This entry was posted on 4/28/2008 1:26 AM and is filed under uncategorized.
Sunday April 20 2008
I
went to Portugal for the 2008 Portuguese Endurance Championships... and
afterwards was a guest in Evora, Portugal, of Vasco Lopez Avo and his
family in their lovely little hotel,
the Residencial Os Manueis, in the center of the old part of the city.
Vasco would be taking me on an endurance horse tour around Evora.
In the Alentejo Province of Portugal (the region south of the Tagus
River - Rio Tejo), Évora is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Much of the
original old walls and buildings are preserved from Roman and Moorish
times. The original fortress walls still surround nearly the entire
inner town, and an aqueduct from the 16th century. The streets are
cobblestones and narrow and lined with tall buildings; the newer
buildings are often built into, over, or under the original buildings.
The Templo Romano
is a well-preserved Roman temple (Templo de Diana) from the end of the
2nd century, which sits in a plaza on a hill with a view over part of
the city (it was the Raven's favorite); there are old arches, old
churches and convents and cathedrals (one has a banner outside the
doors, "Celebrating 900 years"), and a high aqueduct (which stretches
for 8 km, and runs into the city) rectangular stone water tank from the
16th century.
It's also a university town with 8000 students;
the University of Évora was formerly a Jesuit college built in 1559.
The central square (which the hotel is a half block away from) was
always a hive of activity - outdoor cafe seating, or, one day, a race
for young boys through the streets of the town and into the square, and
yet another day a big stage being set up for some event.
The
Hotel Os Manueis was acquired by Vasco's family in 1952. It was
remodeled just 3 years ago, and is an extremely comfortable, homey
place, with a great view on the rooftop terrace. Start talking horses
with Vasco or his father or his brother Eduardo, and you won't want to
leave.
It gets up into the 40's here in the summer, but for now,
the cool weather was perfect... even if you had to dodge the 15 minute
rain showers throughout the day.
