No. Never even heard of it until you asked.

I'm sorry, Melnq8, I must have missed your planning thread. When I see that someone is planning to visit Coimbra I usually recommend Conimbriga. The remains are not the most dramatic Roman ruins around, but I found them particularly evocative, and certainly more interesting than the temple at Evora.

Conimbraga used to have a remarkable display under glass. It featured but one item--a beautiful ring with a red gem. Apparently it'd been found onsite.
But the one tragic story that this traveler will never forget about Conimbraga had to do with the lamentations expressed by a former Roman aristocrat. He'd left the town to travel on a business trip, then returned to find that Conimbraga had been sacked (if memory serves by Suebi) in his absence. His wife and daughter had been taken away into slavery, never to be seen again. There was a translation of his heartbroken diary-lament onsite. Chilling.

I am done. the Mel egg

A couple of photos of Conimbriga - I think it cost me a few euros to get the fountains to play.

Yesterday we took the Rede Expressos bus from Coimbra to Evora with a short stop in Fatima, and a 45 minute bus change in Sete Rios. The ride provided an entirely different perspective of Portugal.....wide open countryside, agriculture, rolling tree-covered hills, and green, green, green, which is what I expected in Pinhao. We passed the exit for Conimbraga and Tomar, so I now know where both are.

Some poor kid was hacking like crazy in the back of the bus. We were cringing, hoping it wasn't COVID.

Speaking of which - mask compliance here has been wonderful. No whinging, just compliance, which I very much appreciate. And this morning in our hotel, plastic gloves at the breakfast buffet, which I overlooked and was quickly reprimanded mere seconds before my naked index finger pressed the coffee machine.

So, we're now in Evora, which is socked in with cloud and rain this morning, so we're taking a brief respite before we hit the streets.

When we arrived yesterday, tired, cranky and hungry after our 4+ hour journey, we were turned away from three restaurants and completely ignored by a fourth. Not the best first impression, but 100 Montaditos saved the day, a pub that served fast food type tapas.

We booked in at Evora Taste for dinner, which was good, although some of the the warm food was cold. This eating so late is taking its toll though, and by late I mean 7-8, which is late for us, but not late by Portuguese standards. Bill loved his first black pork experience.

Off to explore in the rain.

Rainy days and Mondays...

Chapel of Bones, the Aquaduct, the Roman Temple and the WOW of the day, the Evora Cathedral


Evora

Evora

Almost desperate enough for this yesterday

Evora

Aquaduct cum carpark

Chapel of bones

Evora Cathedral

Roman temple

Wonderful photos, once again. Thank you!

Is that a house that is built into the aqueduct? And I love the dainty chapel of bones!

Yes, many houses and buildings built into the aquaduct - not to mention the parking lot below. Felt very weird - old meeting new. And there is nothing dainty about the chapel of bones.

Loving the wine, not loving the food...

Our last day in Evora - walked around the walled city (don't recommend), had trouble finding a lunch we both would eat. Not loving the food here, even Bill, who is much more game than I am.

Finally settled on kebabs at a shop hidden away on a side street...followed by a wine tasting, and then a bottle of wine at a tucked away restaurant where we were welcomed as locals although the place was officially closed. We sipped wine while watching Portuguese talk shows - guessing what the show was about - as the family who owned the restaurant ate their lunch at a nearby table and then began to clean up after the lunch crowd and prepare for dinner.

This, in all its simplicity, sums up what we've come to love about travel, those experiences that one can't plan for, but merely falls into.

Parking skills I will never muster

Exploring outside the walls, Evora

Evora

Outside the walls, Evora

Evora

Market we stumbled upon, outside the walls, Evora

Evora

Outside the walls of Evora, Fire Dept

Wine tasting, Evora

Evora

Evora

Beautiful photos, as always! Sorry you're having a hard time finding food to your liking...but it seems wine can make anything better

I am wondering about the food problem, Portugal has the best sardines, and the absolutely best spicy chicken. If you like spicy do not miss Bom Jardim (sometimes Bon Jardin) in Lisbon - very basic but very good.

A traditional dish of the Alentejo region is pork with clams, a strange combination, I know, but one we found very tasty (that is, if you're a pork or shellfish eater!, but not Mel!!). And the wine is very good--glad to see you got to taste at Ervideira.

The porco preto, black pigs that graze on acorns on the Alentejo plains, are noted for producing great ham, cousins to the cerdo ibérico of southern Spain that produce jamón de bellota. And it's less expensive in Portugal than in Spain.
And Alentejo is known for its breads and its queijo de Serpa cheese.

Another hearty dish that we tried, typical of Alentejois açorda alentejana(a type of bread soup made with bread crumbs, sometimes with poached eggs on top) that tasted to me somewhat like Thanksgiving dressing/stuffing. We had a very filling version topped with shrimp at Tábua do Naldo, a cute little taberna with about 6 tables in Evora, which the Enoteca Cartuxa sent us to because they were fully booked. The owner is very engaging.
https://tabuadonaldo.eatbu.com/?lang=en

We haven't found the spicy chicken yet, but it's on my list for Lisbon.

Thanks, but no on the sardines. Which, by the way, we've seen the same sardine store, the one mentioned upthread, in every city we've visited so far.

Now in Sintra and feeling a bit ashamed to be a tourist after witnessing the crowds that descend on this town, the graffiti etched into the walls, the overflowing garbage cans and a crazy-assed English speaking Karen who verbally abused a worker for closing the gates of Quinta de Regaleira at 5:29 instead of 5:30.

The draw of Sintra is immediately obvious, but I can't help but feel guilty for contributing to the tourist problem. I'm feeling very conflicted at the moment.


Sintra train station

View from our apartment

Sintra

Sintra

Sintra



The ugly side of tourism

The best dish of Alentejo is "Pezinhos de Coentrada". It's a dish made of coriander (in portuguese, coentros, so coentrada). I will not describe it, if someone is interested you can google it. I strongly advise Mel not to try it.

We felt the same, Mel, but hope you can enjoy the quiet of the evenings once the tourist hordes depart.
Our good news was that we had Monserrate almost to ourselves.

Love the blue in the Sintra station and your pretty apt. view.

Thanks for sharing this, Mel. I do understand those mixed feelings, though I imagine those who are part of the hospitality industry are still glad to have tourists back. Hoping those initial impressions ease after the first day.

I’m a little concerned about the hordes as well so hopefully there are ways to escape the worst of it. ! I’m hoping for selfish reasons that you find ways to enjoy Sintra when the hordes are gone!

PS - I love your photos! They are great, a little fun with a bit of quirkiness!

Sorry to hear that the crowds are back. BTW, it wasn't sardines in cans that I meant, but the big ones served in restaurants. I did find Portuguese cuisine, aside from the spicy chicken, on the bland side, which seemed odd given that the Voyages of Discovery were in pursuit of spices. A bit short on veggies in the restaurants too, although not in the markets.

We were served potatoes with almost every meal (lots and lots of potatoes-they really know how to prepare them well), and we had lots of grelos. Helena, how do you translate grelos in English--are they turnip greens, broccoli rabe)?

Our alone time at Monserrate-


Monserrate Palace


Palace interiors--to ourselves


Without the hordes at Monserrate gardens



The leafy greens at Ponte de Lima Monday feira