Stewarts' Ramble: 2017-09-24

Although many times in Spain, we had never been to Portugal. An opportunity came when Regent Seven Seas offered a “repositioning cruise” in October from Lisbon to New York, via Madeira and the Azores, at an advantageous price. Driving to Seattle from a snowy Sun Valley, we flew to Lisbon via Amsterdam, arrived on September 24, and drove in a rented Fiat Punto to Évora. about two hours east of the capital.

Vasco da Gama Bridge over the Tagus River

Évora, September 24-26

Founded by the Romans, beautiful Évora is the center of the Alentejo, a rich grain-growing region. Its architecture contains evidence of a glorious past, from the remains of a Roman temple, reputedly the best-preserved in Iberia (but now shrouded for repair), to churches and the remains of palaces dating from Portugal’s golden days in the16th Century. The city is small, extending little beyond its still existing city walls. On its crown is the mainly Gothic cathedral, the largest medieval cathedral in Portugal, built over several centuries on the site of a mosque after Christian knights captured Évora from the Moors in 1165.

Facade of the Évora Cathedral

Rooftop of the Cathedral

The University of the Holy Spirit, Portugal’s premier seat of learning, was founded under church auspices in 1559. When the Portuguese government expelled its faculty and other Jesuits in 1759, the university closed but the buildings were left intact. Created in 1979 as a state institution, the new University of Évora inherited its predecessor’s beautiful “campus” with classrooms decorated with blue-and-white tiles depicting scenes relevant to the subjects taught. For example, the physics classroom contains paintings of the “Magdeburg hemisphere” experiment demonstrating air pressure and Archimedes defending Syracuse by focussing mirrored sunlight on the enemy ships’ sails. We were free to wander through the halls while classes were in session.

Central Courtyard of the University

Visitor Holds Forth from Jesuit Lectern

We have visited many interesting churches but nothing to compare with Évora’s Chapel of Bones, built around 1600 by Franciscan monks intent on underscoring the transitory nature of human life. The walls are “decorated” with the bones of some 5,000 people, reportedly salvaged from local cemeteries. The Latin inscription above the entry translates as “We bones that are here, await for yours.”

Évora is such a compact city that we could walk to any tourist destination in 15 minutes from our small hotel, the Albergaria do Calvário, which we cannot recommend more highly. Walking was a pleasure as the temperature was in the 80’s and many areas are reserved for pedestrians.

Patio of Albergaria do Calvário

Praça do Giraldo, Évora's Main Square

Remnant of Évora's Royal Palace (where Vasco da Gama received his orders before setting off to discover the sea route to India)

Cáceres, Spain, September 27 and 28

We drove east from Évora, making brief stops at Vila Viçosa, ducal seat of the Bragança family, Portugal’s last dynasty, and at Elvas, a frontier fortress town that held off many attacks from the Spanish before finally falling to Philip II’s troops in 1580

João IV (ruled 1640-l656), First King of Bragança Dynasty, Sovereigns until 1910

Main Square of Elvas

Our destination was the Spanish city of Cáceres, whose old quarter contains an extraordinary collection of Gothic and Renaissance stone mansions, almost fortress-like, that are unequalled in Spain. Grouped on a hill, these massive buildings are placed together in a maze of narrow cobblestone streets, so confusing that Cáceres must have originated the phrase, “You can’t get there from here.”

Entrance to Old Cáceres

At least we couldn’t. Guided (or misguided) by an occasional signpost, we drove up into the maze in search of the Parador, where we had made reservations. After innumerable dead ends, Georgia proceeded on foot, found the hotel, and enlisted a bellman to lead our car back to their garage, which was mercifully located outside the old quarter. There it remained until we left Cáceres.

One of Old Cáceres' Wider Thoroughfares

(Our street "Calle Ancha" was a misnomer as many were much narrower.)

The culinary highpoint of our trip so far was dinner at Atrio, the pride of Cáceres with two Michelin stars. The visit began with a tour of their amazing cellar, which holds some 36,000 bottles of wine. Our 12-course tasting menu dinner, with four paired wines, kept us in the beautiful dining room for nearly three hours. The service was impeccable, and we discovered that our chief waiter came from a Romanian city close to the border with Moldova. Told of our years in Chisināu, he arranged a tour of the kitchen and a chance to meet the famous Atrio chef, Toño Perez. A night to remember!

Potato Chips and Olives Resting in a Bed of Cork

Oysters in White Vermouth (the white crumbles are solidified olive oil)

In the Kitchen with Toño

Coimbra, September 28-29

We crossed the border back into Portugal and found ourselves in a mountainous region (by local standards; these are not the Rockies) that was badly damaged by the forest fires that ravaged this area earlier in the year with serious loss of life.

Coimbra is to Portugal what Oxford or Cambridge is to England—the traditional seat of learning. Founded in 1290, the university was sited permanently in Coimbra in 1537 atop a hill commanding an extraordinary view of the town and the Mondego River valley. Successive monarchs poured money into its architecture, in part because sections of the buildings doubled as a royal palace. A break in its history came in 1772, when a reformist prime minister secularized its curriculum, making Coimbra a center of experimental knowledge. The old buildings are now surrounded by modern structures typical of a 21st century center of higher learning.

