Evora

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Evora, Évora District, Portugal

EVORA

Evora - Hotel Fernando

Hotel Dom Fernando

And then we arrive in busy Evora – which is clearly a busier city – there are a lot of cars!!!! Everywhere. We did find the hotel but couldn’t figure out where to park so after a circle around a block we parked in which we thought is an empty lot – but it is the parking of the hotel (ok a bit rough) . A perfect room with pool view on ground floor and an outdoor balcony: a perfect spot to relax.

After coffee we headed quickly into town in hope to find a bakery – which we didn’t – as the bakeries we found on google only sold cakes and coffee… that means we are on the way to Lidl and his fresh bakery for some good buns. Back at the hotel – we relax on the balcony – have our supper with a view and a super relaxing evening.

Dust from the Sahara

We woke up again to the smoke and yellowish color and we found out this is the Dust from the Sahara. We learned it happens normally once a year mostly in summer, never in winter (except now) – and not this extreme. And this is why this morning our car is covered in a reddish dust – and yesterday the air looks so spooky yellowish (like when you have the smoke from the wild fires).

The news says a huge dust storm from the Sahara, mostly in Spain – but it reaches as far as the Netherlands and western Germany and France
It normally happens when there is a low-pressure system over Algeria and Tunesia which gathers up dust and carries it north to Europe
It is advisable to wear face masks in southern Spain because of the air quality
It started on Tuesday and is the 3^rd one this year

Evora - the storks

Storks in Portugal

As we drove towards the megalights – we suddenly saw stork nests and storks – we stopped and to check them out. It is really cool to see them.

Megaliths - we learn more

Why are there so many Megaliths here??

a megalith is a large stone they used to built old pre-historic structures either alone or together: yes, everyone knows about Stonehedge – but did you know that there are over 35.000 in Europe??? And we visit 3 of them today
the word was first used to describe Stonehenge in 1849 and comes from an ancient Greek work
most were erected in the neolithic period, which means the New-stone-age: it was leading up to the Bronze Age: in Portugal this was sometime around 7000 BC
A Menhir: is a single upright stone also called the standing stone
A Cromleche: is a stone circle
Dolmen: are stone slabs like the tomb or single chambers
Very typical for this area are the abundance of granite boulders – making it maybe easier to built them??? Even if they only needed to be transported a few hundred meters how did they do it: they think it was done on wooden logs and with levers
So is the shape a natural shape or man made? It is thought that it was from natural erosion and that the people selected the stones depending on the shape they needed

Megaliths - can you feel the magic

Menhir (or standing stone of) dos Almendres

We drive out of town and then comes the turn off with some gravel road – after a while we see a parking lot and that is where our short walk starts between two fences until we end up at the Menhir dos Alemndres:

A 10ft high stone – which lines up with the cromlech at sunrise on Summer soltice

It is kind of cool to touch a stone someone put up 7000 BC – which was 9000 years ago and you wonder what they used it for and how they did it. (By the way all explanations we read are more or less guessing games)

Megaliths - cork trees

Admiring the Cork trees

As we drive along, we see all the cork trees and once we stopped at the parking lot we had a closer look at them, they are super cool to look at. The tree looks kind of twirly and the bark is really rough – who did come of the idea that you can make cork???

A Cork tree??

Cork is used to create bottle cork stoppers and cork boards
It comes from the bark of the cork oak: a 30 ft tree with a knotty trunk
After 25 years the tree is old enough to harvest: they strip the outer bark leaving a wound of red-colored blushing inner bark, it takes 9 years for the bark to grow back and then it is harvested again (By the way we were wondering what the number means on the tree and read later that is when it was harvested: so 6 means it got harvested in 2016)
A cork tree can produce for more than 100 years
After harvesting the barks is boiled to soften up and then flattened
Portugal produces more than half of the World’s supply of cork (with Spain and North Africa making up the rest
By the way the cork tree is the national tree of Portugal – an it has legal protection, it is not allowed to cut on
It is also natural resistant to forest fire, can insulate, you can always re-use it

Megaliths - can you read it

Cromleche/Cromeleque dos Alemndres

Once we arrive it nearly blew our mind – all those big roundy/oval boulders – they say it is in a huge ovale circle – it’s a big complicated to see – but it is overall spectacular. We also checked out some a bit closer and I think we discovered some of the carvings on them. Question: are they now gravestones? Were they used for any religious ceremonies??

