22.Travel to Happiness Mar. 23, Badajos(Spain)-Evora(Portugal)-Sagress(P)

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22.Travel to Happiness Mar. 23, Badajos(Spain)-Evora(Portugal)-Sagress(P)


Arriving in Barcelona on March 8, we spent 13 days traveling along the eastern and southern coasts of Spain, visiting major inland cities, and reaching Baños de Hoces at the edge of Spain near the Portuguese border. The journey went relatively according to plan.

We had traveled 3,071 km to reach Badajoz.

By 10:30, we visited the Baños de Hoces ruins and then left for the historic Portuguese city of Évora.

From today, we will spend a week traveling in Portugal, which has a history similar to Spain's. After driving for about 30 minutes, we reached the Spanish-Portuguese border. There was no checkpoint, only the last toll gate, which indicated the border. The time was 11:10 Spanish time, which is 10:15 Portuguese time.
                   

As you go towards Ebora, gently sloping hills and small mountai
s appear. On the winding hills, wild olive trees are spread out along with shrubs. In the pastures, cows graze leisurely, and you can also see flocks of sheep. The sheep are as large as goats. Horses are running around as well.

                                                                 
 The Evora Castle can be seen in the distance.
                       

Looking at the fortress on the mountain, the city seems to be fortified.
                               

The Roman aqueduct indicates the scale of the city at the time. Since the Roman era, it has prospered as the central city of the region, and during the Renaissance, it was also a city of learning with a university established.
                 

Even now, it is surrounded by solid fortress walls. When I went inside the walls, I found buildings from different eras—Roman, Islamic, and Christian—all mixed together within a single set of walls, making the entire city feel like an art museum. In 1986, this city was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
               

In front of the cathedral, there is the Giraldo Square where many people gather. Just at that moment, a festival was taking place. The young people were lively, and we could communicate in English, so I talked with them after a long time. It seems that English is more commonly understood here than in Spain.
               

A cathedral built in Romanesque and Gothic styles over the 12th to 13th centuries.
                     

The cathedral looks like a fortified building.
                         

Upon entering the interior of the cathedral, a beautiful octagonal dome catches the eye. The rose windows on either side of the dome are said to represent symbols of the Virgin Mary, with the left depicting the morning star of light and the right representing the rose of mystery.
                             

The Temple of Diana, the moon goddess, built in the Corinthian style by Romans in the 2nd–3rd century, is relatively well preserved thanks to the fortified Ebora Castle.
                   

Relax in the park.
                     

Have lunch at a restaurant in the square where the festival is taking place while also enjoying the festival. A single serving of Portuguese traditional food costs about 8 euros, but we ordered two servings for four people, so it ended up being 4 euros per person.
                         

The menu board hung in the restaurant


Heading to Sagres, the southwesternmost point of Portugal, departing Evora at 1:35 PM, the odometer read 3,174 km. After driving about 320 km, we arrived in Sagres at 6:30 PM.


We settled on a condo by the beach and went to a beach with steep cliffs. Since it was late, we couldn't enter inside the fortress, so today we took photos on the beach next to the castle. The wind was strong, so we had to stand carefully on the steep cliff.
  We also visited Cabo de São Vicente, a sheer cliff located 8 km away from here.
  The wind was blowing very strongly. It is said that it blows like this all year round. However, we could see people enjoying sea fishing on the steep cliff. Many tourists were watching their fishing with curious eyes.
   The sun set into the western sea, disappearing into the water.

We returned to our accommodation. After a short rest, we went to a seafood spicy soup restaurant that was recommended as good in this area.
                     

The gate is closed, walking along the cliffside beach.
                 

On the rocky cliffs of Sagres Beach
                     

           

                     

Unknown sea flowers are blooming.
               

Sunset at Cape St. Vincent (Cabo de São Vicente)
                     

Enjoy seafood hot pot and clam soup similar to ours