Day 13 Evora to Alportel

It was a three hour drive from Evora to where we were staying in S. Bras de Alportel. The first two hours through the farms of the Alentejo plains were fine and the last hour over the Serra de Caldelra mountains was tedious. The Pousada we checked into was on a hilltop overlooking the town of Alportel (pictue is a view of town from our room). It was an extremely pleasant hotel with a great view, but it was the first place we stayed outside of a city or town. After unpacking we drove the twenty miles down to the town of Tavira for lunch. It took awhile to find a parking spot and when we did we had a fairly good walk to get to the river front where all the activity occurs. We had Rick Steves’ Portugal guide book and he recommended a little joint on the other side of the river called Restaurante Bica. I had grilled sardines and Sylvia had grilled tuna and both hit the spot. Afterwards we walked around and bought some port, wine, and a can of sardines for the room. I bet you can’t guess who the sardines were for? Since Pousadas are somewhat like a resort, it seemed like a good idea to go back and hang out there for the rest of the day. Booring! Dinner at the hotel consisted of a very good and unusual local stew of octopus, clams, and potatoes for me. Sylvia had a vegetable pasta that she could not have finished if that’s all she ate for a week. The waitress asked “Whatsa’ matta, you no like?” Afterwards we went back to the room. We were the only two people having dinner in the restaurant that night. This place is just full of life.