Wednesday 17 September: to Vila Vicosa

 We pack up from our pitch beneath the eucalyptus trees and head to the local supermarket at San Teotino to stock up on supplies. We decide to take the scenic route across the Alentejan countryside instead of the busy A2 via Lisbon. It’s certainly rural and generally empty albeit a bit winding and rough at times. Cork trees, olive groves and fruit trees, rolling countryside and rural villages with their white and blue houses and terracotta tiles. We stop for a coffee in a dusty street and arrive at the marbled city of Vila Vicosa at about 2pm. We’re staying in the pousada here which is housed in an old convent. It seems strange to park Ludwig up and go inside. It’s very quiet apart from a coach load of Titan tourists! It’s incredibly hot, 36C, and we wonder how we’ll cope. Inside it’s cool so we check in and head off to the Ducal Palace where we have a guided tour mainly in Portuguese. Impressive tapestries and paintings and decor from before the republican revolution and a kitchen filled with hundreds of  copper pans which they have to clean x3 a year. We’re not allowed to take photos but we sneak one of this. Fuelled by cold cola we get to the castle and church within the castellated walls for views before cooling off in the pousada pool. We walk around trying to find somewhere for supper and end up at Os Casca which is certainly popular with locals. Bright strip lights and several TV screens we eat octopus salad and half portions of lamb stew and pork which are still enormous and a bit like school dinners. Not one of our greatest moments! It will be strange to sleep in a bed tonight. 











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