the best custard tarts in Portugal, which of course we had to sample. Like most tarts, they weren't much to look at, but the verdict was that they were pretty damn tasty, the best that we'd had.
There we visited the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, a monastery built in 1502 to commemorate Vasco da Gama's trip to India.
Lisbon
Our Aussie buddies Sal and Steve When we entered, church was in service, so we were able to check out the building for free. Most memorable was the gorgeously high vaulted ceiling and pillars, and the ornately carved tomb of the explorer Vasco da Gama.
After that, we continued out back to the incredible cloister of the monastery. This was definitely the showpiece, with some fantastically detailed stone work, crazy carvings, and maniacal water spouts designed as strange animals and creatures. We finally had our fill of the place, and crossed the street to a large park filled with fountains, where we slurped down an ice cream as it melted away in the hot Portuguese sun.
The last place we had to see before leaving Lisbon was Sintra, a town about an hour train ride away. Set high up in the lush green hills, this small town has enchanting castles, colourful gardens and incredible views around every corner. We walked from the train station to the center, which featured cobbled streets, interesting shops and pretty architecture. A quick stop for lunch at a pub, and we continued the trek up a steep and winding switch back cobble road, through thick green woods.
After
Lisbon
Christine admiring the great view a long, sweaty walk we reached our destination, the Palácio Nacional da Pena. It was like no palace we had seen before, a colourful Bavarian place decorated in an interesting mix of styles. We toured it's interior, passing through rooms filled with unbelievable treasures, and admiring the great views from the outer walls. The palace grounds were equally as beautiful, filled with some great walking paths, caves, fountains, and gardens featuring many bird and exotic tree species. It was spectacular, like stepping into a fairy tale. We totally loved our day spent in Sintra, a great destination.
The next morning, we took off from Lisbon to our last stop in Portugal. On to the city of Porto, known for it's product of port, a sweet fortified wine. We got off the train, and had a long and terrible walk with our bags, again thinking we were much closer to town. But once there, we easily found a hotel, relaxed and tried to sort ourselves out.
After spending the next day walking and exploring the interesting streets, we met up again with our Aussie mates, Steve and Sally, for round three of trouble. We met them for dinner, continuing
Lisbon
View of the city on where we had left off, and enjoyed a hilarious night of laughter and storytelling. After many pints, some white port and cheap wine, we had to say our final good-byes, hoping to one day reunite, although we couldn't agree who was the worse influence on the other, both sides blaming the other.
Needless to say, the next morning was pretty rough, and our stuffy little room didn't help the way we felt either. We ventured out, spotting the giant big screen TV that had been put up in the main square near our hotel. Devoted football fans had gathered to watch Portugal's team play their next game in the Euro Cup. The best part of our day was seeing the whole square fill up with what seemed like all of Porto cheering on their team. Portugal ended up winning, and the whole city of three hundred thousand erupted. People were dancing, shouting, cheering and singing into the night. We're sure the beer sales must have gone through the roof that evening.
We had arrived at our last day in Portugal. First stocking up on a few bottles of port in the market, we set out to catch
a few more sights. Our first stop was the Sé Cathedral of Porto, one of the city's oldest monuments, dating from the 12-13th century. Inside, there was a vast interior and a cloister with some amazing blue and white painted tile murals that ran along the walls.
Then we had a picnic lunch in the park, walked some more, shopped and at last, visited the Igreja de São Francisco, an interesting and important Gothic church. First we toured the ossuary, mainly catacombs and a jumble of bones visible beneath the basement floor. Then on to the inside, and the most beautifully detailed carved woodwork and wooden statues covered in gold from Brazil. We could have looked around for much longer, but we had to go. It was late and the church was closing shortly.
Outside, we had amazing views of the river Douro, so we decided to have our last meal in Porto along the edge of the river. It was a great seafood feast; fresh, affordable and accompanied by wine. We talked about our great experiences that we had shared in Portugal, and how we were sorry to be leaving it behind.
Portugal had been good
to us and it is definitely a destination we would recommend and return to. But on to our next leg of the journey, to make our way back through Spain and on into France. We weren't sure of our route, but we were ready for just about anything.
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Sarah and Nick
non-member comment
Now I want to go...
Hey guys...great to see you are still having an amazing trip!!! Your blog really makes me want to go to Portugal...looks amazing! When you get your dream house can I come and visit...looks like a cool place to live...probably fun like a maze inside. The bones are pretty wild to see...we saw a church like that in Prague. Hope all is well.