Exploring history in London & abroad with my camera
Near the border with Spain the Alentejo is wide, open, and empty. Lush, green grass covers soft hills, and cork oaks and olive trees are everywhere. Surprisingly there are few sheep and cattle - farming here seems very 'quiet' and unobtrusive - is this another area where people have moved off the land and into the towns?…
Read More "Montalvao – fortified hilltop town on the Portuguese border"
Montalvão is a small, remote, hilltop village (and castle) close to the border with Spain. We were there to try out another of the walks, the PR7-NIS, in the new book published by the Portuguese Tourist Office. The walk is across the hills and down to the the Sever River, the border between Portugal and Spain. PR7 -…
We parked in Carreiras and set off on our second walk with the new book. The walk follows the Mediaeval Road which connected Portalegre and Castelo de Vide in the valley below the Serra de São Paulo, and returns just under the crest of the mountain. 9 kms, c.3 hours, easy walking
This was our first walk using the new book of walks which we were given in the very helpful Tourist Office in Nisa. The book is not on the internet, and can't be bought in a bookshop. Various town councils list the walks in their area on their internet sites and brochures can be downloaded. My…
Read More "The backroads from Vila Vicosa to Flor da Rosa completed"
Today's photographs were taken with the Canon Powershot 200 SCX in one hand while the other hand gripped an umbrella. The camera was set on Live View and shots edited in Lightroom. It is an extraordinary little camera which even copes with shots taken from inside a moving car. The road between Vila Vicosa…
The clouds were low and it was dark and wet as we set off from Vila Viçosa for the Pousada at Flor da Rosa. We could have whizzed directly there up fast, new roads, 85 km in 1.5 hours, but then you see very little, and certainly don't have the time to absorb the feel of the country.…
Read More "The Backroads from Vila Vicosa to Flor da Rosa – the start"
Does monotone convey the atmosphere of Mourão Castle more strongly...
Mourão was another of the border towns disputed by Spain and Portugal in the 13C until in 1297 King Dinis signed the Treaty of Alcañices with the Spanish King, Fernando IV, and Mourão became a Portuguese possession, although the fighting and disputes did not end. (The history of this town and its castle is very confusing, and this…
