Marty Magic Travel Blog: Stone Circles and the Chapel of Bones

Monday, June 25th - Lisbon to Evora

The train station we depart to Evora from is out by the Zoological Gardens and Art wishes to take the metro. Although the metro stop is not far and our luggage is minimal, it is still an effort to maneuver rolling suitcases over cobblestone streets and down into the depths of the metro. Art takes the brunt of it and eventually we pop up at the metro stop nearest to the train station. We are unnecessarily early and our train is somewhat delayed but by 5:30, we are onboard and on our way to Evora. Although we have assigned seats, our car is only half full and the passengers are taking the seating assignments loosely until a few stops along, an entire troupe of girl scouts board and we watch the harried leader find their assigned seats to contain her brood. Their appearance requires most of us onboard make way for them and to scurry into assigned seats.

We arrive in Evora slightly after 6:30 P.M. and take a taxi the short distance to our hotel just inside the old city walls. The taxi metering is different in Evora than in Lisbon but in spite of the higher rate, our 10 minute ride to our hotel is less than 6 Euros. Our hotel, the Albergaria do Calvarios is a beautiful property and almost too upscale for my tastes. We are graciously welcomed and offered drinks in their outdoor courtyard café bar but Art is anxious to watch the soccer game and does not want to do so in the enclosed bubble of our hotel. Our room is elegant and spacious with a view overlooking the red tile roofs of the old city. The modern marble bath has a bidet, which in addition for its intended purpose, I will appreciate for washing and soaking my tired feet after a long day of walking cobble stone streets. There is no time to waste now however and after depositing our luggage we race along the old city streets to the town square in search of an outdoor café showing tonight’s World Cup game.

Inside the Evora City Walls

Roof top view from our hotel window.

Courtyard of the Albergaria do Calvarios Hotel

Back street cafe, Evora

Evora city square

The center square cafes have no T.V. screen and we are directed to a side street where several overflowing cafes are showing the game. Although we stand for some minutes and ask about adding a table near the back, there is no seating. We find a sterile indoor café showing the game and each order a drink. Not being a sports fan, I position myself, back to the game and write this blog. At half time, Art wanders out to make reservations for dinner after the game however can’t find the intended restaurant in the maze of narrow back streets. It must be 9:30 when the game ends and we set out in search (again) for the Tasquinha do Oliveira Restaurant, highly recommended in Rick Steve’s guide book. The handsome but casually dressed Matridis is standing outside and when we ask if we can eat there tonight he replies, “I don’t know; are you hungry?” He explains that we don’t get to choose, that dinner is a set price of 25 Euros each and that it will include salad and starters, a main course with side dishes and include dessert. Wine is additional. We accept his challenge and are seated at the end of a table for 6. We already know that this restaurant is not for vegetarians and want to experience the local cuisine. As it turns out, had Art been able to find this restaurant during half time, the table for 6 was booked but the party didn’t show, so we are fortunate.

Appetizers at Tasquinha do Oliveira Restaurant

Main course of roasted pork neck and potato

We ask the waiter his suggestions for wine and he brings us each ample pours of white wine to pair with the starters followed by glasses of red to accompany the main course. Bring it on! For starters, a perfectly dressed, fresh greens, tomato and tuna Carpaccio salad arrives. Hearty bread and crackers arrive momentarily accompanied by an antipasto platter of cheese fondue, an assortment of cheeses, slices of sausage and salami and three remarkable dipping sauces. What sits before us is more than an ample meal and this is just the beginning. Everything is exceptional and we pace ourselves. A much younger couple is seated at the opposite end of our table for 6. They are from Florida and this is their first night of their honeymoon; each having arrived in Evora from different destinations earlier in the day. The main course is roasted pork neck, roasted potatoes and a spinach soufflé. I rarely eat meat but the melt in your mouth pork is delicious and the savory soufflé is rich and fluffy. We can make only a small dent in the main course and unfortunately, because of our travel schedule we will not be able to take the leftovers home. We converse with the Floridian newlyweds while waiting for the dessert course to arrive. A mint, lemon and oregano sorbet cleans our palate followed by a sampling of chocolate desserts. The bill is 60 Euros, tip and tax included. The meal is an extraordinary experience.

Tuesday, June 26, Evora’s Megalithic Sites and the Chapel of Bones.

The included breakfast in our hotel is marvelous but after last night’s feast, I try to choose wisely. The fresh fruit salad is wonderful, as is the egg frittata. An array of out of the ordinary pastries tempts from the buffet but I resist their call and help myself to seconds on the fruit and sip the strong cappuccino. We pass a bag of dirty laundry to reception that will be washed during our archeological excursion to the stone circles. Mario arrives at 10:00 A.M. and another couple also staying at this hotel and surprisingly from Lost Gatos, California are on our small tour of 6. We climb into the comfortable mini bus with Mario and a driver and pick up a couple from Macau in the center of town.

View of the Megalithic Stone Circle

Megalithic Stones

Explanation of the Stones

Art taking shade in the sweltering Evora heat

Marty and the Stones

Mario has his masters in archeology and is articulate, personable and extremely knowledgeable. Our first stop on the Megalithic tour is an amazing stone circle site. Unlike Stonehenge, there are no velvet ropes to separate us from the magic of this extraordinary site. This is wonderful for us but terrible for the preservation of the site.

Our next stop requires a trek through farmer’s fields where hemlock, Queen Ann’s lace and thistles grow wild. I am struck by the beauty of the wild flowers and interested to see hemlock first hand and to learn the visual difference in identifying hemlock versus Queen Ann’s Lace. Cattle graze in the surrounding fields and the acorns from the plentiful cork oaks are processed and used as feed for the livestock. We come to a lone standing megalithic stone, part of the stone circle we visited earlier but downhill from the cluster of stones and to the West. There is another similar stone in the same position downhill and to the East that we do not have time to visit.

Cork Oak Trees

Thistle

Single Megalithic Stone

Flat topped Queen Ann's Lace

Our final stop is the site of a burial mound. We drive along a dirt road past groves of cork oaks and park, walking a short uphill path to the burial site. Mario explains that this site has been carelessly excavated with explosives prior to understanding the importance of such a discovery. A circle of huge slabs of stone form a cave like crypt where 12 -15 bodies were buried. These monumental stones were then topped by a larger slab that has been slid away and lies cracked at the top of the site. This cap stone is about 20 feet across. The site was previously covered by dirt to form an invisible mound in the rolling landscape.

Burial Crypt

Inside the burial crypt

Inadequate cover of the site.

Broken capstone from the Crypt

Mario drops us off in the town center of Evora. We pay him the 25 Euros each for the remarkable tour and although tipping is not expected in Portugal Art passes him 5 Euros, saying “because we are Americans.”

Roman Temple of Diana

It is 1:00 P.M. and we quickly choose a sidewalk café and order tuna salads to somewhat compensate for last night’s over indulgence. We walk to the Roman Temple of Diana, visit the Roman Cathedral and climb to it’s roof top for a view of Evora.

Roof top of the Roman Cathedral

Art ontop of the roof

Roof top of the Roman Cathedral

The Cathedral Cloisters

The interior of the Cathedral

The highlight of Evora proper is a visit the Chapel of Bones. It was built in the 16th century by a Franciscan Friar who wanted those who visited to contemplate that life is transitory. The Chapel is remarkably macabre and beautiful.

Panorama of the Chapel of Bones - Evora Portugal

The walls and pillars of the interior are lined with human bones. Skulls decorate the archways and leg bones form the columns. Every inch of the interior is paved with bones.