Somehow this trip is unreeling faster than I can get my head together to write about it. Three days in Lisbon with a side trip to Sintra to visit the fairy tale Pena Palace high on Pena mountain overlooking an impossible park planted with trees that could never have been in the same landscape had they not been purposely brought there from all around the world and planted to create the park in 1839! This was happening as the palace was being built. 

The next day we left Lisbon for Evora in the south of Portugal for our fist Pousada located in a former monastery. Our room is an historic cell for a monk who enjoyed more space than we might have imagined, still less than is common in most hotel rooms, but this is what we signed up for. This trip continues to be about food and wine. Yesterday, Saturday, we had a home hosted dinner with a well off family in a room they built to entertain family. The 17 of us had plenty of room to sit at the table with the four family members present., father, mother, daughter and long time boy friend of the daughter. The younger daughter and her boy friend were absent. This was followed up today with a “cooking lesson” Where we assisted in the preparation of 2 appetizers, 2 deserts and 2 main courses, plus side. This was aided by the application of continuous flowing sangria. 

Andres, our OAT Tour Leader felt we had not had sufficient wine yet so some of us set off for a wine tasting of the wines of the Evora region. One stands out as memorable. It is called “Invisible”. It is almost as clear as water although it is a tempranillo type grape having been taken off the skins and stems before they have a chance to color the wine. The flavor was quite strong, surprising me.