Wandering West

Today we traveled westward. We woke up in Spain and went to bed in Portugal. This was the day we gained back that hour we lost a few days ago. We needed every minute of it.

One of the near empty churches in old Casares

Before we left Caseres, we revisited the historical centre of the town. I had read that, except for tourists, the medieval town is almost empty much of the time. Last night, that was not the case, in large part due to two weddings in the area, as well as a concert, but this morning, it was eerily quiet. The church bells rang but we saw few people enter the churches. It made for a lovely morning walk, but I imagine for the local government, it would be better that this area be more vibrant all the time.

The Coloseum

The amphitheatre. Some of it is a reconstruction.

The town of Merida, some 60 kilometres south of Caseres, was our first stop today. It is known for its many Roman ruins, the second most in Spain. We visited the Colosseum and Amphitheatre there, as well as the Roman bridge, the Alcazaba (a Moorish ruin) and the aqueduct. The latter was my favourite of the ruins for a couple of reasons. First, these towering structures are not part of any museum  - they are just there; secondly, they house several stork families who have built nests at the top of the ruins; and finally, they are massive. See how tiny I appear next to one of the columns.

The Roman bridge as seen from the Alcazaba

Aqueduct. I am the tiny figure in white. There are two storks on top.

After a lunch in air-conditioned comfort in the Plaza Major, we left Merida at about 16:00, local time, but it was only 15:00 where we were headed, so we had time for three brief stops on the way to Evora.

Our first visit was to the lovely town of Elvas. We drove then climbed to the top of the town for a spectacular view of the homes below; we also popped into a couple of churches on or near the town square.

The view from the Castle in Elvas

Elvas Town Centre

Next, we hurried to Vila Vicosa - we wanted to visit Paco Ducal, a palace that was highly recommended in our guide book. However, although we arrived 45 minutes before closing, we discovered that the last tour had left 15 minutes beforehand. Sometimes the best guidebook does not have all the information needed. Oh well. Instead, we found a castle to take pictures of - and a statue of a Portuguese King - Joao II. And custard tarts. It is good to be back, Portugal.

The King and I

The king of the Castle

Finally, we made a very brief stop in Redondo, a small town noted for its ceramics and wine industry, neither of which were on display on a Sunday afternoon.

This was our hottest day yet, with the temperature soaring into the mid-30s, so we were glad to arrive at our hotel, Albergaria Do Calvario, in Evora for a quiet evening. We will be spending two nights here. The staff here are fantastic. They have prepared a booklet for guests which includes recommendations of restaurants and particular dishes. We chose the Arroz de Tamboril (Monkfish and Shellfish Rice Stew) at Restaurante Cervejaria 1/4 Para As 9, which means Quarter to Nine. Yummy.