Exploring nearby Parque Natural Serra de São Mamede, Portugal - February 2021

 We are settled in at our new house sitting situation in Portugal, which strangely enough has both Herman and me dreaming of Zambia, Africa some nights. Maybe it is because the previous owners moved here from Kenya and were avid gardeners, planting several trees and bushes native to African soils. Possibly it is due to the fact that the current owners are located in Zambia and some of their art evokes memories. 

The Parque Natural Serra de São Mamede is located in the province of Alentejo, known for it's vineyards.

Unlike much of the flatter, rolling plains of Alentejo, this area boasts higher mountains. From the property we can see the walled city of Marvão and the peak of Serra de São Mamede at 1025 meters above sea level (of course Herman has already run to the top of this peak and back!). This area boasts rich and diversified vegetation due to the way the mountains trap moisture. There are also deer, Iberian lynxes, Iberian wolves, wild boar and badgers, although we have mostly encountered chained large barking dogs when we go out to explore! Since the mid 1800's, the area has had a thriving cork industry and there are large cork trees with white painted numbers on many of the properties in the area. 

Views from the top of Serra de São Mamede

The closest city is Portalegre which is 5 km from the house. In addition to the cork factory, it has a textile industry dating back to the middle ages and tapestries have been woven here since the 1940's. We bicycled to Portalegre to explore the city and pick up a MiFi (Mobile WiFi) which we call "Meep". Now we have reliable internet connection that can travel with us on our journey!

Glazed tiles on the outside of buildings is a common sight

I think the cherubs in the tiles below are super creepy looking!

Situated at the highest point in the city, the Portalegre Cathedral is a National Monument, and was ordered by King John III in the 16th century built where a medieval church used to stand.

Below is another unusual cherub that looked like it was wearing a mask

Chapela do Calvario from the 18th century. Based on a Greek cross with equal sized arms and a dome crowning the central square. 

In this final picture of the series, you can see in the skyline that there is an older area of Portalegre with what was originally a Moorish castle. Not much remains of the castle as it was attacked several times in the 13 -14th centuries.