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Thurs. 3/13
This morning we were given a lecture and on site talk by Dr. Isabel Cid on Portuguese history and as it
applies to this pousada. Then, a local guide took us through the adjacent Royal Palace of Vila Vicosa,
seat of the Portuguese crown until court was moved to Lisbon in the 16th century. Interestingly,
Queens NY was named in honor of Katherine of Braganca, given her as a present from her husband, Charles
of England. Furniture, paintings, artifacts and especially tapestries from every country and period
are displayed in the 50 rooms of the Palace that we visited. It had been used mainly as a hunting lodge
for the nobility in its later years.
We lunched in ESTREMOZ at the elegant POUSADA DA RAINHA in the
hilltop castle, visited the Jesuit church and municipal museum of crafts and tiles before returning
to Vila Vicosa. We wandered into town, visited the local church, where a group of ladies quietly prayed
and sang hymns beautifully, and enjoyed beer at a local café populated by locals sipping coffee and
enjoying conversation. Even in this mundane setting, the walls were made of marble and the floor terrazzo.
In this town, the park benches and trim on even the lowliest houses are made of marble.
Fri. 3/14
EVORA is a major city in the ALENTAJO area. Important in Roman times, not much remains of its buildings.
Only a small portion of the forum that once dominated the hilltop, now occupied by the basilica, museum,
and commercial buildings, can be seen. The remains of the Palace of the Kings, plaza and Franciscan Church,
including the crypt which contains skulls and bones of thousands of 16th Cent. believers
(artfully arranged, I must say) were interesting to visit.
Cork trees line the roads and cover
acres of land near Evora; cork is a major product here. The trees must grow 15 years before the cork
can be stripped from the trunk – only so far up, else the tree would be destroyed. Then, 9 more years
must elapse before the tree can be stripped again. Every tree is clearly marked with the last year it
has been stripped. We visited a local farm, Monte da Serraceira, owned by our local guide and her
husband, and were instructed on the growing of wine grapes and some of the new machinery used in this
endeavor. Of course, we happily tasted the result. After dinner at our pousada, we were entertained
by a pianist as we sipped coffee in the elegant lounge.
Sat. 3/15
Again today we are experiencing unusually spring like weather. Much of the morning is spent driving north
through hilly forested country, serene small villages of whitewashed houses, and lovely views. In TOMAR,
we visit the CASTLE OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS dating as far back as the 12th Cent. This huge complex,
majestically set atop a high hill overlooking the town, is resplendent in manueline architecture, has 7
large courtyards, a chirrola altar in the chapel where knights used to attend mass on horseback, and a
maze of rooms that had me lost for awhile. It has been empty for centuries, but the thick stone walls
hold secrets that I would love to know. We lunched in a restaurant situated in a park in town.
Continuing north, we stopped for only a few minutes at the SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA, but were unable
to enter the church due to time constraints. Nevertheless, it was a moving experience to see so many
faithful, some walking on their knees, coming to pray to Our Lady. The MONASTARY OF BATALHA is a
towering, extremely ornate manueline style church and former monastery, dating back to 1388.
Never entirely completed, it stands forlornly as a reminder of lost glories. The tombs of 2 unknown
Portuguese soldiers of World War I are contained therein, witnessed by 2 military guards, and the
church is the burial place of several Portuguese kings and many notables.
Our pousada for the next
3 nights is the QUINTA DAS LEGRIMES in COIMBRA, an impressive and enormous manor house with golf course,
formal gardens, ponds, indoor waterfalls and pools and lovely appointments. Dinner here tonight was
excellent and elegantly served.
Sun. 3/16
In CONIMBRIGA we visit the very extensive Roman ruins dating back to the 1st Cent. AD, one of the most
fascinating and interesting sites we’ve visited. It presents a clear picture of everyday life in the
Roman provinces – layout of the homes, baths, temples, other public buildings, and clearly defined portions
of the original Roman road. Much more needs excavating when and if funds become available. The small
museum holds a wealth of everyday objects found at the site. We drove to FIGUEIRA DE FOZ, a seaside city
on the Atlantic coast, sometimes referred to as the Riviera of Northern Portugal.
It is interesting to
view the Atlantic facing west, across the very wide white sand beach. We experienced a typical Portuguese
fish soup, fish main course lunch at a local restaurant. The strange looking fish did not impress me, but
the wine was excellent, as always. In late afternoon, back at our pousada, Dr. Antonio Silva gave us an
interesting and provocative 2 hour lecture on the history and current situation in Portugal.
Mon. 3/17
The original 13th Cent. CONVENT OF ST. CLAIRE situated near the Mondego River in Coimbra was inundated
during devastating floods in the 17th Cent. that caused it to sink irretrievably into the ground.
A new baroque convent on a high promontary was built for the sisters and dedicated to St. Queen Isabel,
who is interred therein. No longer active as a convent, military personnel are now housed in the former
cloister, tho the beautiful church with gold leaf on the retable of the high altar still functions as a
church. We visited the UNIVERSITY OF COIMBRA, the primary U. of Portugal since 1290 and now restored
in the royal palace. The Miguel Chapel is lined with tiles from various areas. In fact, tiles of
various styles and colors from Arab to Portuguese are everywhere you look in this area, and prominent
in every important building. The former throne room now holds important University ceremonies, and is
of course, floor to ceiling tile.
The most outstanding building though, is the John V baroque library,
3 rooms of floor to ceiling books. The room is done in tropical wood, adorned with gilt and polychrome
painting. Awesome! The weather has turned colder today, with some rain.We walked down the steep streets
from the U., stopping to visit the massive Old Cathedral, built in Romanesque style in 1162 with walls
of Hispano-Arabic tiles. After a snack break at a local café, we continued our meandering in Central
area, down curving alleys and busy plazas.
Several old churches beckoned, but were locked. However
we were richly rewarded by locating SANTA CRUZ CHURCH founded in 1131 by Augustinians. Church, cloisters
and sacristy are all richly decorated with tiles and paintings, and a baroque organ. Coimbra is a very
old city, laid out in a mottled patchwork of helter skelter streets and narrow cobblestone alleys.
So many of the old buildings are desperately in need of repair, or demolition, it seems an almost
insurmountable task.
Continue...
This trip to Spain / Portugal was made March 7 – 23, 2003 by a New York State couple.
Your comments are welcome.
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