…and Away We Go!

For us, Tavira was a town for leisurely walks and sitting on park benches. We didn’t go inside any one of the twenty-two churches (!!) in town nor the museum. We left town on Wednesday morning on our way to our next stop.

We’ll remember our quirky room in this former chapel (ours was the door on the left);

The simple and delicious tapas meals;

And the sun setting over the River Gilao.

Wednesday we grabbed some ham, cheese and butter sandwiches as we left town on our way to Cadiz. The roads were good and the trip uneventful until we arrived in Cadiz. It’s not the sleepy town we remembered from a visit during a fall trip in the middle of the pandemic in 2021.

Now, it’s a bustling cruise port with mucho traffic. We managed to return the rental car and find our apartment near the city center. The apartment is small, quiet, and well-equipped and we will be comfortable here for the next few days. We are happy to be be back in Cadiz!

Most of the roads between Evora and Tavira were very good but there was one long stretch of roadway that was one-lane only and very hilly. It could have been a road in rural Iowa or Nebraska! Luckily we didn’t see another car on this stretch of road.

It was thrilling to see the many storks with nests high above the ground on tall poles. We read that many storks return to Portugal from Africa in April to build their nests.

We arrived in Tavira in time for the freshly baked cake that the hotel chef makes for guests every afternoon. Our room is in a section of an old church and is decorated with many religious artifacts. It’s a small space and very impractically arranged. On the bright side, the breakfast is good and the staff members are kind.

Tavira is a lovely city on the Gilão River. The houses are whitewashed and the streets made of cobblestones. It feels very much touristed but for a good reason – it’s compact, walkable, and there are many good seafood restaurants.

Today we walked uphill to the Torre de Tavira and Camera Obscura (Camera Obscura in the Tavira Tower.) We were the first and only guests so Clive, the British owner who constructed the camera, showed us the main sights in town via an early optical device called a ‘camera obscura’. Clive transformed an abandoned water tower into a dark space to project a live image of the town onto a circular canvas. He gave us a fascinating view of the city. The water tower with the Camera Obscura is in the top right corner (next to the church) the photo below. It was fascinating and Clive was an enthusiastic narrator.

Around town, streets are marked with colorful signs like this one.

Not everything is pristine here, but it’s pretty close. We planned for three nights here and we have 2 more.  Just enough!

Spring flowers are blooming, the city is bustling, and there are plenty of shady parks for relaxing. We have learned that expats are here from Sweden, France, the United States and the U.K.

These flowers are so pretty that they almost look plastic (they’re not!)

We’ll spend tomorrow seeing some of the sites that were closed today (Monday). On Wednesday we will dip back into Spain for a four night stay in Cadiz.

We walked around town to take a longer look at some of the main features.  The Roman Temple was part of the Roman Forum and the main square in the first century AD. We learned that open-air concerts are staged here today.

We visited the Evora Museum with displays of Roman artifacts found around the region. We admired these beautiful hand-blown objects of Roman glass.

The museum retains some wonderful old architectural details.

And here’s Larry posing as a rare museum specimen!

We found a very nice restaurant for a late Saturday lunch called “O Gandim”. Larry asked the waitress what the name of the restaurant means as it’s not a word that translates as Portuguese. She told us that it means “a bad man with a good heart.” At that moment the chef wearing a bandana and a great smile popped his head through an opening into the kitchen. He looked like a pirate! The food was some of the best of our trip so far. To start, a simple plate of olives, olive tapenade, olive oil with a dot of balsamic, and flavored butter for bread.

Evora has been a good place to wander. It’s a touristy town with many tour groups and more American tourists than we’ve seen here so far.  Today we are packing up to drive 3 hours further south to Tavira, on the Mediterranean coast.  We are looking forward to checking out a new destination!

We like the freedom that having a rental car gives us but in a small city like Evora, narrow cobblestone streets, stone archways just wide enough for a car,  and lack of parking spots inside the city center make for a stressful arrival.

Once we found our way to our hotel we dropped off luggage and made our way to a free parking lot just outside the city walls (not as easy as it might sound.) The photo below shows Larry parking our rental car. This lot is also used by locals who work inside the city walls and is nearly full during the day.

The car park just happens to be next to a Portuguese National Monument. The construction of Agua de Prata Aqueduct was started by King João III in 1532. We read that the piping and granite arches in Renaissance style were most probably laid over the old Roman aqueduct.

We settled into an apartment near the city center with plenty of space and a nice small kitchen.

The main meal is lunch usually eaten around 1:30 or so. This hearty dish was Pork Cheeks with Mashed Potatoes.

After a big lunch, sometimes we gather supplies for an evening “Snack Meal” – a phrase for a small meal that we learned from our Great-Nieces and Nephew. Prices are inexpensive here and we created a healthy “snack meal” for less than 10 Euros (price did not include the welcome gift of a bottle of Portuguese Rosé wine from the hotel.)

We visited the Church of St. Francis and the Chapel of the Bones. The Gothic Cathedral was built in the 14th century.

The Chapel of the Bones was built by three monks who wanted to create a helpful place for people to meditate on the transience of material things. The chapel contains the skulls and bones of 5,000 monks. We didn’t linger long here.

The Town Square is pleasant in the evenings,

and it’s nice to just wander around the meandering city streets.

It’s early spring in Portugal and this redbud tree is blooming in the courtyard of our hotel.

Locals tell us that it’s been a chilly winter, but today, the temps here will be in low 80’s. We will pick up our dusty rental car in a couple of days to head to our next stop.

