Tuesday 17th January 2017
To day we traveled east and after stopping off to buy groceries we crossed from Beira Litoral region into Beira Alta and began to climb up into the highest mountains in Portugal.
As we gained height we passed through some attractive mountain villages.
We reached the high plateau of the Serra Estrela - there are some amazing granite rock formations up here - almost as good as on Dartmoor!?
The high plateau is extremely cold and desolate at this time of year - not my image of Portugal at all! We would have loved to stop for the night up here but feared that the cold would be too severe.
We stopped briefly at Torre - the highest point in Portugal at just a fraction under 2000 metres (6500 feet).
Descending eastwards from the plateau we stopped to look at this carving in the granite.
Here's a closer view. Has anyone any idea who this might be?
The descent into the valley to the east of the high plateau was quite sensational down a very steep narrow road.
Eventually we managed to lose sufficient height to feel that the night wouldn't be too cold for comfort. We stopped for the night at the town of Belmonte which is at about 500 metres altitude. This town is apparently the birthplace of the person who "discovered" Brazil. I'm not sure whether the native South Americans would agree with that!
Today we traveled far too far - 121 miles (195 kilometres). We are at N40.36382 W7.34082
4 comments:
This carving in the rock is of the Virgin Mary and depicts her as the protectress of shepherds. It shows her sheltering the two shepherds and their lamb with her ample cloak as they kneel gripping their shepherd's crooks. Sounds as if they could use the warmth of the cloak judging by your descriptions of the cold at such heights, such a contrast with the earlier pictures of the warm sunshine further south. The statute and steps were carved/cut about 70 years ago.
Anne-Marie
This carving in the rock is of the Virgin Mary and depicts her as the protectress of shepherds. It shows her sheltering the two shepherds and their lamb with her ample cloak as they kneel gripping their shepherd's crooks. Sounds as if they could use the warmth of the cloak judging by your descriptions of the cold at such heights, such a contrast with the earlier pictures of the warm sunshine further south. The statute and steps were carved/cut about 70 years ago.
Anne-Marie
Hi Anne-Marie,
Many thanks for your comment. How did you know all that?
Best wishes, Roger and Ann.
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