Blogs from Évora, Alentejo, Portugal, Europe - page 2

After running full time for 24 hours in Lisbon, my next stop was to be a lot more relax. The mission was double, to visit the little town of Evora, and to enjoy an exquisite stay in what look like a gorgeous place...well...at least this is the way I saw it from my research on the internet. I first rent a car into Lisbon for the 130km to Evora. Highways in Portugal are pretty modern, and once you leave the capital, you have the place for yourself. I didn't really realize how low density in population the countryside was once you have driven few miles out of Lisbon. Sadly, not many pictures while riding the 25th April bridge....driving and taking pictures at the same is obviously not a great idea....even if I was ready! My dig ... read more

We had a bad night , Suzy rocked with the thud, thud of the music from the club across the road and she rattled from the beat of the traffic passing by. Even Sion hid inside his comfort blanket and friend Baa Baa the sheep. We called in to ask for a refund and were curtly told no chance. Perhaps by now we should have learned to check the site and the plots first before parting with money. And best of all only pay for one night until the campsite proves a good place to stay. We were glad to leave the city and head out again into the Portuguese countryside. The roads were yet again empty. It was Monday morning after all and we are now heading back home. We have reached the furthest point ... read more

Monday 21st February 2010 Back on the road, this time north east to Evora. A superb drive across country through cork oak groves, vineyards and orange orchards. Tuesday 22nd February 2010 Walk into Evora where we discover a film crew making a commercial for a supermarket. The boys are fascinated by the use of a story board to script the shoot. Walk around the old town of Evora visiting the Cathedral’s chapel of bones and the famous Roman Temple of Diana. Lunch in the main square followed by a visit to the archaeological museum and the office of the local wine producers where a tasting inevitably ensues. ... read more

We got out of Porto much faster than we got in. It's amazing, you can get around really quickly when you're on the right road. We headed South on the Autovia, Portugal's version of the Autobahn. The official speed limit is 120 kilometers per hour (about 72 mph), but after observing the BMWs travelling at 160-180, I decided that 140 (approx. 84 mph) was not likely to attract the attention of the Policia. That meant we made pretty rapid progress, arriving at Sines in 4 hours. Sines is a rapidly-changing town. Probably 10 years ago it was a decaying fishing town, but now it is undergoing rapid redevelopment into a container-shipping port and beach town. Most of the historical houses have been renovated into holiday rentals. The lifelong Portuguese population is adapting to seeing visitors from ... read more

Hello Again, We’ve been so very lucky with the weather so far - but this week has been almost too much to hope for. We’ve travelled inland about 100 miles and the temperature has gone up several degrees. The site we are staying on is within walking distance of Evora but it really is too hot to walk - fortunately there are plenty of places to park, free of charge, just outside with city walls, so we’re taking advantage of this. The site also has a lovely pool heated to 23c perfect for a swim at the end of a long hot day. Evora has been here since Roman times and there are remains from this period which are in superb condition. The remains of the temple to Diana (were all Roman temples to Diana?) are ... read more