October 16, 2013
Monsaraz
We awoke this morning to another bright day. The weather forecast predicts rain a few days down the road, but it looks like our tour will begin with a solid week of sun. After breakfast I went up to the roof of our hotel to look over the city in the morning light.
Today was practically a rest day - it's just 32 miles to Monsaraz. We took our time, loafing around the hotel until after 10. Weather conditions were again fair, but the wind has stiffened up a bit and got our attention. The ride to Mourao was pretty, quiet, but not particularly dramatic as we crossed a dry landscape predominantly of olive groves. As we neared the town we started passing arms of the immense Alquiva Reservoir, established when the Guadiana was dammed in 2002. It dominated the last half of our ride, and we crossed it twice over long, new bridges.
In Mourao we took time to tour it's castle. We were pleasantly surprised to find it open and unmonitored, so we were free to explore it at will. It's quite a dramatic structure and exciting to wander through - the walls are complete and have an accessible parapet that lets you walk around and enjoy great views of the surroundings. It is remarkable though that everything is so exposed - no ropes, guardrails or warning signs to protect you from tumbling over the sheer edge.
Afterwards we stopped in at a bakery for lunch, enjoying a pair of tasty chicken pies (me) and a chicken pie and immense desert pastry (Rachael). Like everything else in this region, our meal was remarkably inexpensive. Including a large bottle of water, lunch set us back about 6 dollars.
The rest of the ride to Monsaraz was mostly flat and upwind, until the stinger at the end - a steep 500' climb in the last mile. It was well worth the effort though - Monsaraz is a very special place. Perched high on a hill overlooking a broad swath of eastern Portugal, it's strategic position has brought it a long, tortured history. It's earliest ruins are prehistoric, but just since Roman times it has been occupied in quick succession by Visigoths, Arabs, Mozarabs, Jews, Christians, and then the Arabs again before finally being reclaimed for Christianity by the Knights Templar.
Now though, it is a peaceful but remarkably beautiful spot - the south end is held down by a castle with a small bull ring, and the remainder is a brilliant white maze of churches, alleys, gates and arches. The streets and many of the walls are built from a lovely grey-green slate. Totally wonderful.
About dinner: wow! A great meal at a taverna across from our B&B, which we agreed was the best of the trip. For an appetizer we had a plate of ham, mushrooms and pine nuts; Rachael had salmon with apples and potatoes; and I had pork loin with figs and pine nuts. Brilliant.
Elevation log: 1700' today, 11,100 total.
Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 231 miles (372 km)
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