Alentejo Adventures

Marc and I have wanted to head into the Alentejo for a couple of years now however, one circumstance after another stopped us. We were determined that this year we were going to go and nothing was going to get in our way and what a better time to go than during my birthday. We had invited our friends, Diane and Daniel, to join us, I drew up a short itinerary, shared it, and with everyone’s agreement, we hit the road on Sunday morning, final destination, Monsaraz.

The Alentejo is Portugal as it used to be in days gone by; small walled villages with medieval cores and Roman ruins watched over by ancient castles. It is Portugal’s largest region and what an incredible agricultural heartland, the rolling countryside is planted with cork forests, olive groves, vineyards, and all manner of crops. We saw fields of flowering trees, we thought were pear, fields full of sheep, then cows, then black pigs, and sometimes, combination!

Whitewashed villages pop up occasionally, like little oases, and driving through these villages we keep seeing people going about their lives with the usual daily rhythms much as they did hundreds of years ago, tilling fields, trimming trees, waving at us as we waved at them

The drive, in total with a few stops thrown in for good measure, was about 5 hours, which included a stop for lunch. The rule is, we stop whenever anyone wants to, and for as long as they like. It’s never just about the destination but very much about the journey.

We checked in, unpacked our knap-sacks, then hit the cobblestone streets to wander, then eventually stopped on a small terrace overlooking the undulating farm land in the distance to enjoy a Cinq à sept!

We had a great meal that first evening and I intentionally left my camera in the room. Sometimes it’s simply nice to just be and not to think about photos etc..

Monday morning I woke to the strains of “Happy Birthday” from my ever attentive better half, a great way to wake up. Then more greetings from Diane and Daniel over breakfast in our tiny “nook” on the lower level. There was quite a lovely selection of meats, cheeses, breads, sweets, quince jam, eggs, fruits, yogurts. Something for everybody and to my delight, excellent coffee. We filled up then hopped in the car for the hour drive to Elvas.

Elvas and its Fortifications were added to the list of  UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2012. It was extensively fortified from the 17th to 19th centuries, and represents the largest bulwarked dry ditch system in the world.  It’s amazing to see the enormity of the walls that surround the city, which we enjoyed walking around. I won’t mention how at the end of our wanderings we realized we were completely lost and didn’t know where our car was!!! Or how I walked and walked while the others sat, trying to find our car, which I did not find!!

All the walking, added too by the stress of not finding our car, finally sent us into a restaurant for lunch. As Daniel had taken a photo of a small park beside our parking we showed it to the waiter and asked if he could tell us where it was……it was literally, around the corner less than 100 meters from the restaurant!!!! I hope you can appreciate our relief and the sighs of contentment knowing we weren’t lost after all. And now, of course, it’s simply another story for my repertoire!!!

Once we returned home everybody opted for a little siesta, except me. I grabbed my camera and headed off for a lengthy walk around the town of Monsaraz, across to an accompanying small nameless village, and down a hiking path heading to the Lake Alqueva.

For my birthday dinner we drove to a small village, literally six minutes away in the car, to what turned out to be a truly delightful experience from start to finish. Restaurante Sem-Fim, located in Telheiro, Monsaraz, is set in a carefully restored old olive oil mill, where Alentejo’s history and tradition blend with authentic flavors. With a cozy atmosphere filled with art and rustic details, it offered excellent food. For some reason there wasn’t a photo of Marc’s succulent roasted lamb dish.

Tuesday morning, after another wonderful breakfast, we hit the road with plans to stop in Moura and then Mertola before heading home, my intention to have us back before dark.

We enjoyed an hour or so of wandering around in Moura which was pleasant in that we can’t say we noticed any other tourists, it was just us and the locals, who were going about their lives as usual, including the many tables filled with old men in the various terraces. They do like to chatter, often sounding as if they are arguing but the smiles and back slaps indicate otherwise.

The drive from Moura to Mertola was just a little more than an hour and by the time we arrived we were all feeling a little road weary and hungry. Once parked we found a nearby “snack-bar”, which is not what you might think. They tend to have wonderful traditional dishes, usually a “prato do dia” or two, that once it’s gone, it’s “finished”. Three of us had roasted half chicken with fries and rice (cause they only had three portions left) while Marc had bochechas, pig cheeks, with salad.

By the time all was said and done, we decided not to wander up through the town but instead to head back to the car and enjoy the last hour and a half towards home, arriving a bit earlier than anticipated but, tired, and ready to call it a trip! The weather was exceptionally warm our entire trip, hitting 24 on Sunday, 28 on Monday, and 25 again today. Walking in all that sunshine (believe it or not) was a bit exhausting. We’re not yet used to that kind of temperature of the majority of our walking was up and down, very little flat involved.

All in all, a person couldn’t have asked for a better birthday weekend. I loved every moment of it and honestly, felt quite spoiled. I don’t think it’s at all to soon to start thinking of next years birthday!!

And, compliments of Marc….enjoy