we didn’t count but they say there are 95 of the granite stones here: it is the largest one on the Iberian Peninsula
it is the oldest Cromleche in Europe from 7500 BC – they say they functioned as a celecstial calendar, but it is not clear
they are on an eastern slope so it’s likely related to the sun and moon movements: which makes them think that it could have been a sacred place – as well the carvings in them may give them a sacred meaning
it got discovered in the 1960s and most of them were fallen to the ground, after archaeological research they put in the current positions in the 90s on how they thought they should have been at one time

Once we left and drove through the town and saw a super cute little old Renault oh and let’s not forget we also stopped at a tourist info for the megaliths and got a lot of info to read… now we are experts on the old stones

Megaliths - let's clean the car

Fun on the road

Ok, so this time it’s only 1 km gravel – no big deal right!! Except it started out with big water puddles in the road and we don’t really have a 4x4… but it was not problem – and I mean we need some fun for Paul correct!!!

Megaliths - wow

Anta Grande do Zambujierio

And there is a parking lot at the end – to go to the “stones” we had to go through a gate which protects them from the animals:

those are one of the largest Dolmen in the world: it has a burial chamber like they built them around 3200 BC (same time as the Pyramids and Stonehenge) was built
for building they used ramps, wooden levers and rolling logs: it still was an incredible planning and exact move to install those huge slabs
originally, they were covered by an artificial hill of earth and stones called tumulus: this is why they are still conserved
the local shepherds and residents always knew about the stones, but only in 1964 it got identified for its archaeological value, they excavated it, but the exposure to the elements leads to an increase degradation
the corridor faces east, during spring equinox the rising of the sun illuminates the corridor and the chamber
it is thought that they believed in an afterlife because ceramic vessels and food, tools, necklaces and weapons were found with the bone remains
from the engraved plates they found, likely over 100 were buried here

we walked towards it and could only look: a corridor of big stones and once we started to walk around you could see those gigantic stones: but only when we could peck between the stones inside the chamber, did we realize on how gigantic those stone slabs really are and how huge that chamber is. It is mind blowing. As the covering slab of the chamber is broken behind it: we could stand on the mound at the top and stare down, then when peaking in from the side halfway down: it looks even more gigantic. The top slab is gigantic and once you walked around and realize it all you can see the 2 other slabs which also covered once the corridor. This is one huge and unbelievable sight.

On the drive out we saw more big stones under a tree: you think there is another Anta???

As well we had to make some pictures when Paul drove through those dirty water puddles: no I don’t think our car got cleaner driving through the puddle!!!!

Evora - bone chapel

The Chapel of the Bones – Capelo dos ossos

After a coffee we headed into Evora and the first on our list was the Chapel of Bones:

the chapel has the bones of 5000 monks tightly cemented into the walls. They were unearthed from various churchyards
it was the work of 3 monks who were concerned about society’s value at the time: they thought this would provide the people of Evora a helpful place to mediate on the transience of material things in the undeniable presence of death.
The bones of the 3 monks who founded the church in the 17^th century are in a small white coffin at the far end of the bone chapel: this was the first chapel of the bones in Portugal and they became popular to encourage reflection on the transitory nature of life
The chapel is dedicated to the cult of the souls of Purgoratory
The message above the door means “We the bones that are here for yours we are waiting”

You come in and it is huge – and the whole walls and columns are covered in bones – even the paintings in the ceilings have skulls painted on them and are surrounded by skulls. It is kind of weird and I’m not sure if it is really a good place to meditate.

Evora Cathedral

La Igreja and Museum of Sao Fransisco

Part of the entrance fee for the chapel of the bones was the museum & the church and so we went through it: it was kind of interesting as they had several statues displayed and also some paintings – not really our style, it is still interesting to see what they believed in that time. But then you also realize on how important the church was, when you see “crowns”.

We had to go outside via a balcony – that is when Paul said “did you hit your head” and I couldn’t figure out what he meant, until he told me to stand in the doorway :see there I can fit, but Paul not. Up there was the exhibition of nativity scenes: ok so there were so many different styles – some really weird.

