October 17, 2021 – Evora, Portugal

October 17, 2021 – Evora, Portugal
At 9am we met with two students from the University of Evora. They were dressed is suits with cloaks. It was very Harry Potter looking. They told us about their college life and their plans for the future. Many Portuguese students leave the country after graduation and never come back. These two also plan on leaving but hope to come back after saving enough money to return. The University classrooms have beautiful tiles from the 1700’s on the walls.
Maria, a local guide, led us on a walk through the city. We got to see the Roman temple ruins, parts of the Roman wall, and parts of the medieval wall. Our last stop was the Chapel of Bones. It is part of the St. Francis Church and was built in the 1700’s. The walls and columns are covered with human bones. It is meant as a way to show that all people are the same. The saying outside the room is “We bones that are here await yours”.
At noon we headed to the Portuguese Cooking School. Sofia, the owner, came out to greet us and lead us in. We had a great time helping prepare the meal. We had sausage and bread wirh olive oil to hold us while the meal was prepared. First course was chick peas with tuna, cilantro, and olive oil. Main course was onions, potatoes, rosemary, and pork AND cod cooked with potato sticks and eggs. Dessert was baked apples in port sauce. Everything was delicious. We will be getting the recipes to try at home. Check out http://www.portugesecookingschool.com if you plan a trip to Evora.
We had a free afternoon so Carolyn and I rested until our 5:30 wine tasting. Most of the wine was okay but nothing special. One red was really good, so we shared the price of a bottle and will enjoy it one evening.
We had a late dinner outside in the city center square where an excellent street musician sang everything from Little Richard to Nessum Dorma.
Tomorrow we move to Spain.