The Romans, Cork, Wine and Olive Oil

Due to yesterday's tight schedule and my fatigue last night I forgot to include the story behind the Pousada Dona Maria I in Quelez where we stayed.. She was the queen mother of Pedro IV and Miguel who fought each other for control in a bitter 19^th century Civil War. Our pousada and Maria's palace across the street are in the the Baroque style of the 18^th century.

Leaving Quelez and skirting Lisbon, we suddenly saw the most incredible full rainbow. With dark clouds behind it, each color (remember Roy G Biv?) was brilliant. Heading east from the outskirts of Lisbon we crossed the wide Tejo River which runs beside the city and empties into the Atlantic. The bridge over the river is almost 11 miles long and is the longest bridge in Europe.

Passing acres and acres of cork trees beside the road, Anna, our wonderful guide explained the important cork industry in Portugal. They are the major cork producing country in the world. The photo shows a tree which has undergone several harvesting of its cork bark.

Our first destination was Evora in the Alentejo Region east of Lisbon. A walled-town since Roman times, Michelin rates it 3* (his highest rating and “worthy of a journey”). The photo of the ancient Roman temple ruins provide evidence of the 1^st and 2^nd century Roman occupation. Walking through the town we could see brilliant white houses, alleys cut by arches, flower-decked terraces and openwork balconies and tiled patios. A lovely sight, indeed! We even had time to do a little shopping for cork products. I was amazed by all the items made from cork – umbrellas, hats, shoes, coats, jewelry, etc.

A very interesting site was the Chapel of the Bones.  The walls were literally covered in bones and skulls.  Apparently, the people were told it was an honor to have your bones placed here, but rumor has it that the church was trying to save money and effort by not having to bury the remains.

The Cathedral was built in the late 12^th and 13^th century in the Transitional Gothic style (Romanesque characteristics but completed in the Gothic style) Another old church contained beautiful blue tiles below gilded alters.

Next came a site inspection of the Pousada dos Loios situated beside the Roman temple This pousada had been a convent in the 16^th century and instead of room numbers, each door had a cell number.

By now it was 2pm and our stomachs were definitely vocal. Lunch was prominent in our minds as we drove past lush farmlands in the Alentejo region to the world famous Esporao Wine Estate. I was surprised at the vastness of the estate as well as the number of olive groves interspersed among the vineyards. Lunch was incredible and including wine tastings with each of the 4 courses starting with a sparkling rose on arrival. The wines were delicious as was the lunch We were told the wines are exported to the US, and I am definitely going to look for them as they were excellent. To work off this 4-wine lunch, we wandered around the grounds surrounding the main house. It was about 5pm by the time we departed the estate. Now this is the way to enjoy lunch!

An hour and a half later we arrived at our last pousada, the Pousada da N. Senhora da Assuncao, a restored 16^th century convent situated in the Arralolos valley. Rumor has it that this valley is famous for its carpets but that shopping must be postponed for another trip. After a tour of this convent (totally different from the one in Evora) we had dinner and then fell into bed. Another very full, but fascinating day.!

Tomorrow – our last day – will be spent touring Lisbon.

Linda