Backpacks and Flipflops: Portugal ..... Évora... and Lisboa....it's all in the bones....and the rocks...and the wind....

"There is only one happiness in life, to love and to be loved"

- an old Portuguese quote -

ÉVORA, Portugal ...........

"We bones that are here, await yours"...
...written on the walls of Évora's Bone Chapel...

Ohhhhh, those monks of Évora's Bone Chapel (Capela dos Ossos), definitely had a sense of humor in their inscription over the doorway to this fascinating building.

Stuck for a solution of where to bury the dead and running out of room in area cemeteries..... the monks devised an ingenious plan...solving both space and building materials issues by creating a macabre monument using an estimated 5000 skeletons in various patterns and positions to construct the interior walls of the chapel.

While some may say it's an affront to the dead, the monks of the 16th century may have had the last laugh. .....the thigh bone is connected to the.....whatever bone that fits...

Évora sits about 3 hrs north (see map) of Albufeira and 1.5 hrs east of Lisbon in the Alentejo region. The old walled city is small enough to wander around in. Hordes of bus tourists from Lisbon descend on this UNESCO Heritage site daily to spend a few hours getting lost on the maze of cobblestone streets.

Évora reflects the history that has washed over Portugal for centuries...there's the Moorish quarters and a Jewish neighbourhood....along with Roman ruins.

All played important roles in Évora's past.

Once tourist buses leave, quiet descends and the evenings are left to locals and a few travellers to sample the fine wines and foods of this region. There are many great little spots to eat and drink....from tapas, to wine bars to a 7 seat restaurant.

One needn't go hungry here.

We spend a few days in this hill top town just exploring. Our place is just steps off the main square. It is a small 8 room hotel with a common room, breakfast and Port available to taste whenever we want!

The Megalithics Circuit

No....it's not another Transformer movie title or some new series on Netflix....but massive rock collections/arrangements that dot the landscape near Évora.

Connected to Stonehedge by design, history, myth and legends...seems the Celtic and Druids people travelled great distances.

On a quiet wind swept knoll set among the groves of cork trees...the rock monuments stand silent..here the wickens would (and still) gather to celebrate the fertility rites to honor Spring Solstice.....among the giant strange stone formations that ancient people (somehow) dragged from a quarry kilometres away and set in mysterious patterns yet not fully understood .....some say they reflect the constellations above, or...possibly pay homage to visiting gods?

A Megalithic Crypt

The dolmen (rocks) were used to bury the dead. In this funnery near Évora there is a large corridor leading to a burial chamber. Everything was covered by the tumulus, a protective cover, usually made with soil and rocks"

The Évora Countryside

From plateaus to rolling greenery dotted with fortress remains or blanketed in cork and olive groves, this was the breadbasket region of the Roman Empire...today the gladiators and warring armies have retreated into history and the lands are once more left to be worked on by farmers and estate holders.

Cork is still a product to be mined? Or farmed? The process to remove the cork is a careful one...a portion is cut away every 9 years...and left...,to do again 9 years later...at which time they are numbered with the last digit of that year, so, 2018 would have a tree numbered 8. This way they keep track of when to harvest that tree again.

...used in wine bottles and on the space station (Not by astronauts popping champagne ...but as protection).

LISBON

After Évora, we hop a bus for an easy 90 minute ride into the bustling town of Lisboa....the bus is spacious, quiet and clean... Wi-Fi is great, seats comfortable and the countryside that reminds us of the Canadian prairies, just with different vegetation...mainly cork, olive and eucalyptus trees.

What can be said about Lisbon? It's a great, big frenetic city. It never seems to sleep. Transport is everywhere, and so are people. All of Europe seems to be passing through its streets.

We stayed in the Barrio Alto section and just wandered....the hills.....the plazas.....the monuments....

...we rode the famous

Tram 28....

Took the delicious one car venicular tram ( a vehicle elevating you from one level to another).

We ate....we drank....

visited museums.....this is a city with culture.....with history....a city of importance....

Andy Warhol

Pablo Picasso

The massive stone monument to Henry the Navigator depicting the Age of Discoveries dominates the waterfront walkway of Belem ....just west of Lisbon.......it was a time of exploration and trading routes and Portugal was at the forefront.

Lisboa.....

It is brilliant with old and new....it feels safe....it has an energy that pulses...it's expensive and easily drains the wallet....eating out always seems to be about 25 euros+/-....

Room costs are cheaper the further one is from historico Centro. With all the subway, train and bus services readily available ....you could easily stay 15 to 30 minutes away...and at less cost. Something to consider.

One could spend their entire trip....holiday.....in this city.... just hanging out.....you could stay several days....or several weeks.....it's vibrant.....dynamic.....and another.....great European city...

PS...bus and train/metro stations are actually a pretty decent place to grab a bite to eat..and can save you some Euros..

Pictures do more than words can say...