We know we’ve boobed a bit, but fixing it has become a right saga. When we entered Portugal we should have set up for toll charges. They are (mostly) automated in the same way the London congestion charge is - just drive and your plate is ANPR’d. Actually we now know the Europcar operative should have told us and given us an explanatory letter, but there’s no way we can go back in time.
Yesterday we went in to the PTT, Portugal‘s post office to try and remedy this, but the man said we’re couldn’t do Spanish cars, which we now know was a fib. Later I consulted Europcar but their response was not helpful. Today at a different PTT the lovey lady got is a €20 prepaid card, which she said would retrospectively deal with our transgressions, apparently there’s a five day grace. Unfortunately the text message we’ve since received doesn’t reflect this so I’ve written to them hoping to get it sorted. If we don’t return please send cake care of Portugal Prison Service!
Meanwhile we check out a C2 Roman tower on the outskirts of Belmonte before hitting the road South. After an hour of motorway (and tolls!) we take a slow road for the remainder of our journey to Elvas, passing some lovely towns as we go. In Portaeigre we stop at a Europcar office, and also pick up the makings of lunch - Brie and ham - which we eat adjacent to a small roadside lake. We even find a bullring in one town, we are quite close to Spain now so the influence is obviously there.
Finally we check into yet another intriguing hotel, this one a farm with rooms, on a grand scale reminiscent of a South African homestead - elegant matriarch followed everywhere by faithful hound, expansive house and gardens, handsome horses in a adjacent paddock, acre after acre of fruit trees and a drive a mile long.
Elvas has a history and then some, Moorish bits, Christian bits and lots since then. Starting back in the 1100s the Moores built a little castle, then the Crusaders nicked it and built more, later in the early 1500s the Kings of Portugal added more. In the latter period they also build what remains as one of the biggest aqueducts in Europe.
We start at the castle, amazed by lack of health & safety rules, we clamber round all the walled section, with wonderful views. There’s nothing to see inside it, the walls are the attraction. Then we head to a huge town gate called Muralhas de Elvas with twists and turns and once a drawbridge too. No one is coming through here unless they’re invited!
We complete our exploration of Elvas with a visit to its C15 church later elevated to cathedral in C17. It’s 42 degrees and hard work, so a stop for a lovely cold shandy is really the only thing one can do at this point!
We return to our ranch and take a gentle wander (how trendy, it has two Tesla charging points!) before settling down to the pool, a nice rosé and a dip or two.
Later, a simple dinner in the terrace is a perfect end to our day.
Comments
Post a Comment