The view from Marvao
After riding to the Coimbra train station and picking up our rental car, we headed east toward the Spanish border. The weather prediction was for a storm to hit Portugal, the remnants of the hurricane which had previously slammed into the South Carolina coast. Our original intention was to hike in the Serra Da Estrela, get away from cities, and enjoy the mountains. However, with the forecast for rain, we decided to turn south toward the Alentejo and hope for some better weather.
I was set on visiting the Schist Villages on the way after seeing pictures on travel websites so I convinced David to drive to one called Piodao. As late as 1970, Piodao was only accessible by horseback, now though, we were amazed to see tour buses bringing visitors to this tiny, no longer quaint, village. The homes are built with the local rock, schist, and served as home, barn, and storage through the years. It was a photo like this one that stimulated my interest in the Schist Villages.
Piodao from the road
After leaving Piodao, we skirted the bottom of the Serra Da Estrela but ended up going past the only downhill area in Portugal near their highest peak, Torre (1990 meters ~6,000 ft). It was so foggy and rainy that we couldn’t see the mountain or even the skilifts clearly! We plodded along through the rain using our new GPS app called Navmii and finally arrived in Monsanto. Unfortunately, we were too late to get a room in town but we finally got a room in a nearby rural Quinta. It was literally, a port in a storm. Definitely rustic, but quite an interesting history which the owner related when we sat together and shared what food we had been able to scrounge up in a local store while waiting for him to lead us to his farm. Exhausted and wet, we slept well.
Village of Monsanto where homes are built around large rounded boulders
There are a string of small villages near the Spanish border, that served as border fortifications. Many of these are on hilltops with commanding views of the plains. One of these is Monsanto where the castle and surrounding village are built around gigantic rounded boulders. In the morning, we returned to Monsanto to view the castle and town. Surprisingly, there was a mountain bike race and up the narrow cobblestone street comes a couple of wet and muddy bikers which we cheered on.
Bike race on wet uphill cobbles
After walking through the castle grounds and poking around the streets in the rain, we headed out to another village, Idanha a Velha which was having a traditional Pao or bread festival. We made a few food purchases, had our first taste of the local “firewater” or liquor, and left. Wisely, we booked a place ahead of time which was good because we got lost on our way to Marvao.Eventually we arrived and walked to a restaurant for dinner. I had a local soup called Acorda Alentejana made with cilantro, garlic, bread and an egg.
Marvao is another fortified castle town which was actively used into the 19th century so the castle is still fairly intact. The cistern within the castle grounds was able to store a 6 months supply of water in case of siege which being on such high ground is a necessity. We stayed at a renovated B & B at the top of the hill, very close to the castle. It has a lovely rooftop terrace but unfortunately, with the inclement weather, our views were limited to what we could see through fog, intermittent rain and overcast skies. The castle keep has a great explanation of the castle history and its strategic importance so close to the Spanish border. We were fortunate that the castle guide loaned us some umbrellas so we could walk the ramparts and enjoy our visit.
View from Marvau castle
The next two nights we booked another B&B accommodation on the outskirts of Reguengos da Monsaraz so we could visit the castle town of Monsaraz. The proprietor grew up on the property and together with her mother, runs this small accommodation. Rita kindly told us about the nearby restaurants and tourist attractions. However, the one thing I’ll remember is the homemade breakfast complete with fresh squeezed orange juice and small chicken pot pies. It was a welcome change from the typical Portuguese breakfast of rolls, thin slices of ham, cheese, yogurt, and sometimes fresh fruit. We so enjoyed Rita’s hospitality.
Rita’s homemade breakfast with fresh orange juice.
One recommendation Rita made was to visit a new museum called Museu Do Medronho which details the cultivation and production of the local firewater made from the strawberry fruit tree, a relative to what we know as Madrona. It is on a plantation near the Alqueva dam and the exhibit is in Portuguese, Spanish and English. We received a personal tour from an English speaking guide since we had the place to ourselves. Following the explanation of how they cultivate and distill the liquor, we were able to taste two different kinds. One was straight and the other was infused with honey. This was MUCH stronger than the firewater we tasted and purchased at the fair in Ildanha A Velha. We had to pass.
Liquor distilled from the strawberry fruit tree and known as firewater
Our next destination is Estremoz where we will stay in a Pousada, a high end hotel housed in a former palace. I’m sure we’ll be treated like royalty!
Going With the Flow 