I've reached Evora in Alentejo (literally meaning 'beyond the river Tagus') on Sunday at lunch time. It wasn't really that easy coz firstly, there were some problems with metro and I've almost missed the bus and then the trip was over one hour longer because of the bicycle marathon on the Vasco da Gama bridge. After leaving the freezing air-conditioned bus the heat surrounded me. For a while I felt as if I was being followed by Japanese girls but I've lost them in the toilet. As soon as I left the bus station in Evora I started moving towards the historical center. The general atmosphere of the city reminded me a mixture of Greek villages, films with Mexican landscapes in the background and stories of Don Kichot.
What I loved the most about the city appearance were yellow frames around the windows and doors, which is very typical for Alentejo, Southern Portugal.
After having a coffee (in a yellow cup) in one of the cafes a lady holding a bunch of papers printed with wikipedia stuff, obviously a tourist, asked me if I can help her to find the way to one of the churches. As soon as I've looked at her papers I've noticed they were all in Hebrew. What a surprise it was for the lady when I not anwsered to her in Hebrew but also managed to read what was written on her papers. After a while she also helped me to find the Chapel of Skulls. It was quite nice to speak the language I didn't use at all after 4 years of studying it.
The most impressing piece of architecture in Evora is its cathedral with lovely
rose windows.
As to me it is a perfect example of the UNESCO site, all kinds of styles mix here: megalithic, roman, gothic, reinessance temples.
If I had more space in my luggage probably I would buy something made of
cork. Cork forests are common in Portugal and due to that this country makes 50% of cork products worldwide.
Alentejo region is also famous for the red wines, which are well known for combining quality with affordability.
On Sunday afternoon Evora was extremely peaceful and quiet. That was what I was glad to experience after crowded Lisbon. The surroundings were very pleasant and half of the day was enough to see all of the attractions and also the festival of local products.
(This is one of over 30 posts, which I accidentally deleted one day in January. Luckily, I was able to recover them thanks to the backup done by DanielSan! It's a pity that the comments are gone...)
I've reached Evora in Alentejo (literally meaning 'beyond the river Tagus') on Sunday at lunch time. It wasn't really that easy coz firstly, there were some problems with metro and I've almost missed the bus and then the trip was over one hour longer because of the bicycle marathon on the Vasco da Gama bridge. After leaving the freezing air-conditioned bus the heat surrounded me. For a while I felt as if I was being followed by Japanese girls but I've lost them in the toilet. As soon as I left the bus station in Evora I started moving towards the historical center. The general atmosphere of the city reminded me a mixture of Greek villages, films with Mexican landscapes in the background and stories of Don Kichot.
What I loved the most about the city appearance were yellow frames around the windows and doors, which is very typical for Alentejo, Southern Portugal.
After having a coffee (in a yellow cup) in one of the cafes a lady holding a bunch of papers printed with wikipedia stuff, obviously a tourist, asked me if I can help her to find the way to one of the churches. As soon as I've looked at her papers I've noticed they were all in Hebrew. What a surprise it was for the lady when I not anwsered to her in Hebrew but also managed to read what was written on her papers. After a while she also helped me to find the Chapel of Skulls. It was quite nice to speak the language I didn't use at all after 4 years of studying it.
The most impressing piece of architecture in Evora is its cathedral with lovely rose windows.
As to me it is a perfect example of the UNESCO site, all kinds of styles mix here: megalithic, roman, gothic, reinessance temples.
If I had more space in my luggage probably I would buy something made of cork. Cork forests are common in Portugal and due to that this country makes 50% of cork products worldwide.
Alentejo region is also famous for the red wines, which are well known for combining quality with affordability.
On Sunday afternoon Evora was extremely peaceful and quiet. That was what I was glad to experience after crowded Lisbon. The surroundings were very pleasant and half of the day was enough to see all of the attractions and also the festival of local products.
(This is one of over 30 posts, which I accidentally deleted one day in January. Luckily, I was able to recover them thanks to the backup done by DanielSan! It's a pity that the comments are gone...)
No comments:
Post a Comment