Sharon Sparlin: EVORA, PORTUGAL

The Norwegian Sun docked in Lisbon, Portugal at 7am on Monday, November 21, 2022. After spending 21 days on board the Sun it was now time to disembark and explore Portugal further.

The ship cleared Portugal immigration by 7:45am. With roller bag and backpack in tow, I disembarked with plans to train to the small town of Evora, Portugal - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located 80 miles east of Lisbon Evora population stands at approximately 54,000.

As you exit the port you will turn right. The red brick Santa Apolonia train station will be visible. The distance is about 650 meters and managing my roller bag and backpack over some very uneven surfaces it took me close to 15 minutes to reach the doors of the station.

Front entrance to Santa Apolonia Train Station in Lisbon

Here I purchased two one-way tickets at a total cost of $26 USD and charged them to my credit card.

Ticket Booth in train station

Unfortunately to train from Santa Apolonia station to Evora you will be required to make a transfer at Oriente Station - Lisbon's main railway hub. This train station is hugh and handles over 75 million passengers annually, more than New York's Grand Central Station. Even if you are not exploring Portugal by train, this architectural masterpiece is still a must-visit while in Lisbon. Created by the genius engineer Santiago Calatrava, this impressive geometrical structure organically combines features of classic Gothic style and eye-catching Modernism.

Photo: Public Domain

The train station departure board at Oriente Station indicated that the train to Evora would be departing from track #6. Seemed simple enough but finding track #6 proved to be somewhat of an issue due to the sheer size of this station. Luckily, between a conversation with a security guard and a trip back to the ticket booth, I was finally pointed in the right direction. I was assigned car 22 seats 25, 27 for my trip to Evora. The trip was scheduled to take 1.5 hours but took over 3 due to two major track issues. Luckily I always pack food and drinks for just such an event.

Self made snacks and drinks for the train to Evora

Arrival into Evora was 12:30pm in a driving rain. My "Rome2Rio" app showed a walking distance of 0.6 miles but it was uphill and raining so I made the smart decision to take a taxi. There is a taxi stop at the train station however, they didn't appear to be coming on any regular basis so I found someone who spoke English and her call one for me. The taxi arrived within 10 minutes.

Arriving into Evora

Evora Train Station

Taxi pickup location

The taxi cost from the train station to Victoria Stone Hotel was 5 euros. Checking in at the hotel was effortless and I was assigned room 210.

Victoria Stone Hotel

Shower in room 210

Bathroom in room 210

Room 210 bed configuration

Once I had settled in I was off to locate the nearest "Linha Azul" stop. There is a North and a South route and I wanted to do both. Tickets are 2 euros and are purchased on the bus. My circle trip included the North and the South loop and took 1.5 hours. In addition to the "Linha Azul" bus, the city also offers 10 other bus routes which can be viewed here.

LinhaAzul sign at bus stop

View of castle walls while waiting at the bus stop

The hotel receptionist recommended we visit the Alkimia Madeirense Restaurant and Wine Lodge. Distance from the hotel showed 0.3 mile and a 5 minute walk.

Entrance to restaurant

Ceiling in the restaurant made with vinyl records

Dinner seating inside the restaurant

Typical dessert

Along the way I passed the Chapel of St Bras. Looking like a midieval castle right out of a Disney's Cinderella movie, it is actually a sanctuary dedicated to St. Blaise and completed in 1485 in thanksgiving for the end of the plague epidemic. It features large battlements, gargoyles, and round buttresses, in the style mixing Manueline (Portuguese Gothic) and Mudejar (party Gothic, partly Moorish). It was unique to be sure.

Chapel of St Bras

The interior is accessed through Gothic arches, but it is not always open to visitors. It features Moorish style tiles from the 16th century and gilded chapels added in the 18th century. The chancel has a gilded altarpiece with a wooden image of St. Blaise.

Doors to the chapel

Inside the chapel

The following morning I enjoyed a fantastic complimentary breakfast at the hotel before heading to the train station for my trip to Cascais, Portugal.

