October 2, 2023

We left the beautiful Villa Vita Parc after breakfasts for the Village of Evora which is a two and a half hour drive. We met our local guide at a Roman ruin, with a long history, serving as a Roman religious site, being converted to a slaughter house, then restored to a historical monument. Located on a hill, we can see the remains of a Roman aqueduct that once was the water supply for the city.

Next to the ruins are former government buildings one is the site of an Inquisition court that still displays the symbol of the inquisition, with the olive branch and the sword. Accept the offer or face the sword is the not so subtle meaning.

Our next stop is the beautiful Cathedral of Evora.

We then continued our walk to the center of Evora which is Girado Square in honor of the man who conquered the Moors, The fountain was constructed in1573.

Our final stop in Evora is one of the most interesting sites we visited during our trip, Capela dos Ossos, literally the Chapel of the Bones. The church decided that the land occupied by a cemetery was too valuable for its current use so the inhabitants were dug up and their bones used to construct a Chapel.

Our trusty driver Carlos then drove us to Lisbon which took about an hour and a half. Our headquarters in Lisbon was the Tivoli Hotel, which is very nice and centrally located. Dinner than evening was at the hotel restaurant Seen, which is very nice.