Alentajo Attractions

The Alentajo is a large province in Portugal. Evora is its major city, but today, we visited some other places in the area that were recommended in our guide. These are not major tourist attractions, but that just makes them even more appealing to us.

We lingered over breakfast at Albergaria dos Calvaria, enjoying the delicious fare as well as our conversation with Bob and Nancy, one of the two Toronto couples we had met yesterday. Later, as we were checking out, we found ourselves in conversation with another two guests at the hotel, a couple from Connecticut. This hotel has such a warm atmosphere that we were reluctant to leave.

The castle in Beja

At about 11:00, we were on the road again, heading south. Our first stop was the town of Beja, the hottest place in Portugal, about 45 minutes away. Our guide book indicated that the highlight of the place was the Museu Regional, housed in the 15th Century Convento da Nossa Senhora de Conceicao. The building itself is supposed to be stunning. I say "supposed to be" since we did not see the inside. It was closed when we arrived at 12:30, even though the same guidebook indicated it was open until 1:30. We took a short walk around the town anyway and took pictures of the castle and the exterior of the Museum.

The exterior of the best museum in Beja

Steps in Serpa

Our next destination was Serpa, a gorgeous small town. We were very lucky to find parking near the main square where we sat down to a light lunch. Near us was a Parisian couple, with whom we had a very pleasant chat, at first in French and than later in English. We shared travel stories as we enjoyed our lunch in a beautiful setting. Again, we could have lingered all day.

Beautiful square in Serpa

Porta de Beja, with aquaduct behind it

Besides its square, Serpa, has an a ruined Moorish Castle, an aquaduct, and an impressive gateway into the old quarter, Porta de Beja. This was a place well worth visiting.

Mertola, from a distance

Proceeding further south, we headed to Mertola, another beautiful village . Its position on the top of a hill reminded me of the "white towns" of Spain that we saw two years ago in Andalucia. The influence of the Moors was evident here as well, with a church, Igreja Matriz, that had once been a mosque, and the ruins of a Moorish castle above it. We walked the cobblestoned streets of this little town for about an hour. It was very peaceful, since so few tourists were about on this day.

Igreja Matirz

The Moorish interior of the church in Mertola

Finally, we left Alentajo for the Algarve, where we are spending the next few days. We have stopped in Tavira for the night, where we are staying at the Vila Gale Hotel, a large establishment well located near the river, shops and restaurants. We will head out early tomorrow morning for photos. For tonight, we intended to eat at a local tapas place, but on the way there, we happened upon an Indian Restaurant called Typical. We decided we were in the mood for something different; like the many British ex-pats who holiday here, we ordered a curry. The food was good - it was, as its name suggests, "typical" - and, as a bonus, we were offered a digestif at the end of the meal, "on the house". I chose a white port, while Bob had a red one.