A Lovely Oasis in Evora

Yesterday we arrived in the small town of Evora, about two hours east of Lisbon. Like many places we have visited, it's an old town, with A Roman city that was built on top of an even older city. We are staying in a lovely small hotel called Albergario do Calvario, a modernized interior built in an old olive oil pressing facility that was part of a convent. It will be a high point of our trip...it's our splurge stay. We have been following tour suggestions from a Rick Steve's consultant, and it was his recommendation that this would be the place to splurge....and he was quite right. Most of our hotels have been smaller hotels that are a bit older, which is our preference over slick newer chain type places, to get more of a feel for the country. They have cost (with the discounts that many give for mentioning Rick Steves) from 46 euros to 64 euros. 64 euros is roughly $62. This hotel is about $145, so quite a bit more than our norm. But we'll worth it. It is charming, with a lovely courtyard and a very nice room with a huge, king size bed and the softest pillows we have had. This morning we found an amazing breakfast laid out, with a selection of locally made Portuguese omelets, breakfast tarts, breads, fresh fruits and the best fresh dates I have had. Plus you can order scrambled or fried eggs (eggs are not generally served at breakfast here), pancakes or French toast, and capuccinos. After a couple weeks of sliced ham and cheese with breakfast rolls, this is a wonderful change. All the food is organic. We are going to really enjoy this place. Here are a few pictures.

This town has a nearly intact medieval wall surrounding the old part of town. Our hotel is located just inside that wall. The first picture shows a piece of that wall on the right with the entrance to the hotel on the left. The second picture shows the lovely lobby. The third is the courtyard, If you look carefully you can see Phil seated at the table lower right, catching up on his journal.