Breakfast area in hotel

Complimentary breakfast included

Complimentary Breakfast

Other points of interest to consider when in Evora include:

Templo Romano de Evora (Templo de Diana)

The Roman Temple, over 2000 years old, is the ex-libris monument of Evora and is one of the most important historic ruins in the country. The Roman temple in Evora was built in the first century, during the time of Caesar Augustus. It has a long history, serving as testimony to many transformations and different uses over the centuries. It was practically destroyed when the Barbarians occupied the Iberian peninsular in the fifth century, and served as a bank vault and butcher's to Evora castle in the 14th century. Its original Roman design was only recovered in the 19th century, in one of the first archaeological interventions in Portugal. It is a testimony to the Roman forum of the city of Evora, consecrated to the Imperial cult, thus clarifying a 17th-century tradition that claimed that the temple had been consecrated to the goddess Diana. For this reason, it was identified for many years as the Temple of Diana.

Bus stop "Rua do Menino Jesus 1"

Photo: Public Domain

Cathedral of Evora (Se Catedral de Evora)

A fortified church with Gothic features, Évora Cathedral is the largest cathedral in Portugal. Initiated in 1186, consecrated in 1204, and immediately used as one of the main temples of the Marian cult, it was only completed in 1250. It is a monument that showcases the transition from the Romanesque to the Gothic style, with Renaissance and Baroque additions introduced later. The facade is flanked by two towers, both medieval, with the bells being placed in the south tower. The north tower houses a number of valuable treasures belonging to the Museum of the Sacred Art; some unique priceless pieces, such as the image of the Virgin of Paradise, the figurine of the Virgin and Child that opens up from the lap and portrays an altarpiece with various scenes of the Birth and Passion. The remarkable central dome, built at the end of the 13th century during the reign of King Dinis, is the Cathedral's true showstopper. The main portico is one of the most impressive Portuguese gothic portals, with master sculptures of the Apostles made in the 14th century by Master Pêro, a leading name in national Gothic sculptures. Besides the main portico there are two other entrances: the Sun Gate, facing south, with Gothic arches; and the North Gate, rebuilt in the Baroque period. The interior is divided into three ships about 80 meters long. In the central nave you can see the altar of Our Lady of the Angel (locally known as Our Lady of the O), with polychrome marble images of the Virgin and the Angel Gabriel. The 18th-century altar and the marble chapel in Estremoz are Baroque works by J.F. Ludwig, known as Ludovice, who was the architect of the Palace of Mafra, at the service of King John V (1706-1750). In the chapel, the beautiful crucifix known as the "Father of the Christ" is displayed above the painting of Our Lady of the Assumption. In the transept, see the ancient Chapels of Saint Lawrence and the Holy Christ, and the Chapels of the Relics and the Blessed Sacrament, decorated with gilded carvings. At the northern tip is the spectacular Renaissance portal of the Chapel of the Spore Morgados. And in the upper choir is a very valuable Renaissance chair carved in oak wood, and an organ of great proportions, also of the 18th century. You can also visit the gothic cloister, dated 1325, and climb to the terrace, from where you can enjoy a beautiful panorama over the whole city of Evora, from the Cathedral is located at its highest point.The Cathedral is a massive Gothic structure begun in the 12th century.

Can walk here from Roman Temple of Evora or use bus stop "Lg. da Porta Moura".

Photo: Public Domain

Capela dos Ossos

One of the striking features of the façade is a church porch with arches of different styles - a typical example of the “marriage” between Gothic and Moorish style found in so many monuments of this region in Portugal. Over the Manueline doorway we can see the emblems of the kings that commissioned its construction - D. John II and D. Manuel I - whose emblems were the pelican and armillary sphere respectively. One particularity of the Church is that it has a single nave, terminating in a ribbed vaulted ceiling, which has the largest span of all Portuguese Gothic architecture. On the sides we can see twelve chapels, all covered in Baroque carved woodwork. The main chapel, dating from the early 16th century, still holds important Renaissance features such as the pulpits. It's well worth noting the harmonious decoration of stone, carved woodwork and tile tiles in the chapel of the third order, in one of the arms of the transept. Inside, visitors can see the strange Bones Chapel, built during the Filippine period (17th-century). The pillars and walls are completely covered by bones. It's also worth noting the late Renaissance doorway where the capitals of the columns seem to be decorated in a different manner according to whether one is looking from the exterior or interior..

Photo: Public Domain

Cromeleque dos Almendres

The Cromlech of Almendres is made up of 95 stones set in two circles. Some of the stones are decorated with schematic and geometric carvings. A little further away we can see the Menhir which is about 4 meters high. Recent researches provide that the most part of the stones are in their original place and date the cromlech from the neolithic (4,000 BC) and chalcolithic (2,500 BC).