24 October 2022 - Serpa

Miles driven today = 63

Total Miles to date = 2,618

So with Evora done and dusted we had something of a 3 way quandry over our next move.  We could head back west to the coast again but the forecast in that part of the World still isn't looking great.  We could head South to the Algarve but both of us have been there before on family package holidays and have no great desires to explore the area further.  It's also likely to be getting very busy with snowbird motorhomers at this time of year.  So we are therefore vaguely heading back towards the Spanish border over the next few days and onwards generally in the direction of Seville.  

We have spent a fair amount of time over the last couple of weeks in large towns and cities so we have booked ourselves into a "hilltop retreat" near the border town of Alcoutim for a couple of days of R&R.  But rather than drive all the way there in one slog we decided to break the journey.  Beja was a possibility but again it is a largish town and also is reckoned to be the hottest in Portugal (25 degrees forecast tomorrow).  So we voted to by-pass Beja and head instead for the quaint walled town of Serpa.

Before leaving Evora we filled up the van.  The price of deisel has rocketed since we have been in Portugal.  It was less than €1.80 a litre when we arrived here but the government has since withdrawn a subsidy on fuel and it is now anywhere between €1.95 and €2.05.  A little investigation showed that Auchan was probably the cheapest in town but it still cost us €117 to fill the van.  We're hoping prices will be cheaper again in Spain when we next have to top her up.

Serpa, in many ways is like a mini Evora.  It has an intact defensive wall surrounding the old town, which is topped by an aqueduct along one side.

At one end of the aqueduct you can still see the remains of an ancient chain pump.

The streets here are as narrow as any we have seen with right angle bends all over the place.  Once again this is a legacy of Moorish influence from the times they were in charge around these parts.  I doubt any motorised vehicle larger than a moped would be able to get round some of the corners.

This is the Church of St Paul with its attendant plaza and ancient olive tree.

The Castle was partially destroyed by Spanish invaders in the 18th Century and a large chunk of one of its demolished towers still sits somewhat precariously above the entrance.  

The keep is still largely intact but unfortunately it's closed to the public on a Monday so we had to make do with peeping through the locked gates.

The Palacio dos Condes de Ficalho is currently being renovated.  You can have a look round but only on prior appointment.  It still looked pretty delapidated to us.

The Torre do Relogio is a throwback to the days of the Moors but has been used as a clock tower since 1440, making it the oldest in the country.

The Praca da Republica is the town's main square, overlooked by the Town Hall.

See what I mean about those narrow streets.

The whole walled town is no more than a few hundred yards across.  This photo was taken from the foot of the Eastern wall looking toward the aqueduct on the other side of town so it really is bite sized.

We are staying at Serpa's municipal campsite, which is just a 10 minute walk from the old town gates.  It's really well appointed and even has its own derelict windmill.  We struggled to find the entrance initially as it's moved from where Google Maps reckoned it should be but recent comments on Park4Night put us right.  It's €10 a night for 2 people in a van plus another €2.50 for hook up, so we have pushed the boat out as the laptops were running a bit low after 4 consecutive nights off-grid.  Washing facilities are also relatively cheap so we both have a full compliment of clean underwear again, you will be ecstatic to hear.

25 October 2022 - Mertola and the Parque Natural Vale do Guadiana