{"id":3065,"date":"2014-06-07T21:39:53","date_gmt":"2014-06-07T20:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/?p=3065"},"modified":"2026-05-23T08:45:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T07:45:20","slug":"gluttony-in-evora","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/2014\/06\/07\/gluttony-in-evora\/","title":{"rendered":"Gluttony In Evora"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Hes
He’s a popular chap in Evora<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was 11am by the time we left Camping Markadia, crossed the dam at the end of the lake, and set off north along some very straight roads.\u00a0 The scenery didn\u2019t change much, more olive trees, more cork trees with their numbers painted on them, hay already bailed up in white plastic and more storks with their enormous nests precariously balanced on various poles and old buildings.\u00a0 There was also still a severe lack of kookaburras and koalas in the gum trees.<\/p>\n

When we arrived at Camping Orbitur Evora we parked Eileen under a mulberry tree.\u00a0 A mulberry tree covered in ripe fruit.\u00a0 Foolish perhaps, but it seemed to be the only pitch left with a bit of shade.\u00a0 We angled Eileen so that none of the fruit would (hopefully) splat on her roof and Rodney swept all the fallen fruit to the edges of our pitch to avoid treading too many underfoot; something that neither of us has managed to avoid, but at least our shoes have all had a good wash\u2026.. Finally we settled in to a restful afternoon of watching the washing dry.\u00a0 We continued waging war on the ants and close to 6pm we finally made a decision; \u201clet\u2019s cycle into Evora for dinner\u201d.\u00a0 And so we did.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"
Checking menus in the Pra\u00e7a de Giraldo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

We parked our bikes in the Pra\u00e7a de Giraldo and set off on a random exploratory stroll on foot; cobblestones are hell to cycle on.\u00a0 Everything was closing up by then, but knowing we would be back on Friday, we picked a restaurant that was tucked away in a narrow alcove for our dinner.\u00a0 It had a traditional Portuguese name, \u2018Mr Pickwick\u2019!!!\u00a0 Apparently there is a Charles Dickens connection with Portugal, though we have no idea what that might be,\u00a0and the food was very good.\u00a0 My chunks of pork cooked in honey and red wine fell apart at the touch of my garfo (fork) and Rodney\u2019s meal was also quite yummy. Thankfully our bursting bellies had a cycle ride that was downhill, almost all the way home.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Evora\"
Evora<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

So Friday was a day spent crisscrossing the old town of Evora.\u00a0 It was our first rather cloudy day, but that made it a little easier for tramping the steep cobbled streets.\u00a0 We started our tour with a visit to the Capela dos Ossos, the Chapel of Bones.\u00a0 This really is a rather chilling and gruesome place and I couldn\u2019t help screwing up my face as we entered.\u00a0 The walls and pillars of the room are almost totally lined with skulls and bones of 5,000 long dead people, apparently taken from graves in the town.\u00a0 It was built in the 16th<\/sup>C by a Franciscan monk to \u2018induce meditation of his fellow men\u2019, I think it would have petrified me rather than induced any form of meditation, especially when we read the inscription above the entry door: \u00a0\u201cWe bones that are here, we are waiting for yours\u201d; so we quickly left the building.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Decorative
Decorative skull trimmings……<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"
And we’ll hang a whole skeleton on the wall for a little extra decoration……<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

For a bit of quiet contemplation we wandered over to the 16th<\/sup>C Palacio de Dom Manuel and the gardens.\u00a0 Start breathing and smile\u00a0again……\u00a0 It was a peaceful spot and there are\u00a0impressive ruins of another palace in the garden, plus an imposing statue of Admiral Vasco da Gama (the only famous Portuguese person we think we have ever heard of).\u00a0 It is believed that it was in the palace that he was given his orders to discover the sea route to India.\u00a0 Which he did in 1498.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The
The ruins next to the Palacio de Dom Manuel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Next stop on today\u2019s tour was at the incorrectly named ‘Temple of Diana’, now renamed the ‘Roman Temple’, because apparently in the 2nd<\/sup> century it is unlikely that it would have been dedicated to Diana.\u00a0 But it survived because in the middle ages they walled it up and turned it in to a fort, which then became a prison and then finally an abattoir.\u00a0 It finally was re-discovered and restored only a century ago.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The
The remains of the Roman temple<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

A gourmet treat became our next stop.\u00a0 We wandered back down to the bottom of town to the Samurai Japanese Restaurant.\u00a0 For \u20ac9.50 (about \u00a38 or $14.50) we gorged ourselves on a never ending supply of really good Japanese food.\u00a0 There was sushi, sashimi, spring rolls and many more cold items.\u00a0 Then there was a big choice of hot food, or you could fill a plate with a huge selection of raw chicken, beef, and a huge variety of fish and seafood, plus lots of vegetables, even three types of mushrooms, which you then took to the chef who cooked it on a huge hotplate and a waitress delivered it to your table.\u00a0 To follow up there were all sorts of desserts; chocolate mousse, chocolate cake, tiramisu (none of which I believe are actually Japanese), plus a wide selection of fresh fruits and a big freezer containing at least ten choices of ice cream.\u00a0 The waiter apologised that the drinks were not included in the price; at that price they couldn\u2019t have been!!!\u00a0 It was amazing and absolutely delicious!\u00a0 We were in there for ages and by the time we left I could not have squeezed in another mouthful of sushi. \u00a0We were gluttons and we knew it.\u00a0 And we\u00a0continued to know\u00a0it for about another two hours afterwards.\u00a0 In fact I ate nothing else for the rest of the day.\u00a0 If you are ever in Evora do go to Samurai and even if they put their prices up, it would still be a bargain.\u00a0 Just make sure they haven\u2019t changed the chef because the food was brilliant.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"
Traditional azulejos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t think we could manage \u2018uphill\u2019 when we left the restaurant, so we walked around the base of the city walls to find the 16th<\/sup> C aqueduct.\u00a0 The main section crosses the main road and a rather\u00a0tatty car park, so it\u2019s impressive but not very photogenic.\u00a0 It then heads into the town and becomes an architectural curiosity with little white houses built between the arches.\u00a0 It must be weird living there, knowing there is a channel of water traveling above your roof.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Well
We’ll squeeze a little house in here, the side walls are already built….<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Back up at the top of the hill, in the cathedral, we paid to visit the tower and found ourselves not in a tower, but standing on the sloping roof looking at the impressive lantern tower.\u00a0 There was a good view of the town and surrounding countryside from up there, so we lingered for a while, checking out all the bits that we had been to and what we might not have found yet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"On
On the cathedral roof<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The University was open, so we wandered around inside looking at all the beautiful azulejos (blue painted tiles) on the walls, and we ended up in the lovely tiled cloisters area, which curiously contained a plastic swimming pool and a temporary bar; it looked and smelled like there had been a very recent, good party, perhaps involving wet T shirts; good to see that student life is the same all over the world.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The
The University cloister entrance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

There were a lot more churches and a labyrinth of streets to stroll around, but we were pretty tired by then, so we found a seat at a caf\u00e9 in the Pra\u00e7a de Giraldo for a drink, before cycling back to Eileen for the night.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"How
How on earth did that car get through there?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  It was 11am by the time we left Camping Markadia, crossed the dam at the end of the lake, and set off north along some very straight roads.\u00a0 The scenery didn\u2019t change much, more olive trees, more cork trees with their numbers painted on them, hay already bailed up in white plastic and more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3065"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8325,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3065\/revisions\/8325"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}