Igreja de Sao Fransisco:

The Fransiscan order arrived in Evora in 1224 and they built the church and the cloister, the current church got built in 1510 when the kings wanted a bigger church here: several kings were involved in its building
In the 18 century it got popular for wealthy families to buy fancy chapels

This is one exceptional church: you come inside and the plain stone work gives of the calm: but as you walk along you can see lots of chapels on the side each one is super elaborate, some with lots of gold, some in baroque – each is unique and each is spectacular to look at. As the church itself has the beautiful stonework – it really is a church that will stay in our mind.

The Oracao de S Fransisco de Assis

Lord make Me an instrument of Your peace
Where there is hatred let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness joy.
O Divine master grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand.
To be loved. as to love
For it's in giving that we receive
And it's in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it's in dying that we are born...
To eternal life.

Evora - main plaza

Let’s explore Evora:

Here were first the celts until the Romans came here in 59 BC: to the romans it was an important town because of the wealth of wheat and silver and its location on a trade route to Rome
After the Moors the city was taken back by the Christian Knight Giraldo Sem Pavor (Girlado the Fearless)in 1165: who took the city single handed: it is told that he stormed one of the town’s watchtowers by climbing up on a ladder of spears driven into the walls: from there he distracted municipial sentries. As a thanks he was made the governor of the town and his coat of arms: is a knight on a horse walking over two beheaded Moors.
It has a wall going around the whole old city (and yes, the houses are white and the streets are cobble stones) is from the 14^th century
Interestingly Gine read that in the old times it was believed that the bible prohibited Christians from charging interest for loans: the Jews did all the money lending instead and had their own Jewish quarters here.

On the Streets of Evora

Praca do Giraldo: a beautiful cobblestoned plaza with a marble fountain (by the way the water in the fountain comes from the Aqueduct), an yes, it is named after the conquerer Giraldo. The trees here are Jacaranda and got imported from Brazil 200 years ago.

Arco Romano de Dona Isabel : as we already read about the old romans here – we walked through 2 old arches which are still left from the Romans – one was ones the main gate into the town: and as per guidebook the stones we walk on there are still from the romans.

Terman Romanas: once we arrived at another cute old plaza we saw the huge town hall and as per Gine we walk in and to the right there is an old roman baths: and see there it is – that is so cool. I mean you renovate the townhall (that was in 1987) and then discover suddenly a roman bath!! And when looking closely you could imagine some paintings on the walls.

Evora - Jardim diana

Jardim Diana: after a lot of more narrow cobblestone streets – a car who likely parked a bit too long we came to the Jardim Diana: which Gine thought is funny, as they decided the roman temple is dedicated to the goddess Diana. From here we had a cool view on the town as well when looking down we saw some cool hedges: wouldn’t it look cool to have our like them? They even planted Giraldo’s coats of arm.

Evora - Jardim Diana with the roman ruins

Roman Temple: I’m not so sure if Paul was super impressed with the columns from the 2^nd century – but then it was once a Roman Forum – isn’t it cool when you have history of so many different times in one point.

They think it got preserved because the temple was walled up in the middle age to form a small fortress and used as the town’s slaughterhouse (really!!!) – and it only got uncovered in the 19^th century

Tribunal of the Inquisition: ok so there is not a whole lot to see, but it is kind of an interesting history:

This was the first of four headquarters of the Inquisition
Thousand of innocent people many of them jews were tried and most were found guilty of crimes against faith
Punishments was anything was whipping, imprisonment, banishment, slave labor or death by burning on the main square: the first person killed during the inquisition was in Evora

The Cathedral Se: was our next stop – as they wanted entrance fee and we already saw so many churches and will see so many more we decided it’s nice from the outside. Now it was time to head back after lots of walking and Paul patiently listening to Gine talking.

And let’s not forget the Circus is coming to town: only we will be gone by then – what a shame!!! We saw the trucks and they are setting up right near our hotel.

Emirada de S.Bras: right across from our hotel is this yellow “Palace” – Gine said she needs to check it out – and see there it is another chapel from 1480. I think every time you are not sure what you are looking at it’s likely a church or chapel or monastery.

Evora - it's Pizza night

It is Pizza night