Estremoz

The White City

If you didn’t read yesterday’s post about Setúbal…you really should. I typically have a photographic post on Sundays. But I messed up. Setúbal was to publish today. Instead, I’ll take you to Estremoz a small town in the Alentejo known for its marble. (And please, take note of the updated publishing schedule at the end of this post.)

I wonder what it must be like to be born and raised in such a town.

I Remembered How to Drive

We decided to rent a car and head out to Évora in the Alentejo region of Portugal about 90 minutes east of Lisbon. Worried that I would get stuck on some narrow street better suited to pedestrians than cars, I chose the smallest vehicle I could find. After checking three or four sites, I landed on Carjet.com which offered the cheapest two-day rental for only 49€. It would have been less than half that price, but I choose the most comprehensive insurance policy and rented a toll pass.

I guess I should not have been surprised that I still remembered how to drive. It has only been five months. I should have known. You see I purchased a Mazda Miata less than a year before we moved from the states, and realized I remembered how to drive a manual transmission even though it had been nearly 20 years. [I will admit I should have spent some time on the web researching Portuguese traffic signs and laws. Denise and I argued over whether it was legal to turn on right after stopping for a red light. Feel free to educate me below.]

I have decided I love walled cities.

Where Shall We Go?

We checked into The Noble House in Évora around 1400 and asked where we should go. Our choices were Estremoz, known for its marble, or Arraiolos, known for its tapestry…each about 30 minutes away. Since we aren’t in the market for a hand-stitched woolen rug at this time we went to Estremoz.

Given my fear of narrow pedestrian streets, I nearly hyperventilated when I drove inside the wall via one of its four, 17th-century, marble portas (doors). But I quickly found a “two-lane” road, a large (free) parking lot and we stopped for a quick bite.

We then strolled about the town square. Everywhere we looked we saw marble. It graced the elaborately carved building facades, the most humble door, and window sills, and even the cobblestones. I even learned that they grind the marble into dust to tint the building paint. Along with two other neighboring towns, Estremoz is internationally recognized for its white, cream, pink, grey, and black marble. We learned Portugal is the second-largest exporter of marble in the world. Only Italy produces more.

As we read about various cities and towns in Portugal, there is a recurring theme: inhabited since pre-historic times; Roman, Visigoth, and Muslim occupation; taken back by the Portuguese in the mid-13th century. It was then that King Dinis rebuilt the palace, Castelo de Estremoz. From the castle, we were able to see the top of parts of the wall. But unfortunately, unlike Óbidos, one is not able to walk around the city on top of the wall.

Unfortunately, no dizzying videos this time.

We also saw a beautiful statue, dedicated to Elizabeth of Aragon, wife of King Dinis. She is also referred to as Saint Elizabeth of Portugal and the Dowager Queen as, after the King’s death, she went to live in the monastery of the Poor Clare nuns devoting the rest of her life to the poor and the sick.

For more photos, check out my Facebook page.

Final Note: I was shocked (and gratified) to see that 77% of those that answered the reader survey said they read my posts every day they are published. I also asked if you would care if I only published 3 times a week. Nearly 10% of you exaggerated just a bit…

but most said they wouldn’t care. So, at the urging of Denise, I will be publishing posts Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with a photo post on Sundays. I appreciate that many of you said, “publish when the spirit moves you”…but I need structure. (Perhaps it is the OCD thing…)