Day 8: Evora

Roman Ruins in Evora

Today we got up at our usual 7:00 AM time, had breakfast, and got ready for the day.  Our walking tour started at 9:00AM to avoid the heat of the day.  Today’s high is expected to be 97F with bright direct sun and 25% humidity, and since everything is white it is very reflective making the streets feel hotter.  

Our tour started at the top of Evora, near the Roman ruins, then continuing over to the Cathedral of Evora.   The cathedral and attached convent were nice and did not have a bunch of Baroque architecture.  The cathedral also has 2 of the 11 known pregnant statues of the Virgin Mary.  Several were destroyed when the Catholic church hit its peak of power, with the logic it didn’t make Mary special if she looked pregnant like every other pregnant woman.  

Inside the convent

Inside the convent

Inside the church

Pregnant Virgin Mary Statue

From there we walked down a few streets to the main town square,  stopping along the way at the city hall to see part of the ruins of an old Roman Bath house, then over to another church and the Chapel of Bones.   The church attached to the Chapel of Bones is very ornate, because the king wanted to show off, but not with gold but with marble because that was more expensive than gold leafing everything.  Mind you there was still a fair amount of gold leaf in the church, especially in the small family “chapels” along the sides where prominent families of the city were buried.   The Chapel of Bones was built by the Franciscans out of 80000 human bones, mostly skulls, leg, and arm bones since they are easy to stack.  It was built to give the poor, which were dug up from “illegal” cemeteries near the church to make way for housing, a resting place.    After seeing the Chapel of Bones, the tour was over.  It was shorter than our previous tours because the city is much smaller and everything is more compact.

Part of the Chapel of Bones

After the tour we grabbed lunch at a sandwich shop.   We got small sandwiches, fries, and cokes. The sandwiches are just a bit bigger than a slider, but the right size for a light lunch.  From there we walked over to the gardens then to the Ruins of Fingidas and noisy peacocks.  From there we walked down Rossio de Sao Bras to see the Monument of the Dead of the Great War before heading back to our hotel.   We spent sometime at the rooftop pool and bar before heading back to the comfort of our room. For as hot as the city is the pool water was cold for only being a 3 foot deep pool at it’s deepest spot.  I think the pool is more for sitting in  or quick dips to cool off before laying on your lounge chair, than any type of swimming.  

We will pack up our things tonight, to head to Cascais tomorrow.  

Ruins of Fingidas