DAY 7 - ALVADOS DAY 3:


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Europe » Portugal » Lisbon & Tagus Valley » Batalha
May 14th 2014
Published: May 15th 2014
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WOKE UP AROUND 8AM, HAD OUR TYPICAL BREAKFAST AND HEADED TO FIRST STOP, THE BATTLE MONASTERY (MONISTERIO BATALHA). WE PASSED THRU PORTO DE MOS, THEN TOOK N352 ALL THE WAY TO BATALHA. FROM MY INTERNET RESEARCH, I'D THOUGHT THERE WASN'T MUCH TOWN THERE, JUST MOSTLY THE MONASTERY, BUT AS WE DROPPED DOWN INTO TOWN, I REALIZED I WAS WRONG. BATALHA, THE TOWN, IS REALLY PRETTY GOOD SIZED. WE WEREN'T SURE HOW CLOSE WE COULD PARK TO THE MONASTERY, SO WHEN WE GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY ONTO THE MAIN STREET AND WERE PRETTY SURE IT WAS CLOSE, I PULLED INTO AN EASY TO PARK SPOT BY THE ROAD AND PAID MY 1.50 EUROS FOR A COUPLE HOURS OF PARKING. IT TURNED OUT THE MONASTERY WAS JUST A FEW BLOCKS DOWN THE STREET. WE TURNED THE CORNER AND IMMEDIATELY IMPRESSED BY THE SIZE OF THE PLACE, NOT TO MENTION THE ORNATE FACADE.

WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE MAIN ENTRANCE IS ACTUALLY THE PUBLIC ENTRANCE TO THE CATHEDRAL. VISITORS/TOURISTS ACTUALLY ENTER A SMALLER DOOR AT THE LEFT CORNER. WE PRESENTED OUR COMBO TICKETS FROM THE CONVENTO DO CRISTO AND PROCEEDED TO SPEND OVER AN HOUR WANDERING AROUND INSIDE. THEY HAD A NICE GIFT SHOP THAT WAS ALSO A MEMORIAL TO THE UNKNOWN PORTUGUESE SOLDIERS THAT FOUGHT AND DIED IN WORLD WAR 1. THERE WAS ALSO A ROOM/HALL THAT WAS THE VERSION OF THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER, WITH TWO PORTUGUESE SOLDIERS AT ATTENTION ON EACH SIDE OF THE TOMB/MEMORIAL. SEVERAL HALLS HAD SOME BEAUTIFUL STAINED GLASS WINDOWS AND ORIGINAL PIECES OF ART AND STATUES, SOME OF WHICH WERE APPARENTLY CARVED FROM WOOD.

THIS MONASTERY, UNLIKE THE CONVENTO DO CRISTO, HAD VERY LITTLE AZULEJOS (TILES) ON THE WALLS, BUT DID HAVE SOME BEAUTIFUL STONEWORK AND A COUPLE OF PRETTY COURTYARDS. IF YOU GO OUT ONE DOOR, YOU CAN WALK AROUND TO THE UNFINISHED CHAPELS, A VERY ORNATE DOMED CHAPEL, WITHOUT THE DOME. STILL, IT HAD A LOT OF INTRICATE CARVINGS, BEAUTIFUL STAINED GLASS WINDOWS AND A FEW TOMBS, ONE OF A PORTUGUESE KING AND QUEEN.

WE LEFT THE MONASTERY, RETURNED TO OUR CAR AND FAIRLY EASILY FOUND THE BIG MAIN HIGHWAY TO ALCOBACA. ACTUALLY, UNLESS YOU'RE ON THE SMALL ROADS, LIKE WE WERE A LOT YESTERDAY, THE MAIN ROADS AND HIGHWAYS ARE PRETTY WELL MARKED, INCLUDING ANY ROUNDABOUTS. JUST MAKE SURE YOU TURN DOWN THE RIGHT SPOKE OF THE ROUNDABOUT, OR KEEP GOING AROUND UNTIL YOU'RE SURE. WE'VE MADE SEVERAL WRONG TURNS SO FAR AND HAD TO MAKE A U-TURN BACK TO THE ROUNDABOUT.

