Almond Blossoms, Monsaraz & What Nobody Expects

 My second-to-last full day and I had a day as amazing as any that have gone before on this trip.  I drove East from Evora to go to Monsaraz.  The Alentejo Region is known for agriculture and my mind was blown by the vast fields of almond trees, olive trees, grape vines and farm animals.  

The almond trees are in bloom right now and for many kilometers, all I could see were sparkling pink blossoms.  The sparkle comes from reflective strips tied to the trees (I assume to deter birds?) and the effect is magical.  The photo below is just the only place I could pull over to get a picture -- you have to know there were fields that the blossoms were fuller and pinker, it was gorgeous.

Monsaraz is on top of a hill with an epic view in all directions, including the view of manmade Alqueva Lake and Spain.  This is a town with cobbled streets and no traffic other than service vehicles; you have to park outside the town and walk in.

 The first thing you see as you drive up is the castle, built in its current incarnation mostly in the 1300s, and the walls that surround the town.  Defenses were needed in Monsaraz, which was ruled by Moors in the 8th century, then Spain, the the Moors again then the Knights Templar, Spain, and back to Portugal in the 1600s.  

The town is known for weaving on looms -- all those sheep in the fields below! -- and the historic tradition was revived in 1987.  Shops in the town sell the beautiful blankets and information is provided around the town about the process and history of weaving.

I was just so taken with this beautiful place and all the views looking down the steep streets out toward the landscape.  So let me share one more of those before we get to what nobody expects.

Just below the castle, there's the Casa do Inquisition.  In this tiny town, there was a Jewish quarter and the museum provides the history of the inquisition and the role of Monsaraz and Evora in the deaths of 80 Jews who were found to stand out for sweeping the house backwards, owning a low height table, not eating pork, rabbit or hare and fish without scales, praying to Moses and lighting sabbath candles.  The town map shows the area where Jews -- who arrived after expulsion from Spain -- took up residence.  The entrance  to this house shows the indentation where a mezuzah had been hung next to the door.

It's yet another reminder of the many (not just against Jews, but affecting all faiths) violent times in the history of the region.  Stunning, sobering and surprising to find it in Monsaraz.  

The ticket to the museum also gets you into the Museu do Fresco, which exhibits a significant work found "casually" in 1958 when the Monsaraz town hall was undergoing renovation.  A wall was demolished, and under it, this 15th century fresco of Divine and Earthly Justice was discovered.

The "good" judge at the top, sits with justice and mercy at his sides.  The "bad" judge below is shown being bribed on one side with coins and the other with partridges.  The museum says its only parallel is in the communal palace in Siena.  

And I had a perfect lunch in Monsaraz.  In a small 3 table restaurant called Gaspacho, when I asked for lemonade, the owner squeezed lemons.  I ordered gazpacho and he chopped cucumbers and tomatoes and peppers and blended them right then and drizzled local olive oil on top.  He also made the tomato salad, sprinkled with herbs, that accompanied my spinach quiche.  I have been missing vegetables on this trip (a lot of food is accompanied by arugula salad, but other than that, most of what I've seen has been potatoes and pale tomatoes) and this was just what I wanted.  

Before I drove back, I went to an overlook and painted the epic view.  It was windy and the colors aren't quite right and paint is splashy, but the fun of doing it was well worth it.

As for that drive back -- it was as beautiful as the drive out and I'm sorry that I had to pass by all the vineyards on the "wine route" through the Alentejo.  With only me driving, I couldn't go wine tasting, so that's a future trip.   I am so sad that tomorrow is the day I'll be packing and getting my pre-flight covid test and getting my last  hours in Portugal.  But what a journey.

PS -- I had to look, to see if it was "no one expects"  or "nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition" in the Monty Python skit and it was "nobody."