We had one last day in Cáceres to visit the sites that were closed on Sunday and Monday, so, on Tuesday, we made the most of it. Our first stop was the Cáceres Museo. It is partially closed for renovations but free. The small museum was sparse on objects but everything is nicely displayed…sometimes less is more. We saw a small collection of prehistoric artifacts, gold jewelry, bronze armor and locally made ceramics. The second floor displayed  some wonderful contemporary art.

We liked this cheerful piece, titled A La Fiesta del Pueblo created in 1916 by Spanish artist Eugenio Hermosillo Martinez.

And this one titled Turner y La National Gallery by Equipo Cronica. It seems as if we are looking down the hallway when in fact, it’s the painting.

This pigeon was looking in while we were looking out! Adding that pigeons are a big nuisance here – a city with many outdoor dining options and too many pigeons looking for leftovers.

One of the main attractions here is an underground cistern which was unfortunately closed for renovations.

The 15th-century Gothic Cathedral of Santa Maria was our next stop. It has a prominent place in the city and is beautifully lit at night.

The bell tower is one of the prominent features. We walked to the top for a view of the city.

Inside, Gothic style archways and a beautifully carved wooden alterpiece are especially impressive. The well-done audio guide highlighted the important  features of the cathedral.

One of our favorite sights was the Cáceres Arabian House Museum. A local resident bought the building in the 1960’s and made it his residence. During a construction project he discovered the remains of an Arab dwelling erected on an ancient Roman site which dated back to the 12th century. His dream was to make it a house museum – which took him fifteen years to complete. He did extensive research to discover more of Caceres’ ancient past. Now, his children have taken over his endeavor and continue to open the museum to any curious travelers who pass by.

Our last full day in Cáceres was interesting and adventure-filled but it was time to move on.

Larry observed that, while Cáceres has great appeal, with its rich history and well-preserved medieval old town, it will probably never be a major tourist destination because of its remote location on the edge of Spain. Tourism brings development money, and Cáceres doesn’t get enough of it to reach its full potential.

This morning we picked up our rental car and drove 2.5 hours to Evora, Portugal. It’s been many years since we visited Portugal and Evora is a new destination for us!  We are looking forward to more adventures!

It was a busy weekend in Cáceres but a very quiet Monday morning with few people on the streets and many of the museums and major sites closed.  We walked to nearby Botanicc Grand Cafe for good coffee and a bowl of yogurt with granola.

After breakfast we picked up a few things at the Tambo Grocery Store. Just inside the front door is a display of freshly caught fish…even though we are a bit far from the sea.

After our errands were done, we set out for the Old Jewish Quarter of Cáceres  (Barrio de San Antonio). It is described as a peaceful, centuries-old neighborhood of narrow cobbled streets and whitewashed houses hidden just behind the Moorish city walls.

The neighborhood has whitewashed walls and lovely flowers along the pathways.

We visited the small chapel of The Ermita de San Antonio which stands on the site where the Jewish community’s early synagogue once stood. The original synagogue was demolished and this small chapel was built in its place around 1470 — roughly two decades before the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492.

Towers near ancient wells just outside the ancient city walls gave us excellent views of the modern city.

The days go by quickly! Tomorrow the city museum will be open and we will learn more about this fascinating corner of Spain.

Our time in Madrid was brief, but we had a chance to rest after a long flight, enjoy a nice dinner, and scope out the most efficient route for our departure from the huge (and currently under renovation) Atocha Rail Station for the next day.

Continue reading “Cáceres, Spain”

We’re in Madrid! The flight was easy, less than eight hours in length and we arrived early. We’ve been in the Madrid Airport several times and it’s always been chaotic with long lines and now new machines that take a photo and your fingerprints. Once we exited we found the 203 Bus that took us to the Atocha Train Station. The price is 5 Euros …  it’s very crowded, (standing room only) packed with people from all over the world and their luggage. Convenient though!

The first day of a trip is difficult because of lack of sleep and the 6-hour time difference. We usually take a 2-3 hour rest before we hit the streets. We decided to only spend one night on Madrid ( with some regret) but we are leaving for Caceras tomorrow morning so a hotel near the train station made sense. We like the Only You Hotel with a smallish but very comfortable room.

We found a wonderful Italian Restaurant for dinner near the hotel this evening …we have plenty of time for tapas at the next stops! We’re here, happy, and getting reading for the next stop! Now for more rest and a new day tomorrow!

Adios!

The suitcases are out, the passports are tucked in a safe spot, and we’re ready to go. We are heading off on a month-long spring journey through Spain, Portugal, and France! 

We’ll be traveling by train, bus, and rental car. Our itinerary includes one night in Madrid, 4 nights in Cáceres, Spain; 4 nights in Evora, Portugal; 3 nights in Tavira, Portugal; 4 nights in Cadez, Spain; 4 nights in Seville, Spain; 5 nights in Malaga, Spain; and 6 nights in Strasbourg, France.

We’re returning to a few favorite cities, but we’ve also left plenty of time for cities and sights we’ve never seen before. Here’s what we’re excited about:

• Traveling at a Slow Pace: Having 30-plus days allows us to actually breathe, sip our wine a little longer, and wander without a frantic itinerary.

• The Spring Bloom: There is nothing quite like April and May in Southern Europe—the weather is warming up, and the crowds haven’t quite peaked yet.

• The Best of Both Worlds: Revisiting favorite cities feels like visiting an old friend, while the new stops keep the sense of adventure alive.

We’ll be sharing photos and stories as we go. For now, we’re just focusing on making sure everything fits in the carry-on.

Next stop: The Airport!