The following photos show the magnificence of the old university buildings, some still used for ceremonial occasions, such as the conferral of doctorates. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed in the interior of the Biblioteca Joanina, easily the most extraordinary Baroque library we have seen anywhere. Commissioned in 1717 by King João V (hence the name), it is a working library, housing a large collection of rare books. These volumes are safeguarded by a colony of bats that live in the library and feast on the insects that might otherwise devour their pages.

University Seen from the Mondego River

Paço das Escolas, Heart of the University and Former

Royal Palace

Student Musicians on Coimbra's Main Street

The city’s other major attraction is Coimbra’s old cathedral, a Romanesque structure (with Gothic additions) built in the 12th century. The Moors were far from a distant memory at that time so the church was built to double as a fortress with blank walls broken only by slit windows. Its dark interior stands in stark contrast to Chartres and other French Gothic cathedrals erected around the same time.

Sé Velha, Coimbra's Old Cathedral

With temperatures in the 80’s we were delighted to spend two nights across the river from old Coimbra in the Quinta das Lagrimas, literally the “Estate of the Tears,” which takes its name from a Portuguese historical poem far too involved to explain. Our stay there was anything but sad, given the quinta’s wonderful restaurant and swimming pool.

On the Steps of Quinta das Lagrimas

Douro Valley, September 30

Rather than driving straight to Porto, we detoured through the wine region of the Douro Valley. These vineyards produce white and red grapes for the production of table wine and port, the latter following fortification with high proof alcohol. Used to the gentle slopes of the Napa and Sonoma valleys, we were taken aback by the region’s high hills, which boast both wonderful grapes and spectacular views.

Americans of a certain age remember Mateus rosé wines, sold in fat-bodied bottles, which were a mark of sophistication for us twenty-somethings. We think these wines have disappeared from the U.S. market, but they live on in Portugal, albeit as low price options. Nonetheless, we were seduced by the chance to visit the Mateus Palace, near Vila Real in the upper Douro region, as it is reputed to be one of the finest Renaissance country homes in Portugal.

Porto, September 30-October 3

Porto is a “second city,” proud of its history (i.a., as the birthplace of Prince Henry the Navigator) and of its economic importance (i.a., as the source of port wines). Nonetheless, we found Porto’s eye cocked at Lisbon, which is bigger and, most importantly, Portugal’s capital. The two cities are remarkably alike, both hilly and both located at the mouth of a major river—in Porto’s case, the Douro.

A 19th Century Bridge over the Douro Connecting Porto to the Southern Bank

We were fortunate that retired German Ambassador Irene Kohlhaas, our colleague, friend, and next-door neighbor in Moldova in the 1990’s, flew down from Berlin to join us in Oporto. Having learned Portuguese during her first tour in the foreign service, Irene was an indispensable aide in steering us through Porto.

With Irene at a Cafe near the Douro

The center of Porto is a wonderful collection of late 19th century buildings, testifying to the city’s prosperity in that period. Nonetheless, its older churches are more noteworthy, especially the fortress-like cathedral, begun in the 12th century but often modified, and the 17th century Igreja de São Francisco with its extraordinary Baroque interior. Especially charming is Old Porto, the collection of historic buildings along the Douro.

Oporto City Hall

On the Avenida dos Aliados, the Heart of Modern Oporto

The Sé, Oporto's Cathedral

"The Tree of Jesse" in the Igreja de São Francisco

Old Porto Seen from the Douro

The Douro Seen from Old Porto

Porto without port would be an incomplete experience. Thus, we crossed the Douro to Vila Nova da Gaia to visit the Poças winery, where Cellia, our Polish (!) guide, explained the production process to us. Port is made from red or sometimes white grapes from the vineyards of the upper Douro. The grapes are crushed there and the fermentation process begun, but a strong spirit, around 77% alcohol, produced in the Poças company from the grape skins, is added to kill the yeast before all sweetness is lost. The product is then trucked (not barged as in olden days) to Porto, where it is aged in aluminum tanks for white or ruby port or in old wine casks for tawny port. After aging, the port is typically blended to produce the character sought by the vintner. We came to enjoy dry white port, usually served as an aperitif.

With Celia in the Poças Tasting Room

Monastery of Batalha, October 3

We stopped en route to Lisbon to visit the Monasteiro da Batalha (Battle), built by João I in gratitude for his 1385 victory near the site over a rival claimant for the Portuguese crown. The Dominican monastery is regarded as a triumph of Gothic architecture with embellishments in the Manueline style, a Portuguese variant of the late Gothic. There is an interesting English element, for João’s queen was Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt. Thus, the Lancastrian arms often appear entwined with those of Portugal.

The king and queen are buried in the monastery along with some of their sons, including Prince Henry the Navigator, whose tomb features the badge of the Order of the Garter—awarded, perhaps, through his mother’s intervention?