The Avis rental car office was right around the corner from our hotel, so on my morning walk I stopped by to let them know we would pick up the car at 2 pm. The ever so friendly staffer told me that they close for lunch from 1 to 3 pm so I needed to pick up the car before or after lunch. While mildly inconvenient, I really like the idea of business stopping for a few hours allowing everyone a long lunch break. After all of the formalities, we were in the car and ready to go, having been assured that the GPS was programmed in English. It was not and of course there was no one there at 1:05 to assist so we just took off, having again been reassured by hotel staff that you can’t miss the A2. But we did! As we were heading to the west coast toward Sintra we realized we were going the wrong way so found a way to turn around and finally got the Beamer heading east. Yes, Avis gave us a BMW.
It was an easy and quick trip filled with marvelous sights. We noticed huge nests in the electrical towers and thought perhaps they were eagles, but there were too many of them. We then caught sight of one stork and then more storks and realized that we were in the middle of a stork high rise neighborhood. It was really cool to see them in the wild. It seems they live and nest here in the spring and summer and most have already headed south to Africa for the winter. After the stork sighting we started to enter cork country, and there before our eyes were acres of cork trees, some having recently been stripped of their bark, leaving a 10-foot swath of the red growth of new bark around the tree about three feet up from the ground. I’ve taught all about cork during my wine lectures and have seen all the pictures, but to be right there in the middle of these trees was simply grand. I think they are the only trees where you can strip the bark (every nine years) without damaging the tree, thus one tree can produce tons of cork during its long life.
We approached Évora in the same manner that we left the one in Lisbon, incorrectly! Somehow we entered the walled city a tad early requiring us to basically circumnavigate the entire town before figuring out the proper way to get there. We finally pulled into the hotel courtyard and Cindy went in to find out where they wanted us to park. She came out with a young man who took our bags, passports, and car keys and proceeded to invite us into the sitting room where he brought me a cold wine wine from the region and an espresso for Cindy. He told us all about the hotel and the best restaurants in town, then showed us a map that they had designed highlighting the best walking routes to all the museums, monuments, churches and restaurants. It was an unexpected treat to have someone who is very proud of his city take the time to orient us so that we had our bearings right away. The only other time we remember getting such a warm and personal (and detailed) welcome was when we arrived at the tent hotel prior to our safari in S. Africa. In that case the orientation was more than necessary, while this time it was just plain fun.
After unpacking we hit most of the sights during a delightful three hour walk. This is an old city that had already been here for awhile before the Romans arrived in the first century AD. They left their mark, as they always did, and we saw the remains of a temple, baths, and roads, much of which seem to be the original cobbles. The Moors were here and they too left an architectural legacy that can still be seen in old churches and buildings. They also destroyed the wine production in the area for 800 years but did introduce some fun fruits and olives, so all is well.
We returned to our room - which is really an apartment with a living room, kitchen, modern bath and bedroom, all tastefully decorated - and proceeded to take a very short nap before dressing for dinner. Our host at the hotel had recommended a restaurant known for its roasted goat, which we adore. In keeping with the day’s theme of where the hell are we? we proceeded to get lost as we walked to the restaurant, which is very easy to do here, especially in the dark and especially when you have left your map in the hotel. The walk was supposed to take ten minutes but we were able to do it in thirty and it would have been even longer without the kindness of strangers who went out of their way to guide us.
We were richly rewarded with an exceptional meal. Upon entering the small restaurant we were taken to our table which already had been set up with bread, a bowl of fabulous olives, plates of shredded rabbit in a light vinegar sauce, sautéed mushrooms, a tomato and cucumber salad, and a small bowl of warm cheese with fresh oregano. We had a fantastic young waiter who helped us select wines and order our dinner. I was a bit unsure of which wines to order so we started with a half bottle of white that turned out to be delicious - luckily a 2nd half bottle was readily available, as was a half bottle of rich local red which complimented the
The portions are huge in Portugal, especially here in the countryside, so at the waiter’s recommendation we had two orders of calamari in garlic and herbs and then shared the goat. The fish was so tender that I thought it was tofu shaped like calamari, but my goodness was it flavorful. Then out came a large earthenware casserole with a perfectly roasted quarter of baby goat surrounded by browned potatoes and onions - and oh yes, garlic! We were in heaven. The service was so friendly and professional and it was fun to watch the other tables getting heaping helpings of whole fish, pork and clams, a specialty of the area, and enormous steaks. Everyone was in a great mood which added to the festive nature of the meal. We were stuffed but our waiter had other plans for us and brought out some stewed quince and walnuts (Moorish influence) and a fruit confit with two Ritz crackers. We both thought it was delicious and we guessed that the fruit might be crab apple or guava, but to our great amazement we were told that it was tomato! A fabulous way to end a fabulous dinner.
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