July 15, 2014 
 
MANTEIGAS to BELVER 241km
Rural Tourismo: Casa Covao €35, non-view double without breakfast


Looks Like Colorado to Mi

From our small balcony at Hotel Vale do Zêzere, we had an expansive view across the river to Manteigas village bathed in morning sun. 

We had the choice of following the glacial river Zêzere or climbing steeply up to the high rocky ridge above the treeline. After breakfast, we set out up to the naked ridge behind Manteigas.

This area is popular ski resort during the winter and has an extensive network of hiking trails and huts. Had it not been so hot, we would have gone for a hike for sure. We ascended through thick pine forest and mountainsides covered in wild flowers. Of course we got our exercise getting in and out of the car and taking short walks to particular stunning viewpoints. At one of the many water spigots, we washed the car.
 

Over the Top
  
After following the ridge west to its apex, the road began to curl south and we could see the wide expanse of the valley on the other side. The pine had disappeared and boulder strewn landscape covered the ridge. 

On that ridge, a group of shepherds stood shooting the breeze in the middle of the road, their flocks jingling happy melodies with their tinging bells. I just had to get out of the car to walk between those sheep and goats. The huge Estrela Mountain Dogs (EMD) came to me to be petted. They are large like St. Bernard's and recognized as the most ancient breed on the Iberian Peninsula. They are very gentle. 
 

Bread in Portugal
 
The road descended steadily as we continued west. We got to the city of Seia. We had seen a flyer in Manteigas about a bread museum in Seia, the Museu do Pão, and decided to look for it. We couldn't find it without an address and gave up. But then, while looking for a grocery store, we happened on road signs leading us to the Museu do Pão. 
 
We paid and were directed inside to display rooms where we could wander at our leisure.

Many of the displays were in Portuguese. But they did have expansive explanations of Salazar's impact on peasant farming and the bread making economy that we could read. It was waaay too lengthy for our interests but it seemed to conclude that the central planning and price fixing under Salazar, resulted in the people clinging to old methods with low output while the rest of Europe advanced. 
 

Enchanted Forest

We finished walking though several rooms of displays and found out we were in for a treat. An English speaking woman, wearing an Elf's hat and plastic Elf's ears, had arrived. 
 
The Elf guided us to another part of the museum and gave us a unique narration of the history of bread making in Portugal. She took us though an enchanted forest and introduced us to meet her marionette family members who demonstrated the entire planting, harvesting, flour grinding and baking process in a fun way. At the end he Elf tour, children who visit can make a little souvenir from dough. Our visit was made more hokey by us, two adults, going though a display geared for children, an odd weird experience which will be difficult to forget, no matter how hard we try.

As we drove south from Seia, we spotted signs for an InterMarche where we picked up some roasted chicken, bread and fruit for picnic. 

 
Schist, Slate and Serene

After our lunch stop, we continued on through mountainous terrain to the unique, and out of the way, stone village of Piódão. Anywhere else in the world, this village would be overrun by tourists. Here, only a handful of tourists made it this far. 

It is truly amazing how this lone village can have such a unique architecture. 
 
Until the 70's, this village was only reachable by foot or horse on trails. The houses are built entirely of perfectly aligned stone slabs and the roofs are made of slate, reminding us of Tusheti in Georgia. A small whitewashed church stands at the small plaza lined with few terrace cafes and tourist shops. We hiked through the lovely stone lanes in the village for a bit before reluctantly moving on. We continued through mountainous terrain past numerous secluded whitewashed villages hidden in valleys or clinging to mountainsides.

We had hoped to find accommodations in Sertã, but as we checked booking. com, there were no highly rated budget places. The 4-star Convento Da Serta hotel, a converted 17th century convent, sounded intriguing and was double the price of anywhere we've stayed in Portugal so far. Since we had little time to enjoy it today, and our plan was to take off early in the morning, we decided not to splurge. We continue on for 72 kilometers to Belver where there was a highly rated budget accommodation. 

 
Sleeping Riverside

About 8 pm we entered the small town of Belver overlooking the Tejo River. The sunlit walls of Belver Castle protruded out of the center of town and made an attractive first impression. 
 
We followed signposts which read "Tourismo Rural" and found the lovely historic home on the river to our liking. Tall windows with rustic wooden shutters opening to the inside. Beautiful wooden floors throughout and even some "Azulejo" or hand painted blue and white tiles above some of the doors. No air-con in the rooms but, with the window open and the fan going, we kept comfortable throughout the night.