Autumn 2024

Elvas - 10 October 2024

10.10 - Elvas, Portalegre, Portugal

Peaceful sleep in Portel. Didn’t fully service Dave, as there wasn’t a thread for an adapter on the water supply - rookie error for the fairly new motorhome area!

Tintin driving today - 2 hours to Elvas - only 8km away from Spain!

Drove past mile after mile of olive trees and cork oaks, and then vines (in the Alentejo region).

Saw Évora from a distance - but went there in 2018 - see our previous blog if interested!

Huge castle up on the hill in Évoramonte, but didn’t visit today.

Something else new today was the sheer numbers of bugs dying on our windscreen! They were mainly flying ants - and huge. So many, it sounded like rain! Also meant clearing them out of the front grills when we stopped, and Tintin washing the front. So apologies for some of the photos whilst driving - looking through body splats 🤢

We’re parked up in this huge space in front of the huge aqueduct. It’s 7km long and has 843 arches.

I was on the hunt for the wild turkeys and chickens behind us when I saw another Guernsey licence plate moho! About the second time ever! They’ve just come in from Spain and off in the opposite direction. Always good to have a chat in English!

After lunch we walked into town. According to Visit Portugal - “this place is the largest bulwarked fortification in the world, with its defensive structures in the shape of a star that enclose a perimeter of nearly 10 km, which are a unique testimony to the development of military strategy up to the 19th century. The fortifications were very important in the battles with Spain for the independence of Portugal in the mid-17th century, and served as a base for General Wellington during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century.”

Everywhere we went today there were ants, both flying - big and small, plus oversized ordinary ants - apparently they arrive when rain is due!

We paid to go in the castle (€4.50 - OAP only €1.50!). Not sure it was really worth it - but good views from up at the top!

From there we went where we wanted - no map again! Found the main square with the cathedral. Stopped off for a drink, then meandered back to Dave. A better than expected place to visit!