Family Visit to Portugal

Mark's sister, Karen, is on a two-month trip to Europe, which will include taking her grandkids to Euro Disney, the wedding of her goddaughter on the Amalfi Coast, and a trip with her husband, Steve, to the Italian isle of Capri.  Karen's trip started off with a five-day visit to Lisbon (her first time there) with a girlfriend from California.  Then, Mark drove to Lisbon to pick her up and to spend five days showing her around more of Portugal.

Évora

About a two-hour drive east of Lisbon lies the city of Évora.  It is the capital of the central Alentejo region, and it is an ancient city which was occupied by Romans, Visigoths, and Moors before the Portuguese took control in the 12th century.  Today, it is the third most popular tourist area in Portugal, after Lisbon and Porto.  In addition to its antiquities, the Alentejo is known for its outstanding wine and excellent food.

We had a private walking tour of Évora, which explained much of the grand history of the city including its desirability as a country retreat for Portuguese royalty.

Outside of Évora, we visited the Alemendres Cromlech, the largest existing group of structured menhirs (tall upright stones erected in pre-historic times) in the Iberian Peninsula.  It is estimated that the stones are dated from 4000-6000 BC, making them older than Stonehenge.

We had a lavish Portuguese dinner at Taberna Tipica Quarta-feira in Évora.  It was a fixed "secret" menu, which basically meant you ate what they served.  The menu consisted of about seven starters (not pictured), four main courses with side dishes, and five desserts.  All of the food was definitively "country Portuguese," dishes that have been made for centuries in the interior of the country.  The price was about 50 euros per person, a remarkable value.  

Monsaraz

After two days in Évora, we headed to Mark and Debra's hometown of Tavira, but at the recommendation of our tour guide, we first decided to head east to the historic town of Monsaraz.  The border between Spain and Portugal is dotted with hilltop, walled towns, which served as traditional lookout positions in the constant conflicts between the two countries.  Like Évora, Monsaraz's history reaches back to Roman times, and the town with its castle and protective walls is very quaint and well-preserved.  

The Algarve

Karen and Steve had visited us in October 2023, but the Algarve is a pretty big place with lots to do.  On this trip, we visited the Monterosa Olive Oil factory in nearby Moncarapacho to see how olive oil is produced and to do a little tasting of their many varieties.  We also traveled to the Central Algarve to visit the Praia da Marinha and see (from the top, at least) the famed Benagil Cave.  And finally, we treated Karen to an early birthday dinner at Pequeno Mundo, a Michelin-recommended restaurant in the city of Almancil.  

It was wonderful to spend time with Karen, but this was just the beginning.  Mark travels to Switzerland in June to celebrate Karen's actual 70th birthday, see his niece Lindsey and her family, and to take a brief trip to Italy with his sister.  Stay tuned!