Evora,Portugal

We left Lisbon on a train to Evora and we're ready to move on...

A journey of about an hour and half brought us to Evora which is about 160kms away in the south central Alentejo region of Portugal. It is a wine growing region and it wasn't long before we could see miles and miles of vineyards...

We took a taxi to our accommodations as it was too far to walk with our bags and the streets were all cobblestones so we didn't think our wheels on our carry ons would survive.

We were met by our lovely host, an out of work sociologist who rents out rooms in her beautiful house to make ends meet. Our room is large with an extra single bed which looks like this...

Notice Don's  bag to the left and my things spread everywhere, fine when the room is large but a problem when it's not! 

Evora is designated as a UNESCO heritage city because of it's many monuments and historical sites. It is very clean and very white with most buildings painted white trimmed with yellow.

The town is full of very narrow streets made of cobblestones and churches on every corner...

 

Just around the corner was a restaurant which our host recommended and it had the best food yet...

 These were the entradas, which are the starters. They bring these out to start the meal even though you don't order them, and of course you have to pay for them. These were delicious, one being octopus and the other being marinated mushrooms.

The place was packed with locals as we were the only tourists there, fortunately the young woman who was in charge spoke some English and could explain the menu to us. We ended up having a fish soup with a " small shark" and a bean and pork soup. The portions were huge so next time we will only order one to share...

Very typical restaurant decor, this table was soon occupied by a multi generational family who consumed lots of food. We couldn't believe how much people ordered compared to what we would order at home. 

Evora is quite a walkable city, especially within the walls of the old town. It has about 50,000 people and is a vibrant university town. 

We walked around some of the outside of the old city where the walls are still well maintained...

It also has an aqueduct which was built in the 16th century that still supplies water to the town.

Famous for it's buildings here are a few examples 

The church on the main square

Fountain in the Main Square. 

One of many churches...

Another...

Most of the churches were open to visit and they were grand...

 

This lady was saying the rosary...

In this church there was a choral group practising and with the acoustics they sounded marvellous...

 

The singers...

Attached to the St. Francis church which was built in the 15th century was an interesting display of Nativity Scences from around the world, the collection had over 2000 and some were on display. They were wonderfully creative and here are some of my favourites...

 

These were from Portugal but there were examples from over 80 countries, including this one from China...

There was also a religious art exhibit with many examples of this saint who is the Patron Saint of Portugal. For you trivia buffs, it is Saint Anthony...

And then there was the Chapel of Bones with an entrance inscription which read, Us bones that are here, for yours we wait

Some details...

This chapel was built from the bones and skulls of over 5000 people exhumed from cemeteries and churches throughout the area. It was used as a burial place for monks and important people, as well as a meditation space. How would you like mediating here?  

As we walked around we came across lovely squares to stop and rest...

We spent a couple of hours one morning catching the sun and reading an English newspaper, yeah!

There were also interesting ruins of a Roman temple built in the 1st century, showing that many people's had occupied this space since Prehistoric times. 

That day as we walked around we would come across a large troupe of scouts who were visiting, they were resting here...

And of course there are the people of Evora, this women trying to sell Don a knife for five euros...

This lady who was scrubbing her restaurant...

This older gentleman who was wearing the traditional coat of the region, made of wool with a fox collar...

These people relaxing in the sun...

And often with a beverage...

Many like us were bundled up for the cold...

As can probably be seen from the photos Evora was a very relaxing stop, it was quiet, clean and colourful, and we enjoyed our visit here. 

It was made all the more comfortable when we returned back to our accommodation to a warm fire...

Which was supplied by Don, reminded us of the cabin...

And a usual supper of this...

So again, a stop that did not disappoint and one we would recommend, and tomorrow we move on.