Geoff and Rita's Trip to Portugal

Evora (EH-voh-rah) is a 2.5 hour drive north of Lagos in the heart of Alentejo province.  It's the hottest part of Portugal and in the summer is very arid and dry with temperatures in the 40's (104f) but today it was a lush green and 17c (63f) as we drove past groves of cork and olive trees as well as many wineries, cattle and sheep ranches.  Evora has a well preserved old town, partially enclosed by 2km of medieval walls.  It has been an important and prosperous town for over 2,000 years.  Romans, Moors and Portuguese Kings have all left there mark here.  Evora's Old Town's centuries old streets are very narrow with cobbled stone pathways which are well preserved and protected by law.  We are staying for 2 nights in a delightful 22 room boutique hotel inside Old Town that used to be a 16th century olive mill. There is only us and another couple staying here and the hotel will shut down the day we leave.  All churches and museums are closed as well mo...

Yesterday we had to face the reality of not being able to finish our tour of Portugal as planned.  The Condor flight home has been cancelled as we were routing through Seattle.  We tried to get hold of Condor to change our flight without success.  Today, the Government of Canada strongly suggested Canadians outside of the country come home while they still could.  After failing to get hold of Condor again we bit the bullet and went online to book a one way ticket with Lufthansa that would take us from Lisbon to Frankfurt where we would overnight and then onto Vancouver.  This was a big financial hit for us as we had to shell out $7,500 for two economy seats with extended leg room. We could not book our departure flight until March 19th as we needed our Canadian passports which we left with Rita's parents for safe keeping.  They will be couriered to a friend of Rita in Frankfurt and onto us prior to our departure.  Fingers crossed.  Tomorrow we ...

It was a windy and overcast day as we headed into the heart of the Algarve to explore several small towns but it cleared up in the afternoon and ended with a stunning sunset. Our first stop was Almancil, a totally undistinguished town except for Igreja Matriz de Sao Lourenco or Saint Lawrence Church in English.  It was built in 1730 in gratitude to Saint Lawrence who answered the towns desperate prayers for finding a water well.    The church's interior is a masterpiece of decoration in Portuguese glazed tiles known as "azulejos".  The blue and white tiles cover the entire interior of the church and depict the life of Saint Lawrence.  On our way to the next town we had to stop the car for a shepherd and his flock as they cross the road heading for another pasture.  A very rural experience. Loule is a market town and this is their massive indoor market.  Of course by the time we arrived the market was closing down.  So we ...

 The remains of the legendary 10th century Moorish castle that sits above the town of Aljezur was the last castle to be conquered by the Christians in 1249.  It is also one of the seven castles represented on the Portuguese flag.  About a 10km drive from Aljezur is Arrifana beach which is nestled in a pretty shell shaped bay.  Surfers walk with there surfboards down a very steep and winding road to reach the beach but are rewarded with some excellent surf. Leaving the beach and heading up to the top of the cliffs, looking northwards at this wonderfully rugged view. Our next stop was the tiny village of Odeceixe and its stunning beach straddling the mouth of the Seixe River which runs into the Atlantic Ocean. The ocean surf pounding onto Odeceixe beach. We walked the cliffs and beach which is made of very fine sand before stopping for a hearty lunch.  We found Darita Restaurant which overlooks the beach and ordered a loc...

In the days before Columbus, when the world was presumed to be flat, Cape Sagres at the southernmost tip of Portugal was deemed to be the closest spot to the edge of the Earth.  Prince Henry the Navigator, determined to broaden Europe's horizons and spread Catholicism, founded his navigators' school here and sent sailors into the unknown. Even though it was a warm and sunny day we packed our sweaters and winter jackets as we were told the wind can drop the temperatures dramatically.   Sagres is still a fishing town with its protected harbor but this is about as pretty as it gets. A 5 minute drive from Sagres is Cape Sagres and its Fort.  This former "End of the World" is a scraggy, windswept, wedge-shaped point that juts out into the Atlantic.  In 1420, Prince Henry the Navigator established his navigation school here but it was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake.  Inside the fortress, rebuilt in the 18th century, are a few buildings including the re...

The sun was back this morning and so we headed off to do a little exploring.  One of the places we wanted to visit in the sunshine was an old fishing village called Salema (Sah-LAY-mah).  The fisherman are almost gone as there are only a few weathered fishing boats left but Salema has a gorgeous beach in front of it and that has started to draw visitors from several gated resorts located nearby.  We really liked the vibe of the place even though it only has three beachside streets with no real attractions other than lounging in the sun or enjoying a good meal or drinks on the deck at one of several well reviewed restaurants.  But we only stopped for a coffee when we arrived as I had read about a secluded beach about a 30 minute drive away that had a small restaurant specializing in octopus dishes.  So off we went and we were not dissapointed with the food or the scenery.  Both were spectacular.    Looking up from the beach at some fishin...