Taking a break from the Algarve, we headed North East. 2 hours of driving brought us to wine country and the edge of Lake Alqueva, one of the largest man-made lakes in Europe. We stayed in a cute arched camping cabin on a small site and we largely had the place to ourselves which was really quite nice. In an effort to continue saving money, in the evenings we cooked on the camping stove in front of the cabin and watched movies on the laptop. Gaz has also found that the he can still buy wine on a budget; wine that he is happy to drink as well! I tasted it and suffice it to say I won't be indulging, but Gaz is quite content with his bargain find, even if it does bring tears to the eyes.
Unfortunately the cabin was so small that one extended foot managed to knock a full glass of red wine all over the rug, so we then had a mission at midnight to get the matt clean. Very quickly I decided that the only way to sort it was to take the matt to the shower block and literally throw it in the ladies shower and just immerse it in a lot of water. Thankfully it worked and after a day in the sun, the rug was dry and laid back down. phew. i seem to damage something wherever we stay and there is always a little panic to fix it. in the Algarve I managed to pull the front panel off the sink unit in the bathroom (without any effort at all), in another place the integrated basin plug came off in my hand, and let's not bring up the broken toilet in Morocco. I swear I am a walking hazard.
It was lovely to stay in the Portuguese countryside away from other tourists and enjoy getting to know the country more fully. We spent time exploring around the lake and saw some really beautiful views from the picturesque town on the hill, Monseraz. The vineyards in this area seem to stretch endlessly for miles and miles and sit on a bed of tiny yellow flowers that contrast brightly against the dark vines. The uniformity of the vineyards and olive trees create a beautiful tapestry across the hills and valleys. It's a lovely part of the country.
We had a really good day exploring Evora - a must see town in this region. Not only in the town itself just very attractive, but it is home to some incredible points of interest. Just behind the cathedral stands an acropolis which is in great condition, in front of a lovely public garden which provides views across the town rooftops. But the main draw, certainly for us was the Chapel of Bones. I guess it's quite a macabre place; the interior is fully lined with human bones cemented into the walls and columns, but also used to decorate the cornicing and arches. When you realise fully what you're looking at it's a little hard to reconcile that in front of you is the skeletons of hundreds and hundreds of local people who wanted to have their skeletons placed in the chapel to guarantee their acceptance into heaven. It's definitely one of the most interesting and intriguing things I've ever seen in my life.
We also stumbled across a megalithic collection of standing stones near Monseraz.
The central stone was several metres tall, surrounded by much smaller stones. We were confused by the placement as they weren't laid out in a circle, but it also wasn't a square - more a squircle!. And that didn't make sense. So I did some investigating and found out that in order to preserve them, the stones had been moved to their current location when the lake was formed by the damn. But, whilst the stones are all megalithic, they were not originally found together, so someone in modern times decided to move them into this formation. Just very odd. But it explains the square circle I guess.
After 4 days, we headed West towards Lisbon. Lisbon accommodation is expensive. I'm good at hunting out a bargain but our little apartment cost €228 for 2 nights and that was the best I could get (baring in mind our accommodation budget is about €35pn). If I'd wanted a single bed in
a hostal dormitory then I could have paid c.€80 a night but I'm too old for male and female dorms. So, given the price we decided we would only stay a couple of nights and
in order to avoid the challenge and cost of parking, we drove to Santarem about 1hr north of Lisbon on the main trainline, parked for free at that station and caught the regional train into the city for €6 a person. It really took the pressure off. We simply packed an overnight bag and jumped on the next train. A leisurely jaunt through the countryside and we arrived at Lisbon Oriente in the East. From here we bought a 2 day metro card for €12 (€6 per day) that would allow us unlimited use of the metro, buses and trams. It was all so easy and everyone we spoke to was so helpful. We would definitely recommend this approach as an affordable and stress-free way of getting into and around Lisbon.
So we headed to the Metro red line to venture into the centre and find our apartment.
The bone thing is a bit creepy......