WE EXITED THE MAIN HIGHWAY AND THEN PROBABLY TOOK A WRONG TURN SOMEWHERE, BUT THANKS TO THE SIGNS, WE NOT ONLY ENDED UP AT THE ALCOBACA MONASTERY, BUT DROPPED DOWN RIGHT BESIDE IT AND FOUND A PARKING SPACE RIGHT NEXT TO IT. THIS MONASTERY DIDN'T LOOK QUITE SO IMPRESSIVE FROM THE OUTSIDE, BUT IT STILL TURNED OUT TO BE VERY WORTHWHILE. WE STOPPED AND HAD A CUP OF COFFEE AT THE LITTLE CAFE, REAL BACA CAFE, LOOKING RIGHT AT THE MONASTERY ACROSS THE SQUARE (PRACA IN PORTUGUESE). TOURISTS ENTER AT THE MAIN CATHEDRAL DOOR, WHERE YOU PAY YOUR ENTRY (OR SHOW YOUR TICKET LIKE WE DID), THEN EITHER CHECK OUT THE MAIN CATHEDRAL, OR ENTER THE CLOISTERS LIKE WE DID. WE SAW THE CATHEDRAL ON THE WAY OUT INSTEAD.

LIKE THE BATALHA MONASTERY, THERE WERE TWO FLOORS OF ROOMS AROUND CENTRAL COURTYARDS, JUST LESS OF THEM. STILL THE COURTYARDS WERE QUITE PRETTY. ONE HALL OR ROOM CONTAINED STATUES OF ALL THE KINGS OF PORTUGAL FROM THE BEGINNING, WITH I THINK SIX NAMED ALFONSO AND A COUPLE OTHER NAMES REPEATED TOO. UNDER THE STATUES, ALONG ALL THE WALLS, WERE TILE SCENES DEPICTING HOW THE MONASTERY CAME ABOUT FROM AN EDICT FROM THE KING. ONE WALL HAD WHAT HAS TO BE THE MOST WORDS ON ANY SET OF TILES, ANYWHERE. SEE THE PHOTO. THE KITCHEN HAD WHAT I BELIEVE WAS A GIANT WATER HEATER... QUITE AMAZING.

I STUMBLED UPON A SMALL DOOR WITH A SPIRAL STAIRCASE THAT TOOK ME UP ABOVE THE MAIN FLOORS, WITH 3 DIFFERENT EXITS. I DOUBT VERY MANY PEOPLE FOUND THIS NEAT LITTLE STAIRCASE, ALTHOUGH WE DID SEE PEOPLE IN ONE OF THE ROOMS THAT HAD COME UP A LARGE STAIRCASE. AFTER BROWSING ALL THE HALLS AND BOTH FLOORS, WE RETURN TO THE ENTRANCE TO CHECK OUT THE CATHEDRAL. HERE IS WHERE THE TOMBS OF DOM PEDRO AND DONA INES LIE, IN BEAUTIFULLY CARVED STONE COFFINS. THERE STORY IS ONE OF THE FIRST RECORDED STORIES OF UNREQUITED LOVE, LIKE ROMEO AND JULIET. DONA INES WAS THE A DAUGHTER OF A DUKE IN CASTRO, A SPANISH REGION. PEDRO WAS THE PRINCE OF PORTUGAL, SON OF KING ALFONSO. THE KING DISAPPROVED OF THE AFFAIR AND HAD DONA INES ASSASSINATED, JUST 5 YEARS BEFORE PRINCE PEDRO BECAME KING. HE NEVER FORGOT HER AND REQUESTED THAT WHEN HE DIED, SHE WOULD BE WITH HIM, AND SO SHE IS.

AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO, WE LEFT THE MONASTERY. MANOLI HAD NOTICED A SING FOR NAZARES, A BEACH TOWN SHE HAD HEARD ABOUT FROM A FRIEND, SO WE GOT BACK ON THE MAIN HIGHWAY AND DROVE TO NAZARES. I DON'T CARE MUCH FOR BEACHES, BUT IT WAS A NICE BEACH, ALMOST AS NICE AS PENSACOLA BEACH WHERE WE LIVE. WE FOUND A PLACE TO PARK NEAR THE BEACH, AND SINCE IT WAS AFTER 1PM BY THIS TIME, WE DECIDED TO EAT SOMEWHERE THERE. WE PICKED OUT A REASONABLE LOOKING PLACE THAT HAD A GOOD SEAFOOD SELECTION AND SAT DOWN. THERE WAS NO SIGN AND WE GOT NO PRINTED RECEIPT, SO I CAN'T SAY EXACTLY WHICH RESTAURANT IT WAS. I DECIDED TO TAKE THE PLUNGE AND ORDER A FISH DISH THAT THE WAITER SUGGESTED AND MANOLI HAD SARDINES AND A MUSHROOM DISH. THE WAITER BROUGHT OUT AN APPETIZING SELECTION OF BREAD, OLIVES AND THREE KINDS OF SPREADS TO EAT WHILE WE WAITED. WE WERE GETTING USED TO HAVING THEM BRING BREAD AND BUTTER, AND EVEN A LITTLE SOMETHING MORE, THEN CHARGING US A FEW EUROS EXTRA FOR IT, BUT THIS WAS A BIT OVER THE TOP. WE FOUND OUT WHEN WE WENT TO PAY THE BILL, THAT THESE "APPETIZERS" THAT WE DIDN'T REALLY ORDER COST 14 EUROS, CONSIDERABLY MORE THAN EITHER OF OUR DISHES. THE OTHER BUMMER IS THAT MY FRIED FISH DISH, WERE LITTLE MINNOW-LIKE FISH THAT I JUST COULDN'T EAT. WITH THE TINY AMOUNT OF SOMEWHAT TASTELESS MEAT (ALTHOUGH MANOLI SAID THEY HAD PLENTY OF FLAVOR), AND THE MIRIADS OF LITTLE BONES THE MADE MY MOUTH CREEP OUT... THE FRENCH FRIES WERE GOOD THOUGH, AND WE GOT AN EXPECTED TREAT WHILE WE WERE SITTING THERE. I SPOTTED SOMETHING WEIRD MOUNTED ON A TRUCK, COMING SLOWLY UP THE STREET, AND LO AND BEHOLD, IT WAS THE GOOGLE "STREET VIEW" CAMERA TRUCK. SO, I GUESS MY WIFE AND I WILL BE ON NAZARES GOOGLE STREET VIEW ONE OF THESE DAYS.

AFTER OUR HEAVY, AND EXPENSIVE LUNCH (32 EUROS), WE DECIDED TO WALK AROUND A BIT, THEN WE GOT IN THE CAR AND HEADED UP TO THE LITTLE TOWN ON THE CLIFF ABOVE NAZARES CALLED SITIO. THERE WAS A LITTLE FUNICULAR (ELEVATED CABLE CAR) THAT RAN UP THERE BUT WE DECIDED TO DRIVE UP. THE VIEWS FROM THERE WERE PRETTY AWESOME. BY THIS TIME IT WAS AFTER 4PM, SO WE HEADED BACK TO OUR HOSTEL IN ALVADOS. I'M INCLUDING SOME PHOTOS OF THE HOSTEL THIS TIME SO YOU FOLKS CAN GET AN IDEA OF HOW MUCH WE ARE ROUGHING IT. TOMORROW WE LEAVE FOR VILA NOVA DE FOZ COA AND THE OUTDOOR PREHISTORIC ROCK DRAWINGS.

WE ARE IN OUR HOSTEL IN VILA NOVA DE FOZ COA NOW, AND I SWEAR I AM GOING TO GET CAUGHT UP ON THE BLOGS.


Additional photos below
Photos: 48, Displayed: 27


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KING'S ROOMKING'S ROOM
KING'S ROOM

THE ROOM WITH STATUES OF ALL THE KINGS, AND INTRICATE TILE SCENES ON ALL THE WALLS DEPICTING HOW THE MONASTERY CAME TO BE


17th May 2014

Beautiful Tile
That tile is truly beautiful. Because I don't know Spanish, I do not know what it says. Is it about the unrequited love story?
18th May 2014

Not Spanish
Juju actually it is in Portuguese so I don't know either. I can check the website.

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