Portugal 17 - Guimaraes - a shady looking man making a quick euro

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We woke early to the sound of buses trundling their way up the hill to pick workers up to take them back down to work in Braga city centre or were they bringing pilgrims up to Bom Jesus. Whatever it was, it started early and finished late. We were as always the only Brits on site. We left the french asleep as we hit the road for Guimaraes. A sleepy little city with a castle we wanted to see .

The road out was manic with early morning traffic. We had to wind our way through them all as they nipped in and around Suzy from every direction. Discretion being the better part of valour Glenn stuck to his guns and tried to ignore them as we headed out of the way. Rush hour Braga style was not a joy to behold.

As always the sun shone down on us and even by 10 it was scorching hot. Through the first toll. Our telepeage thing, as I call it, sprung to life , ping it went and a green light came up to suggest it was registering. It even told us for the first time we were Classe 2 and how much the toll would be. Glory be - has our visit to Bom Jesus given it the boost and incentive it needed to work?.

The car park which serves as a sosta in Guimaraes was a tad hard to get to due to road works which closed off some roads and made others incredibly narrow. They made Sally Sat Nav work hard as she got awfully confused and Glenn had to rely on me as navigator which is never a good thing. Being female I like to turn maps upside down which always confuses Glenn and I navigate by things rather than anything else . He finds my directions odd at the best of times and go past that church or that dog does not always make sense to him although it makes perfect sense to me and probably does to any woman navigator. Still despite my directions we got there in the end.

We parked up on the free sosta where you can stay an hour or two to see the castle and town or stay overnight as some spanish motorhomers appeared to have done. It was a funny site and we were unsure what to make of it to be honest. We did not feel entirely safe. There are some sites that you feel are Ok from the first instant but others that make you feel uneasy . This was the second type. There was one car on site with no one in it. A man sat on his own on a wall. On the wall was a plastic bag which obviously belonged to him and next to him sat a dog . Not sure if he owned the dog or not. As we got out we thought well in for a penny and in for a pound . We wanted to see the castle and had to either give up or put up with this parking and hope for the best . As I got out of Suzy he the man looked at me and spoke. Having no Portuguese he may as well as spoken in Klingon to me for all I could understand. He then gestured . He pointed to Suzy. He pointed to his eyes and we guessed that either meant I will look after your van for you or something more sinister.

We left a bit sheepish and walked up to the castle just before the tours arrived . We were shocked they we here and here so early in the day. It wasnt exactly on high tourist trails . So was it worth the worry of parking up in such a spot and having to worry about our motorhome.

The castle is principally a medieval castle . Its construction was ordered by Mumadona Dias in the 10th century to defend its monastery from attacks by the Moors and the Normans . It is a military fortification in a Romanesque style with Gothic touches. It is a pentagram shape and has towers, a square and keep. Built on grey stone it is imposing from the outside but there is little inside. Entrance was free as work is going on to remodel bits of the castle and renovate it. It was possible to walk on the ramparts but like everything else in Portugal there is little in the way of health and Safety.

On the way into the town is a small Romanesque church quite simple in design both inside and out. With no lighting it was gloomy inside but we could just about make out the plain Romanesque altar and font and slabs in the floor which looked like ancient gravestones. It was a quiet thoughful sort of place.

From here we walked down into the town . There was not as much as we thought there would be. Given that the city is often referred to as the "birthplace of the Portuguese nationality" or "the cradle city" we probably expected too much from it. The capital was established there by Henry of Burgunday and it became the first capital. Because of this we expected some pretty high status buildings, some lovely squares and interesting houses.

It lacked the wow factor but then it felt small. It had interesting little alleyways and a few squares but nothing that felt of any consequence. The town felt quite dead and lacked any warmth. It was yet another of those oddly disappointing little places. We did not stop for coffee as we still wondered what we would find when we got back to the van. Suzy was still there and she looked OK. The car was still there but the car park looked relatively empty until we noticed the young man standing next to and talking to the Spanish motorhomers. Cigarette in hand and cup of tea or coffee he looked at home. He gestured again to me. This time he mimed sleep so I guessed he was asking if we were staying and sleeping over. Not likely we thought and I shook my head. He smiled and gestured the way out. I had my purse out just in case he wanted money but he seemed not to. Then just as we started to get in he pounced upon us and gestured sleep again. A second time I shook my head and said no. I opened my purse he smiled then he part walked away before coming back . In the end I offered him a euro to get rid of him. He smiled and gestured the way out yet again. An odd experience and not one that particularly endears you to a place. It reminded me of being taken for an idiot by an African in Tarifa. Ah well once a fool always a fool or so they say.

Tonight we sleep on another sosta but this time under the walls of the castle at Braganca., That is if we can get on there as it is free and we believe awfully popular. I think we may need the luck of the Irish.

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Comments

[Dancing Dave]

Guimaraes Castle
Great castle

[JenGog]

Guimaraes
Yes it is lovely and looks the perfect castle