Our final resting place is reminiscent of some dystopian seventies or eighties TV series - could be Space 1999 or Logan’s Run. Not because they feature these “Little Boxes” but simply because the feeling is similar.
First though, after breakfast we take a stroll round Monte de Provença, our ranch last night. The horses look great, maybe we should have arranged a hack, but it’s too late now, next time perhaps? The flies are out in force so we’re not out for more than half an hour before we head off. As well as the fort / castle in Elbas there’s another on the hill opposite, so we head there first. It’s called Forte de Graça, what an unexpected find, this fort is probably the most complete one we’ve ever looked round. It is huge, over a mile to walk round the external wall, which we do first, loving all the details we find. There’s so many places to kill a man - shot with an arrow, boiling oil, and on the shallowest slope, man traps - deep holes then covered with sticks and grass, perfect to swallow a soldier!
Sadly there’s a splendid display of foolishness en route as I try to jump up to a sentry box, forgetting I’m no longer thirty (!) and miss my destination, scraping my shin badly - blood everywhere - but my crash landing is impeccable and the second time I make it. We continue our circuit of the barbican (the bit between the outer wall and the inner wall) where there’s a whole corridor where soldiers slept, just waiting for an invader, ready to launch more arrows.
Next, inside the barbican is the bulwark, a further layer of defences, again arrow slots and holes for boiling oil, and on top of this mounted officers lived ready to take to arms. Until 1989 these inpenetrable defences have been working in reverse acting as a prison, on the walls political propaganda is painted around the dormitory cells.
Finally, inside is the central redoubt where the upper echelons had their living spaces, the infirmary, offices and refectory. All in all this is an amazing fort and we manage to spend hours covering all the different areas.
Fortunately the drive today is shorty, only 97 km so we then hit the road aiming for Évora, and our last hotel, situated about four miles south of the city. It’s billed as an eco-hotel, the rooms are all self-contained boxes painted white, set away from the main building which is just the bar, restaurant, spa and pool. A quick lunch of pork burger (a monstrous half-pounder!) and we’re heading back into town to check out another aqueduct, numerous churches, squares, Roman artefacts, gates and tiny cobbled streets. There are several churches that look like they are straight out of Camelot and King Arthur’s court!
We return for pool-time, not that I can go in with a bloody leg, and an interesting sparkling green wine, which truly has the strongest gooseberry taste imaginable. A quick change and we’re heading for dinner, which although not perfect was very good. I think we’re resigning ourselves to overcooked meat in Portugal!
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